I just checked out a sample vudu HDX video. I have to say, it's really freaking good for streaming. Easily the best, and I've seen pretty much all of them at this point.

There are fewer quality levels than I'd thought. There SD, 720p HD, and 1080p "HDX." I don't know how many of these have Dolby Digital 5.1, but at least the top two do, and it sounds great.

Clearly, much of the quality comes down to how compressed the video is. Well, naturally it appears they deliver whatever your bandwidth allows, up to the level you pay for, but it looks like their HDX videos start out at 4.5Mbps and go up to at least 9Mbps. I've attached a shot of the speed test that vudu goes through. In my setup, it instantly shot to 9Mbps and never dropped (thank you Fios). I'm also very pleased with the performance of my WD Livewire (as discussed earlier), as that's what is providing the connection to the Boxee Box.

Lastly, the prices are as follows:

SD - $3.99
HD - $4.99
HDX - $5.99

**edit** I forgot to mention, when you first sign up, the give you $5.99 in credits, so you get a free HDX movie **/edit**

I agree that $6 for a rental is very high, and I don't foresee spending that very often. However, my wife and I just spend $34 to see The Green Hornet in theaters. Yes, it was that expensive because it was in 3D, but guess what: at our theater it was ONLY SHOWING IN 3D! What the hell? Besides, non-3D would still have been $22. This is $6, we get to be nice and comfy in our living room with easily accessible bathrooms, food, and a pause button. We also don't have the three kids behind us without the concept of whispering, or the woman sitting right next to me checking her phone and texting every five minutes (that's the second time in a row that's happened to me).

For the convenience, $6 doesn't look that bad anymore. Plus, I think of it as a supplement to Netflix. There are some good older movies showing up for streaming there (including a documentary about The Minutemen I want to see), and with that combination I think I'll be going to the theater much less often.

In conclusion, once Boxee adds Netflix to the Box, I'll officially be happy and completely set. Everything else will just be gravy to me.