Hulu to PlayStation 3 browsers: "This video is not available on your platform"

The PlayStation 3 has kept access to Hulu even without PlayOn or other workaround while others were blocked -- with the exception of its own remote friendly desktop software -- thanks to its browser's Flash support, but this morning multiple users have reported the above message indicating "Unfortunately, this video is not available on your platform. We apologize for any inconvenience." Some odd glitch related to the recent 2.80 firmware update or other temporary problem, or is this the latest platform to get the Boxee treatment when trying to bring streaming video to TV screens? We've reached out to Hulu for an explanation but so far, haven't heard a response. Interestingly, the Hulu TOS was just updated as of June 26, and although we haven't found any PS3-specific passages, changing a browser's user-string to match the console reveals it is definitely being specifically blocked.

[Thanks Sev, and to Tyler from FormatWarCentral.com for the picture]

[Spoony @ Jun 27th 2009 7:04AM]

PS3 limitation?

[Mark @ Jun 27th 2009 7:13AM]

More likely Microsoft threw them a big pile of cash to block it. That seems to be Microsofts plan these days, fix everythign with bribes and corruption.

[ClarkyAC @ Jun 27th 2009 7:19AM]

I didn't even have to scroll to see a Microsoft related comment -.-

[Nick @ Jun 27th 2009 7:34AM]

@ClarkyAC

Big screen you have there..

[E C S Sucks @ Jun 27th 2009 7:35AM]

Mark you need to learn fanboy comments are the worst. Getting a frigging life. People prefer xbox in the current generation. Sony need to pull their finger and produce something thats worth it.

[jOEfRO @ Jun 27th 2009 7:48AM]

@ Mark

Funny how Sony actually stops some Sony movies from streaming on 360 via Netflix, yet Microsoft literally has no way to block these videos on PS3.

[Jayleigh @ Jun 27th 2009 7:53AM]

The Microsoft Bribary comment was more dead on. How does something work one day and not the next. Its some motivation behind the scenes and not a limitation. Its not like the boys at Redmond are above that (Ask Netscape). Microsoft thinks they own the internet and the computing world. Doesn't matter to me as a PS3 owner, but these shenanigans do suck.

I am anti-Microsoft....So that makes me Pro Apple, Pro Linux, Pro-Sony....or pro-anything against a company with no business ethics.

[UnofficialPants @ Jun 27th 2009 8:15AM]

@Jayleigh and Mark:

Like jOefro said, how does Sony get away with blocking their movies from streaming on Netflix on Xbox 360, while Microsoft gets blamed for blocking Hulu streaming, something over which they have no control? Where is your company's ethics now D-bag?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/18/sony-pictures-celebrates-nxe-eve-by-blocking-xbox-360-netflix/

PS: Its "bribery" with an 'E'

[Shabooty @ Jun 27th 2009 9:08AM]

Guys it's not Microsoft that did this. It's the television networks.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Jun 27th 2009 9:11AM]

Anyone who is pro-consumer should be anti-Sony (rootkit, proprietary hardware, actually OWNING UP to charging more for stuff "because [they] can," the list goes on).

My wife bought us a PS3 just as a blu-ray player; we had the intention of never buying any games (and only renting BDs) for it, which was fine with me since that meant Sony actually LOST money on me. (When we discovered Hulu, even better! So much for that now.)

Incidentally, I had to change my mind about PS3 games when Guitar Hero: Metallica came out. |m|

[phoomp @ Jun 27th 2009 9:20AM]

Microsoft?!?!

More likely it's the same people who tried to block Hulu access through Boxee: the companies with content hosted in Hulu. Clearly, they don't want viewer to be able to watch Hulu content on their big screen TVs. They'd probably much prefer you to watch that content through your cable subscriptions, where they make *alot* more money off ads.

[sondun2001 @ Jun 27th 2009 9:33AM]

Definitely not a limitation, as I was watching the videos just fine. @Smart People Play Tuba - Sony Closed? What about the PS3's ability to install Ubuntu or Yellow Dog right from the XMB with no hack. What other console do you know has a "Install OS" option???

[MrDaz @ Jun 27th 2009 9:41AM]

I guess Sony are so ethical that they would never bribe anyone $500M to stop making HD-DVDs and move to Blu-Ray...

