Hands-on with Hulu Plus via Samsung HDTV, iPhone and iPad
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted July 1st 2010 9:00AM
posted July 1st 2010 9:00AM
You've all seen Hulu.com and Hulu Desktop, and we're happy to report that once you sign in with your Hulu account that is subscribed to Hulu Plus, you'll feel right at home. The addition of HD content is new, as is the improved selection, but other than that we didn't notice anything new. What is new, however, are the Samsung, iPhone and iPad apps, which are for the most part done as well as the other Hulu user experiences. The iPad app is the roughest around the edges, with the search screen being down right lame looking, and the iPhone and Samsung app aren't the best we've ever seen either, but at least they are responsive and intuitive. None of them worked perfectly, which explains why Hulu Plus is a preview and not live. The biggest problems we ran into were unavailable videos via the Samsung TV and a browser crash when trying to watch a show in HD on a Mac. But we also had a problem adjusting the picture settings on the Samsung when running any of the Internet TV apps, which was very annoying and prevented us from producing a decent video since it completely washed out the image. One slick aspect that works exactly as we envisioned is that the queue and subscriptions sync across platforms, and it lets you connect multiple times with the same account. We're not sure how our tests align with real use scenarios, but unfortunately the resume feature across devices only seems to work occasionally.
More bad news; not every show that is on Hulu is also on Hulu Plus -- a few shows on USA for example -- so Plus isn't really a accurate name. There is plenty of older exclusive Plus content, but it's hard to tell without searching which content is available where. It is also impossible to know when a new show will be available on either. Some shows pop up the next day, while others appear to take as long as a week after airing on TV. We're not sure how all of this is determined, or how long a show will continue to be available, which is not a great experience. Ideally shows would be on there forever, but we're not naive enough to assume that'll be the case.
Then the worst news of course is that although you're paying $10 a month to access additional content and get it on your other screens, there are still ads. Interestingly there was only a single network ad via the Samsung App, and no 30 second spot, which we're sure is a temporary deal that they'll get worked out before it goes live. Speaking of subscription, the invite only preview is for 30 days, and we had to provide a credit card that we're told will only be charged if we don't cancel before our preview expires.
The picture quality is what we'd describe as watchable and that is a big improvement over Hulu.com, in our experience. No one would mistake the HD streams as broadcast quality HD, and while they look really good on the iPhone, they are just acceptable on the iPad and still watchable up on the big screen. The biggest downer for home theater geeks though is the lack of surround sound, so if you combine that with the lower bitrates, some will argue that even if Hulu Plus was free, they'd still rather find other online sources for these shows.
The bottom line is that while we doubt Hulu Plus will really spur the cord cutting that many think it might, it will be a great supplemental source of content for those who can't get enough TV. The fact is that Hulu Plus is one of the closest services we've ever seen to delivering what we like to simply call "the dream" which is access to any content, any where, at any time. So while we have plenty of complaints about our initial experience, we do find it more compelling than Hulu minus and will at least be giving it a month or so before we rush out and cancel our account.
@willwillywilson is correct. Sure we pay to watch ads on cable, but online it's pretty much the standard that a subscription gets you ad free content. Then consider that the service is already free and this becomes a regression in value for customers who were already at high risk to consume pirated content.
@naterecording He said he was sticking with Torrents not TV. There are no ads with torrents.
im really curious what 3G usage will be like streaming HULU for a month. I know with sprint TV my 1st month of evo usage was at just over 1GB and i only watched a couple games. Now 30 days of watching HULU would def add up to over 3gigs i would assume.
I could be wrong.
@neeko18 I guess the real question is why are you watching 30 days of Hulu on a 3G connection? Dont have wifi?
no appeal here. still too limited, still has commercials yet they want money now. Never thought hulu was great in the first place, this just makes it worse for me.
Waiting for people that didn't get unlimited data with ATT to try this out and hear about their sticker shock when the bill comes.
Nice job on the 1.5 star app rating for the iPad. Think your customers might be telling you what they think of your proposed pay to watch ads model?
And before we get the barrage of you pay to watch cable arguments
1 Netflix manages to stream me content ad free and give me unlimited blu rays by mail for the same price across all my devices
2 I'm not quite sure why people give the abc, NBC, fox shows a cable distinction, last time I checked these were broadcast networks. I pay for HBO and it gives me no ads.
