Granted, we did just ask you how you'd tweak the VUDU, but we're fairly certain none of you would recommend over doubling the price. Nevertheless, VUDU is apparently hoping that folks not quite ready to pull the trigger on its original set-top-box will be totally enthused about dropping a cool grand on the XL. Apparently, this one sports a fair bit more internal space (1TB to be exact) -- enough to hold 500 SD movies. If you're wondering if any films other than the Bourne trilogy will be available to take advantage of all this new space, VUDU is apparently aiming to unleash 70 of 'em later this month. Oh, and those high-definition films will run you $5.99 (new titles) / $3.99 ("HD classics) to rent, but hey, what's that after you've laid down $999 for the box itself?

[Image courtesy of VUDU]
Read - VUDU XL has 1TB of storage
Read - 70 new HD films coming to VUDU

Regardless of your feelings regarding the VUDU set-top-box, it's hard to knock its intrigue. From inception, we've been hooked on the concept, and while we've had our reservations about it, our hopes were bolstered after checking it out at CEDIA. After release, a number of reviewers found the device to be interesting, relatively useful and unfortunately hamstrung, but we still see quite a bit of promise in the box.

In its current form, there's no denying that the limitations are stifling. Right out of the box, you're stuck with a smallish internal hard drive that fills up quickly if you prefer your material in high-definition, and even if you look to external HDDs to catch the overflow, you're still left with content that's hardly portable. Sure, the port selection is up to snuff, the interface is beyond acceptable and the design is at least moderately sexy, but the inability to transfer content to discs along with the relatively high prices of downloadable media really put a damper on things. Couple that with the expansion of HD VOD and it's easy to slip your $399 right back where it came from. Still, we're curious to see how you all would tweak the VUDU to make it a more formidable competitor. Granted, we've all ideas that the majority of the changes will involve a massive overhaul of DRM in general, but don't be scared to think outside of the proverbial box on this one.

Although we're not exactly sure how many of you are rushing to bust out your wallet over this, VUDU's movies-on-demand STB is now on sale to those interested. The box itself will run customers a stiff $399 up front, and while you will have "instant access to 5,000 movies from major studios," you'll be paying between $0.99 and $3.99 for one-time rentals and $4.99 to $19.99 for movie purchases, "depending on the age" of the title. Of course, there's no activation or subscription charges once you fork out that $400, and while an exhaustive list of flicks doesn't look to be available, a few notables are 300, Dreamgirls, The Queen, Music and Lyrics, The Descent, The Last Mimzy, and Breach. Well, now you know, and for those pulling the trigger, expect it to arrive sometime near the month's end.