[AnnoyingPoster @ Jun 27th 2009 9:49AM]

@mark

people like you are the dumbest and most blinded fanboy sheep i have ever seen in my life.

how the hell would it even be possible for microsoft to ever have any influence over the fact that hulu doesnt work with sony's playstation after a sony firmware update???

microsoft is not a content provider of the network and has absolutely 0 partnerships with hulu.

if you had any idea of how the internet worked you would realize there are only 2 possible reasons for this update bricking the ability to use the ps3 browser for hulu

hulu checks the browser id, and purposely blocks it at the will of the content providers (fox nbc etc)
sony changed some hard coded workaround to allow the ps3s browser to be identified as legally playable during the firmware update, breaking functionality (whether at the will of content providers or by accident)

[Sean @ Jun 27th 2009 10:34AM]

Remeber HULU is owned by NBC/Universal, FOX, and now Disney (ABC,ESPN). They will block these alternative methods of getting to HULU until these services pay to play. The Ads on the site are not generating that much revenue in relation to the gobs of ads they can put on the regular broadcast. It is still an experiment for these content producers.

No doubt MS/Sony have been negotiating to put this service on Xbox Live/PSN but I bet they are not saying... "Gee we want you to put HULU on our system from free."

[Wwhat @ Jun 27th 2009 11:31AM]

hulu's management are assholes, just put the whole site and their IP's in your blocklists is my advise, you'll only get better from it

[Aguiluz @ Jun 27th 2009 12:37PM]

Well, if Hulu won't like my PS3....


*hits the torrents and downloads the movies I want and stream it to my PS3*


Aaaaahhh....

[WickedEast @ Jun 27th 2009 2:05PM]

@Smart People Play Tuba:

Check out the PS3 specs versus the XBox 360 and then come back here and tell us which one has more proprietary tech. The PS3 is probably the most open gaming console in history. Try to do some homework before you comment.

And rootkits have nothing to do with PS3 and the SCE division. Besides, when did that rootkit fiasco occur? Yeah, three years ago. Get over with it already.

"Charging more money because they can". What? Were you born yesterday? Sony's a business. Apple charges more money because they can. Microsoft does the same. Ditto with BMW. Some people find it's worth the price; others don't. End of story. Sony (and any other business) didn't price their products based on how much they love or hate people -- it's based on market and economic research.

"Incidentally, I had to change my mind about PS3 games when Guitar Hero: Metallica came out." I guess with that, you can throw your second paragraph out the window. Looks like Sony had the last laugh with you. LOL.

[JBLACK @ Jun 27th 2009 3:07PM]

Christ, some of you people are stupid. Microsoft bribed them? Wow.
Maybe Toyota bribed GM to file for bankruptcy too. It makes perfect sense.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Jun 27th 2009 5:43PM]

Has anyone told Alec Baldwin yet? I'm sure he'd want us to get Hulu so he can eat our brains.

[Kiv @ Jun 27th 2009 7:15PM]

@Mark

However, I somehow suspect you had no problem with Sony bribes in the Bluray vs HDDVD war.

Not that I care either way, I feel like bluray medium won't live long. Anyone see that Red Ray stuff? I know it's not meant for home use, but its amazing how technology just grows by leaps and bounds.

[freighttrain2126 @ Jun 27th 2009 8:49PM]

@mark
ok, I love Sony products (I have a ps2, ps3, Sony HDTV, Sony home theater system, and sony car stereo), but what you said makes absolutley no sence. More likely it was the tv studios, though it wouldn't surprise me if it was Sony themselves so that you have have to buy that content from the playstation store instead of watching for free on hulu.

[DeepFriedSushi @ Jun 28th 2009 1:43AM]

ugh... seriously whats so damn special about sony that it causes this amount of blind following. they're up there with all other corporations when it comes to business ethics.

the reason hulu was disabled on ps3 has more to do with advertising revenue. television advertising nets much higher revenue compared to net advertising. these networks even tho they own hulu still prefer if viewers watch that show on television. theres a difference between a game console and a computer, generally ps3 are played on a a television, rather than people watching theses shows on hulu they want viewers to turn off the console and watch it on that very same television where they would make far higher revenue though television advertising.

[DeepFriedSushi @ Jun 28th 2009 1:50AM]

also what the hell does ms gain by blocking hulu on ps3 mark? ya they'd pay millions to cause grief to current owners? sony never used hulu as a method for promoting their console heck they dont even use the browser as a selling point on the ps3.

[Mark @ Jun 28th 2009 12:19PM]

I don't recall ever seeing anything to suggest that Sony bribed anyone in the Blu-Ray vs HD DVD "war".. Seems there were always be sore losers.

