With the way Time Warner rips me off, my TV could use a new best friend.

Vudu is a new video on demand (VOD) service that offers instant access to HD films, TV shows, and approximately 5,000 movies. Rentals range from 99¢ to $3.99, HD rentals from $2.99 to $5.99, and purchased movies from $4.99 to $19.99. TV episodes are $1.99. The box itself costs $295 to purchase. I’m pretty fed up with Time Warner Cable’s exhorbitant fees, so I was strongly considering vudu as an option. The only thing is, from the website, it’s a little unclear to me as to whether they offer first run TV episodes, (which would be a deal breraker).