Vudu, the set-top box rumored to single-handedly topple both Netflix and digital video recorders, has, in reality, failed to impress. Katie Boehret, the Wall Street Journal's Walt-Mossberg-in-training, reviews the movie-downloading box which aspires to win over those too lazy to traipse over to the video store. The only problem is that Vudu has its own set of not-inconsiderable inconveniences. One needs a hard-wired Ethernet connection — no built-in Wi-Fi — to make it work. The service charges above market rate for movies. And the selection, tragically, is poor. Except for its on-screen ease of use, little separates it from Microsoft's Xbox 360 downloads or Sony's planned Playstation 3 store. Until Netflix puts its own box on the TV console, stick to mail-order DVDs, we say.

Contact information for this author is not available.