Next they will be claiming Sony bribed game studios to write crappy looking game for Xbox, rather than admitting the obvious.

[Jim @ Jun 27th 2009 7:05AM]

Meh, Hulu on PS3 was already pretty terrible. Low framerate on 360p, and just about impossible to watch on 480p.

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Jun 27th 2009 9:01AM]

Yeah, but it was free. All I ever watched on it was Colbert Report. Now I have to use my laptop.

JERKS!

[Temple @ Jun 27th 2009 10:16AM]

it was perfect on PlayOn

[Ray @ Jun 27th 2009 2:26PM]

Laptop with DVI connection to HD FTW

[loosely_coupled @ Jun 27th 2009 4:46PM]

Yes, because the Flash is not hardware accelerated. But that is a stupid way to watch web video like Hulu on the PS3.

I use the HIGHLY-RECOMMENDED TVersity streamer App. It will dynamically convert and stream any media from PC to the PS3, including local/network video and internet video like Hulu. It's frickin' amazing...

[Mike Crazy @ Jun 27th 2009 7:09AM]

Hulu on PS3 was bad but at least you cloud watch something on it unlike now. THIS IS BS!!!

[Ethan @ Jun 27th 2009 8:58AM]

BS? This is SPARTA!

[cloud858rk @ Jun 27th 2009 4:41PM]

"cloud watch something on it"

Right on that Mike.

[richb93 @ Jun 27th 2009 7:26AM]

PS3 owners get RickRoll'd?

[bartoron @ Jun 27th 2009 7:38AM]

XD

[sjdurfey @ Jun 27th 2009 10:09AM]

At work the other day, myself and a couple other guys used a singing telegram to Rick Roll another guy at work. Greatest. Thing. Ever.

[Rob Conway @ Jun 27th 2009 12:26PM]

I just got rick roll'd at the dollar store! does it ever end? lol

[dan @ Jun 27th 2009 8:00AM]

same thing recently happened on my cellphone

[Luthyr @ Jun 27th 2009 10:19AM]

Right, I previously could load videos using Skyfire on my WinMo phone, but now it displays the same message.

[Dan @ Jun 29th 2009 2:46PM]

*&%! Hollywood

[JSER @ Jun 27th 2009 7:51AM]

not sure if its related, however I'm experiencing similar issue with Tversity on my Xbox360.

[Glenn @ Jun 27th 2009 7:56AM]

I'd like to hear from the haiku guy!

[vdex34 @ Jun 27th 2009 10:13AM]

+1

[chris.j.thibault @ Jun 27th 2009 8:10AM]

Yup -- same issue with my PS3. I wonder when they will block computers with video out??

[Shenanigans @ Jun 27th 2009 3:15PM]

Uh, so all computers ever made?

[lfred @ Jun 27th 2009 8:13AM]

Hulu ? What's Hulu ?

PS: when do we get access to Hulu here in Europe ? Either we don't see US series at all or have to wait for 2-3 years to show up on our screens in INCREDIBLE standard def quality.

(getting sick of this unfortunately this service can not be watched in your region warning)

[wrabbit @ Jun 27th 2009 8:34AM]

You're getting sick of it?? Imagine how those of us in Canada feel. I'm not even 200km north of US yet I get the same stupid message. Effing red tape! :(

[LunchboxG5 @ Jun 27th 2009 10:26AM]

Why would you expect to have access to Hulu outside of the US? Seriously - it's content from US television stations supported by advertisements from US companies. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be European content on there, but I wouldn't expect to see that programming for free in the States.

[UK31337 @ Jun 27th 2009 10:45AM]

I heard a rumour that apparently it's coming to the UK in September, but it'll be so stripped down and have so much content missing that it'll be a complete joke.

While in the US you can watch all sorts of brand new stuff we've never heard of, we'll end up with a mish-mash of random CSI:New York (the worst CSI of all, it's terrible but at least we are being shown the latest series right now in the UK) episodes dating from 2003 and two episodes of Family Guy which you've already seen. The Xbox Live Video Marketplace is the same - why do the US get a BBC America channel with Torchwood, Dr Who, Life on Mars etc. but we don't get any TV shows at all let alone BBC shows shown here well before they end up in the US? It's a disgrace that the BBC can't even provide their own shows to UK licence-fee payers but happily send them to the US for free.

[MacBandit @ Jun 27th 2009 12:01PM]

For the same reason that we can't watch any broadcasts made in the UK until some USA broadcaster license and broadcasts it here.