I thought I might try Hulu+ using the free trial offer. I found the content to be worth 8 bucks. So I ponied up and signed up for the full service. Now during the free trial period there were commercial length ads running which I thought would go away once I kicked in my hard earned bucks. Guess what? Those ads are there even though I bought the full package. I also subscribe to Netflix and HBO Go. No ads on those and suspect there others that ditch the ads once the full package is purchased.
So, fuck off Hulu you’re canceled. I might as well get a DVR for crying out loud.
Did you just make up the commercial thing in your mind?
Not sure why you’d automatically assume they’d go away. I see why you would be mad if they promised it, but it sounds like you just invented that notion.
I don’t use any of these services though so maybe I’m missing the point.
Well still, if there were some negative feature in a product I was testing, I’d take 2 seconds to search Google for whether or not it went away after the trial.
Not just throw down my 8 dollars and be mad when it was still there.
you got a “free trial” of the service. The trial was exactly what you would shell out 32 quarters for. This is like trying a sample of chocolate ice cream and being pissed that the ice cream you sampled (chocolate) somehow is NOT strawberry. Jesus Aussie, why be such a whiny bitch when what you sampled is exactly what you bought?
Honestly I agree that it’s irritating that Hulu+ uses commercials for a paid service when Netflix doesn’t and HBO go doesn’t, but I feel your description isn’t quite right.
You may be seeing a single commercial length ad (ads can be 15, 30, 45, or 60 seconds so I’m not sure which you’re calling commercial length) during a break, but you’re not seeing as many ads as someone watching on their cable plan. Of course with a DVR you can zip past them no matter how many, but you’re also going to play on average double what Hulu+ for the DVR plan via your cable company.
For instance, the Colbert Report is a 30 minute program on Comedy Central. I just paused the program on Hulu+ and it is 21 minutes and 35 seconds for this episode including commercials. That’s almost 9 minutes of commercials you’re not seeing.
Again, I totally get what you’re saying and the decision to cancel, but it’s not quite as commercial laden as the impression I got from your OP.
^^ Incorrect on commercials. All 1/2 hour shows I work on are 21:35 in length. The commercials on Hulu are less than what you see on TV, but the TRT you’re looking at does not include commercial length, especially when Hulu lets you pick your ad type.
The time that count downs on my TV includes the time the commercials are running. From start to finish watching the show it was a bit over 21 minutes including the commercials and the credits. I saw the time I spent and as far as I know I wasn’t part of any time travel event that allowed me to do that.
I’ve never bothered with picking ad types because I don’t pay attention to any of them so I can’t speak to that.
Not really sure why your post made you shrug, but ok.
Just watched an American Dad episode on Hulu. TRT = 21:38 Press play, you get an ad announcement followed by a 15 second ad. Then the show starts… at 01:00:00. But you need to ad the 20 seconds at the head of the show. So far, we’ve got a new total of 21:58.
First commercial break starts at 6:45. Then 120 seconds of ads. When the show starts again, it starts at 6:45, where it left off. Our new TRT = 23:58. When the show finally ends, you’ll have about 26:30 WITH adding the ads. So it’s still less commercials than broadcast version, but the TRT you see on the screen only represents the length of the show and does not include the ads.
Trust me, I deal with reformatting video for broadcast and online versions every day and Hulu is a client. The ads are inserted on a separate video feed and not part of show video.
Reason I shrugged was because I can’t understand why the hell Hulu+ does that in the first place, when you pay for it, just like the OP.
Am I the only one that remembers that when cable came out, one of the promised benefits of paying(!) for TV(!!!) was no or fewer commercials? Look how long that lasted.
If you’re going to be irritated about Hulu Plus, be irritated at the amount of Hulu content that is unavailable on devices with Plus, which you have to pay $8/mo for. I have an Apple TV with a Hulu Plus subscription, and still need to go through my computer to get many of my favorite shows.
Network Guys, you do realize that people can employ high tech devices called “wires” to view free Hulu content on a TV. All you’re doing is making the TV watching experience less convenient.
Goddamnit, I remember when half-hour shows were 28 minutes and 30 seconds long, back when the government had the cojones to stand up to advertisers and demand a maximum percentage of commercial length.
