VUDU has announced that it will be starting a new movie streaming service from their website that will allow users to watch content directly from their browsers without requiring a VUDU set-top box, DVD player or VUDU enabled device. This should get the company more customers.

To use the new VUDU streaming service all you have to do is visit vudu.com, check out the selection available and purchase. Then you can start watching immediately. This will help VUDU compete with Netflix and Amazon, who both already have web browser streaming. The service will have the same titles found on the VUDU digital storefront but the quality of the video will be lower through web browsers.

Vudu just has started an aggressive campaign to corner the movie rental space through its pricing strategy – lowering the price to below average. What this means to you is just $2 for around 4,000 “top films” in the company’s Movies On Sale section, where you have 48 hours to finish watching once playback begins.

The deal is good until the end of 2010. Lower prices should apply both to those who still use a Vudu Box as well as the TVs and Blu-ray players that have streaming support, like those from LG, Samsung and Vizio.

The VUDU update this week will be of interest to those of you who like social networking sites. VUDU will now update your Facebook or Twitter status with your impressions of the movie you’re watching. Your friends with VUDU will also be able to see those updates and join in on the fun by watching the same movie.

It’s a cool way to promote and discover content, but we aren’t sure if it will catch on. The way Boxee does it might make more sense.

According to the New York Times, Wal-Mart will acquire Vudu, the online movie service. Looks like it will be a good match since Wal-Mart sells a boat-load of DVDs. Vudu gives them an easy way into the streaming market without having to build something from the ground up.

For Vudu it’s good as well. They’ve never been profitable, despite having their players embedded in increasing numbers of TVs which may have turned that around eventually. Walmart should make it easy to build on that momentum.

Vudu just announced the integration of Wikipedia into its service, featuring information about movies, actors and other info. You’ll be able to read articles and follow links, just like on Wikipedia.com. Vudu is also adding their own links to Vudu information like for instance the filmography of an actor/actress. Seems like a great way to learn more about the content you are watching and to find related content as well.

The company has been able to do steady upgrades thanks to the user-interface being generated on Vudu’s remote servers and they’ve managed to provide a consistent experience across many devices. That’s really saying something.

Wait. I thought HDTVs were all about watching actual TV. Well, VUDU thinks it’s all about apps and they may be right. VUDU has today made both Picasa and Flickr access possible through LG and Mitsubishi sets with integrated VUDU software.

Yes, this was already available to those of you relying on one of VUDU’s set-top boxes, but some of us like to have everything within the display itself. Pandora streaming is also available on VUDU-fied Mitsubishi panels, but LG has “requested that only free TV and games be available on their devices.”

Mitsubishi is now the second brand to include Vudu in their HDTVS after LG. Select Mitsubishi Diamond televisions to be exact. The LT-46249 and LT-52249 models feature an Ethernet port that connects to the Internet and the Vudu service. If you want to be wire free, there’s also a WIFI option.

The news makes us wonder who will be next to include Vudu in their sets. Time will tell. Vudu is on a real streak here. It was only back in July when we told you about LG including vudu in their LH50 Netcast HDTVs.

Vudu has announced that its service will be integrated in a number of LG televisions. Previously, Vudu had it’s own set top box to deliver the videos. It’s a smart move as this will make things cheaper for users being integrated in the TV and Vudu has to make less hardware.

The new VUDU also brings instant fast forward and rewind and instant start for all movie qualities, and there’s no monthly fee associated with the service. The following LG TVs will feature the new Vudu VOD service: 60PS80, 50PS80, 47LH50, 42LH50 (60, 50, 47 an 42 inches).

We’re used to seeing free DVD or Blu-ray players with an HDTV purchase, but Mitsubishi is trying a new approach. Beginning July 16th, authorized retailers will give you a free Vudu box and $50 service credit with every Mitsubishi TV.

The box is only a $150 value, but then again Vudu is the only player out there offering 1080p HDX video rentals right now, plus it supports Pandora, Flickr, YouTube and local streaming, so bundling the TV with the box is an easy way for Mitsubishi to jump into the connected TV market without having to work very hard.

Most of us thought that after Christmas those promotional prices would change, but instead of prices going back up on the Vudu set-top-box, the retail price is now permanently reduced by 50%. You can get a box for $149 (previously $299).

The VUDU XL is also down by half, dropping from $999 to $499, which includes a home theater connectivity software package. Even the VUDU XL2 is getting in on the action, dropping from $1,299 to $799. So, are you gonna buy one now?

Remember Vudu? That set top box striving to bring you lots and lots of video content over the Internet? You can now add porn to the list – welcome the AVN Media Network to the Vudu line up.

AVN said it is launching the AVN Adult Channel, which will offer “hundreds of the latest standard and high-definition titles from the leading adult studios including Wicked, Vivid, Hustler, and many others.” Though it plans to offer free access to the upcoming 2008 AVN Adult Movie Awards, you’ll have to otherwise pay for your porn to the tune of standard definition movies at around $7 rental/$20 purchase and HD movies at $9 rental/$30 purchase.

Most devices come with wireless capabilities, whereas the Vudu broadband video-on-demand box requires an Ethernet connection. As of today, that’s no longer the case as a wireless option is available for Vudu. The Vudu Wireless Kit is a pair of transceivers that creates an 802.11g wireless connection between the Vudu and your broadband router.

Those who already own Vudu can get the kit for $79. The other option, for new customers, is to buy the Vudu Wireless Kit bundle for a price of $349. It’s what many have been waiting for, but we’d like to see it at a slightly lower price.

Vudu is making some moves to keep in strong competition with the yet-to-be-released second version of AppleTV, this time offering a software update and more high-def content. This software update to version 1.2 comes not much more than a week after Vudu gave their system a 25 percent price cut bringing it down to $295 and closer to AppleTV’s $229. AppleTV had recently announced the “take 2″ version will add on features that will allow users to download video content to the appliance without the need of a computer in between, which is a feature that Vudu possessed and AppleTV did not.

The recent software upgrade for the Vudu video system brings some new features to improve user experiences with choosing videos to download. A new indicator will evaluate the current broadband speed and indicate if the selected video will download and show well without any skips or extended delays. When searching for a video it can also recommend titles for instant start based on the connection speed.