Want to stream movies or TV shows from online video service Vudu to your TV? You can use a Chromecast, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, or any number of smart TVs or set-top boxes from Samsung, LG, Vizio, and others.
Soon you’ll also be able to use something called the Vudu Spark. It’s a small HDMI stick that you can plug into a TV, and it looks a lot like Vudu’s answer to the Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Walmart-owned Vudu hasn’t actually announced the device yet, but the folks at GigaOM spotted the Vudu Spark in a recent FCC listing which contains pictures and at least part of a user manual.
The Spark connects to your WiFi network over an 802.11b/g/n connection, and then loads a Vudu app and prompts you to create a Vudu account or login to your account on first boot. After that, it should jump straight to the Vudu app.
Pictures in the user manual show an on-screen keyboard, but it’s not clear if you’re supposed to enter your login information using some sort of remote control or if you’ll use a smartphone app to control the Vudu Spark. It’s also not clear if the Vudu Spark only streams content from Vudu or if you can also use it to run other third-party apps.
I can’t think of many reasons to choose the Spark over similar devices from Google, Amazon, Roku, or Matchstick if all it does is stream content from Vudu — you can already do that and much more on other devices. But for the right price (free with a subscription, perhaps), I suppose the Vudu Spark could appeal to… someone.
How do I get my Vudu spark to switch to my roku remote?
I can see it now: some guy buying a great big 20 port HDMI switch with a gaggle of single-service “streaming sticks” plugged in like porcupine spines with USB power cables running all over like spaghetti to 5 4-port powered USB hubs. Things have passed beyond silly.
Not to mention that word will be out in moments about which generic they’ve used.