@Hackjob The Netflix comment is exactly what I was thinking. $10 just seems ridiculous.
@dschu012 $10 a month is fine, but it would have to have the following. NO COMMERCIALS
DOLBY DIGITAL AUDIO
TRUE HIGH DEF STREAMS IN BROADCAST QUALITY
NON EXPIRING CONTENT
NO COMMERCIALS
NO COMMERCIALS
NO COMMERCIALS EVER
@dschu012
it's not ridiculous look who they are marketing to. The sheep at apple will pay for all kinds of stuff you can get for free elseware!
@Titan078 sheesh...just look at the app rating. "apple sheep" my ass. i'm pretty sure other ipad owners are pretty pissed. and did you miss the part about it coming to devices other than ipad? nah. probably not.
hope you don't pay for bottled water. water's free. do you have any type of phone bill? skype's free. hope you don't have satellite or cable...cause, believe it or not, hulu is free on your desktop. /sarcasm
stop acting like people don't pay for convenience....
@Hackjob
"Netflix manages to stream me content ad free and give me unlimited blu rays by mail for the same price across all my devices"
Netflix Watch Now is also mostly limited to content that has already been released on DVD, which means you don;t get to see it for months and up to a full year after the original episodes aired. I'm sure you've heard of windowing content. Watch Now is at the bottom of that barrel, right before network TV broadcasts. Different window, different cost.
"I pay for HBO and it gives me no ads."
You also have top pay for a 20-80 dollars for a standard tier before you have access to that HBO package (even more if you want digital). And a lot of that money goes into the pockets of NBC, CBS, ABC etc, all of whome still show commercials on cable and satellite.
OK, I have to ask this question:
Is it me or is The Office rubbish?
I'm from the UK so I saw the original Ricki Gervais version first and I absolutely hated it. I've since tried to watch the US version and I absolutely hate that as well. The lead character is just so unlikeable and cringe inducing. Am I missing something that everyone else gets?
@Kelmon yes.
@Kelmon
Nope, its a novelty that wears off after the first season. However Gervais did it better by having 12-14 solid written scripts vs 100+ mindless bullshit for the US version. Having Steve Carell leave the show, should be a sign that it should end, but they'll keep grinding that money machine for NBC, er Comcast.
@spacemoose
It has to be said that I'm not sure about Gervais. On the one hand I hated The Office but on the other I quite liked Extras and Ghost Town was reasonable. I'm pretty sure that it is the script that puts me off The Office more than the actors.
My eyes are blurry this morning, wheres the part where its confirmed that entire seasons of a show are listed? What I mean by that is, sure you have the office listed, but do you get all the episodes from Season 1 to 5? Or is it only the entire season of the most recent season?
@spacemoose
It depends on the show. So while every single episode of The X Files is on there, only the most recent season of Lost is. The good news is you can browse Hulu.com first to see if the shows you want are available.
Well, at least we understand now why nobody ever saw that Hulu app they were waiting for. Hulu said it was about licensing. Turns out it was more about Hulu waiting until they're pay service was in place.
Having to pay for Hulu nullifies the point of Hulu.
@Worm in the Apple
How do you know that all the shows available on Hulu Plus weren't licensed under a completely separate deal? That would certainly explain why a few of the shows that are available on Hulu minus don't show up on the plus version. Hulu didn't get the rights to broadcast them in this way.
This would make total sense to content providers, different licensing agreements for different revenue streams. If the revenues are higher they will give us more (HD, back catalog, mobile phone and TV availability).
I mean I've never got the point of Hulu. Never used it when it was free and I certainly can't see myself paying for it until I knew how it benefitted me. I already have Cable which is more than enough.
I have the hulu iPhone app and none of the cable shows on USA that I watch on hulu.com are on the app. So thought you might want to correct your statement about that.
@Smarty2600
Thanks for pointing that out, I'll take a look and update the post.
@Smarty2600
You are totally right, thanks for the correction. I updated the post.
why you post lost spoilers without warning? blu-rays are not released yet
@engaged
Huh, what? I believe you can reveal spoilers after the show aired on TV. Besides, what spoilers did I reveal?
Funny how all the iPad/iPhone people get ripped off by paying $10 a month whilst when Froyo hits, it'll be completely free on Android.
