While Hulu has been choppy for me on PC, they say they will support PS3 streaming of Hulu by next month. If this works as well as Netflix on the PS3, and if they get the other players on board that they’ve been trying to snag (CBS, Warner, and Viacom) then Hulu may well be a good replacement for cable, in conjunction with our existing Netflix subscription. But only if they have TV shows’ entire runs, instead of just the last 5 episodes.
FTR, I don’t mind 30 second ads every now and then, even if I were paying $10 for the service. If Hulu enables me to drop Comcast, I’ll be a happy camper.
Not unless USA, ABC, Fox and NBC stop hosting their own content, because that’s all I usually watch on there. Now if they were to get CBS shows (CBS doesn’t make episodes available on their website) I would consider it, or if they had a lot of original programming like Funny Or Die or a whole lot more older episodes, then maybe, but as stands it’s not worth $10 per month.
I’d definitely pay that for YouTube, but luckily Google hasn’t started charging yet.
Nope. I watch stuff on Hulu* because* it is free. I have better ways of getting the same stuff without the issues Hulu has without having to pay for it.
Where can you watch a Season 3 episode of Will & Grace (as a made up example) whenever you want on free TV?
But most of what’s on cable has commercials even though you’re paying for the platform by which you access the content. So the concept of it doesn’t seem that odd to me though it is certainly an open question on whether enough people will be willing to pay for it.
Nope. I use Hulu as a free, easy way to watch random TV shows off to the side while I do boring stuff like mining/herbing in WoW. Which means I don’t really pay attention to the screen, just the audio (and glance at the screen every couple of minutes). So it wouldn’t be worth it to me to pay 10 bucks a month for that.
I wonder if Fancast is still free. Same basic idea, many of the same shows. Anybody know? I’ll have to check that out.
I actually use Hulu pretty regularly to catch up on shows and revisit eps that I may have missed or forgotten. And I don’t do the NetFlix (or rental in general) thing. But $10/month is still way more than I’d be willing to fork over.
But commercial cable TV is not free. I think HULU thinks it’s the same kind of thing.
I remember when I was a kid in the early 80’s and my family tried cable for a while. My parents were dismayed that they were paying for TV, but there were STILL COMMERCIALS!
The wire went down in a storm. My dad wound it up and hung it from a fence post. We never had cable again.
Just adding a +1 to the point that commercial cable is not free, so it’s the same concept.
But no. I just pirate shows I want to watch. I’ve used Hulu in the past and, unlike you guys, didn’t experience choppy video or anything. But I wouldn’t pay for it.
I pay $10 a month for DVR so I don’t have to watch shows when they’re on. If Hulu made that unnecessary, I might consider paying for it.
Downsides: can’t fast forward through commercials, must rely on network bandwidth and stability of their site, more limited content than what’s broadcast, and I have to hook up my laptop to the computer.
Upsides: I don’t have to remember to set the DVR, and I can watch on my laptop if I’m not at the TV (especially good for travelers).
As far as I can tell, the sweet spot of their content is shows that are old enough not to be free on Hulu anymore (about 5 episodes usually), but aren’t old enough that they’ve made it to Netflix streaming.
I think their quality is the best of the streaming sites, but their selection is horrible. If you really, really REALLY wanted to see a hi-res version of bad movie or TV show you don’t want to buy a DVD for, then Hulu is a good choice. A big minus on the commercials too.
I have trouble with Hulu, I always get a stuttering connection. I’d pay only if they increase the selection by tenfold. Especially TV series you can’t get on DVD or the old sitcoms from the 50s like “Dobie Gillis” and “I Married Joan,” and such
I’m a little less enthused now. I still think it might be a decent supplement to Netflix for those who don’t want to pay for cable. When I think about it as a $10 a month DVR it seems a bit more tolerable. But that review doesn’t make me think it’s going to be awesome, just ok.
For those of you with a Roku box, they’re expanding their offerings again. It’s mostly free stuff but it includes something called BigStar.tv for $5 per month which has independent films and softcore porn. Beat that Hulu!
Cheap or free offerings are getting better and better, I really haven’t missed cable that much and damn sure haven’t missed the bill.
I’m surprised by the people who have trouble with Hulu. I’d always thought it really good in that regard. I don’t think I’ve ever had a show stall or stutter. They always start quickly and run smoothly.