Important Note: Voddler only works in limited regions at the moment. A
European wide launch is expected in 2012. Voddler is a browser based film
streaming service that allows you to watch films and documentaries on your
Mac. What Spotify has done for music fans, Voddler promises to do for film
lovers and Softonic was allowed an exclusive look the first Voddler for Mac
almost two years ago. It was initially launched in Sweden and is now being
gradually rolled out across the rest of Europe. Voddler started out as purely
a desktop client but the company soon decided to integrate it with a web
based service after numerous security breaches and complaints about usability
from users. To stream films in your browser, you need to download the desktop
client here. There is also an offline client available for download which
allows you to play films you have paid for without a net connection.
Voddler's web client provides stunning DVD quality images and sound to the
desktop client. Most importantly, streaming quality and stability is
excellent. We weren't able to test it on a large HD screen but on an average
size monitor, the quality is superb. There is a mix of free and paid for
films. Those that you have to pay for cost between €2-4 and can be watched
offline. Free films are supposedly supported by adverts but in half an hour
of video, we didn't see one single advert. This is slightly different to the
original format rolled out in Sweden where you had to sit through a maximum
of 5 minutes of adverts at the beginning before the film starts. When Voddler
launches from the web client into the film it goes straight into full-screen
mode. I would prefer to have been prompted whether I wanted to open in
windowed or full-screen mode but you can revert back to windowed mode by
pressing Escape. Controlling Voddler is now much easier thanks to integration
with the mouse for stopping, fast forwarding, adding subtitles etc. Note that
you can only do this once the adverts have stopped playing. Annoyingly, if
you're watching films dubbed into another language such as Spanish, you can't
just switch to the original language. However, in the Spanish version we
tested, you can search for the film title and "V.O." (version original) to
view the film in it's original version. There are many different types of
programs to choose from namely Movies, Documentaries and Series. You can
sub-divide these by Most Popular, Highest Rated, Newly Added etc. The choice
of films and documentaries in Voddler isn't fantastic. In fact in the Spanish
version, it's extremely sparse at the time of writing with just 5
documentaries for example. However, there are some slightly dated blockbuster
films available for free. There is a definite lack of newer films but that
will hopefully change as Voddler becomes more popular and secures exclusive
deals with more film labels. Each film still has a handy synopsis, trailer
and average user rating. There's now integration with Facebook and Twitter
(although the former function wasn't working when we tested it) and a review
system where you can clearly see user movie reviews and add your own. There's
also a selection of recommended films connected to what you are watching.
Overall, Voddler isn't a bad film service. However, there were times when
films simply wouldn't start and I think some improvements could be made to
the way films are categorized and organized as it can feel overwhelming and
crowded. Most importantly however, Voddler will have to increase the quality
and quantity of films very rapidly if it is to be successful. *All in all,
Voddler has the potential to be a great film service although the lack of
film choice and general usability still need drastic improvement for it to be
really popular.*Download *Voddler 2.0.6715* in Softonic