@Shalabi hulu is doing their best to block mobile devices with flash. everytime a workaround is found hulu changes things.
@Shalabi
no it won't.
Did you ask them what is up with the invites? I'm not sure how it makes sense to announce something, put out the app, but not let people access anything.
I'm surprised Engadget did not use the adapter cable to connect the iPhone to the Samsung TV. I've connected my iPhone to my TV with the composite connectors, getting video and audio on my TV to watch movies I downloaded onto the iPhone. It's a tube TV and the video looks good. I may try it myself, wondering if the 3gs adapter is compatible with my iPhone 4 though.
ohh look, another use of The Office in a product ad/review.
God I hate that shitty show.
10$. No. Fail. Bye Hulu.
The CEO did say they weren't trying to replace cable. That's the answer to the low quality video etc. Seems Hulu doesnt know itself yet. Are they just a low rent version of TV on the web so that people won't torrent the shows? Or will they try and become something we've all been waiting for forever? A lot of pressure from the cable/satellite co's I'd imagine.
no multitasking on the iphone version
fail
No way, why should I pay for something that is available for free on my desktop :-S
There must be some sort of hack or jailbreak technique to allow me to put this on my ipad someone gimme a link!!!
How's the quality vs Netflix streaming in HD?
Will the video out cables work? I've been trying to locate this info and have had no success. Any knowledge of this will be greatly appreciated.
hulu+ should be a free service. if the selling point of the app is 'access' to hulu, then apple should stop promoting the ipad as the "best way to experience the internet." my macbook pro logs into to hulu just fine.
anyway, $5 a month maximum is more appropriate (assuming you have more content). hulu shouldn't automatically charge you for the next month. and you should be able to pay $60 upfront for the next 12 months.
I always wondered why networks have been hesitant to switch to streaming but it came to me today. If the general populace turns to the internet for all their programming, then any small start company can make a TV show. There will be no more stranglehold on the American viewer. So they basically want to avoid training the public to find their shows online.
I'm sort of ambivalent about this. While I like the availability on my iPad whenever I want, and the quality over wifi is pretty darn good, I'm not sure what I'm going to get for $10 a month (assuming I go past the trial if I receive an invite). Hulu does have some old shows that would be fun to (re)watch and they did have a sizable movie catalog, but I'm not sure that it's significantly better than Netflix. I understand people's ire regarding the commercials, but compared to broadcast or cable, it's not too bad. Their service might cost $20 a month without them.
I guess I'm saying that I can live with the ads if you give me the content, but I'm not confident at this point that I will get that content.
@VetPsychWars
I feel the same. The what you get for the price... IF you really watch a lot of network TV.
Hulu needs to include some of the better networks like AMC, TBS, Food Network, SiFi, History, etc to truly make this package enticing. Even if it cost more (say 15 or 20 dollars a month) to get these networks it would still be a nice streamlined alternative to the overpriced channel bloat that is cable TV.
As it stands its a nice but very limited proof of concept.
I think im going to use over my t-mobile edge connection
Not sure what the fuss is about.
It is NOT ready for prime time yet since content is unpredictable for paying a monthly fee. What are you paying for if you cannot predict what you will be watching?
Bottom line: wait until they stabilize this. There, I saved you $10/month. Now go donate it to quality content providers, such as SomaFM.
I was really looking forward to this, but somehow my enthusiasm has dampened a bit because of some of those limitations you list, Ben. I'm not so sure anymore that I'll be subscribing.
So I think I've come to the conclusion that the reason that Sony dropped Linux support was the content providers like Hulu were worth more money then the independent developer/hobbiest. Disappointing.
LAME - 10 bucks a month for using it on the iPhone while it's free on the desktop. There's a really easy to figure out reason why the free download on iTunes store has 1 1/2 stars !!
If Burn Notice is not available I'm not paying for it. Burn Notice, The Office, and Lie To Me are pretty much the only shows I watch on Hulu, and two of those three are available over the air for free.
No Android app? I downloaded the Hulu app on my gf's iPhone to try it out. Video looked good and the app was surprisingly smooth. The "free" collection is very small though and it looks like the app is only intended for use with Plus. Even the Plus collection is really small at this point. Definitely not worth $10/month. Right now we pay $9/month for Netflix and stream it through the Wii. I really love Hulu, but at this point Hulu Plus is not a worthwhile replacement.