Owners of Vudu's on-demand video box will now be able to buy a limited selection of HD movies from independent studios Firstlook, Magnolia, and Kino. More than 50 high-def movies including "Transsiberian" and "Man on Wire," and they'll be offered simultaneously with the DVD releases.

Currently movie studios have been reluctant to allow HD video downloads because they fear they will be copied. However Vudu is hoping that these niche offerings will pave the way for the major studios to flip the switch on HD purchases of their more mainstream fare at some point in the future.