Okay, so mid-tier Comcast cable is long gone and unmissed. Between Netflix, Vudu and Amazon Prime Video, we manage to see just about everything that comes to mind, for an aggregate cost around one-tenth of maintaining non-premium-tier cable.
I’ve had HuluPlus in the mix for a couple of months, too, and have yet to find much use for it. Other than the extensive Criterion collection, which almost makes it worth $7 a month, I have had trouble finding anything worth watching via the service. It seems very chaotic, irregular and fragmented. Instead of a selection of complete TV shows and seasons, like the other services, it seems to have five eps of this one, three eps of the other, and the odd complete season here and there. The movies (other than Criterion) seem to be pretty much filler - and speaking of filler, the amount of sort of YouTube-ish, airline video shorts stuff overwhelms everything else.
I assumed it would fill in gaps between Netflix and the pricier services, but it’s been completely useless even without any real expectations of content. It seems to be a step up for people who get their video in driblets from the network and pirate sites, but way below the other pay services.
Am I missing something about what HuluPlus is supposed to be, or organized, or something?
Really, I only use Hulu for recently aired TV shows. It’s not really for entire seasons of shows/movies like Netflix. And HuluPlus is really only necessary if you want to watch it on your TV/cell phone. Otherwise just go with the free version to watch on your computer.
As you say. But I look up shows I’d like to watch, like *Justified *or Walking Dead… and what they have is clips, featurettes and links to things like talk show appearances. All interesting, I guess, and for some audience… but not really what I am looking for.
I get the feeling Hulu would like to be something it’s not, and sort of presents itself as “meatier” than it really is, but in the end it’s just one more video collator that doesn’t have much of a budget to bring in material and thus sort of subsists on scraps and handouts. I’m sure it has an audience… but I think I’ll slip out the back, now.
I also have only the vaguest notion of what HuluPlus brings in for the monthly fee, except, kinda, more of the same. There doesn’t seem to be a clear explanation of the difference, just breathless promises that it’s really, really worth it.
None of this is complaining, understand. Just puzzlement, and further puzzlement that I can’t seem to bring the service into focus. Ah, well.
Well, if you’re interested in current broadcast shows but don’t have cable, HuluPlus can be worth it. For example, we watch current (on Hulu the day after they air) seasons of Bobs’s Burgers, Family Guy, New Girl, Once Upon a Time, Bones, and The Following, just off the top of my head.
That’s what little I did figure out - that it’s heavy on the broadcast channel programs. I can see that if you’re a broader cable user than I am, that would be a useful replacement. It doesn’t serve any need for us.
I guess I’ll let it go, but if I ever want to chow down on Criterion… I know where to find it, real real cheap.
The whole market for serial television seems to be in tremendous flux, with everyone trying to find the sweet spot between maximum revenue (direct or ad-driven) and reaching the non-realtime audience, including the long-delay viewers. Don’t expect anything to remain stable for long…
