# Do you Hulu?



## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

I do...though I don't pay for it. We got rid of satellite over a year ago and are totally OTA. We use Netflix and Hulu to fill the gaps.

My subscriptions are:

Fairly Legal
White Collar
Royal Pains
Outsourced
Pretty Little Liars (I just stumbled onto this, and it has become my guilty pleasure!!)

Recently got rid of "Psych." I just don't have the patience for it anymore.

Don't ask me why I Hulu "Outsourced" when I could record it on NBC. I just do.


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## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

Isn't Hulu computer-only? Thanks, but I'd rather watch TV shows on my 60" HDTV...


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

I'll use it again once it works on the Boxee Box


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## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

Amnesia said:


> Isn't Hulu computer-only? Thanks, but I'd rather watch TV shows on my 60" HDTV...


I think there are some boxes that play Hulu, but it's Hulu Plus, that you pay for. But I just watch on the computer.

Don't get me wrong; I appreciate the HD. In fact, we have 60" HDTV in our media room, too. But when I'm in my office, organizing, cleaning, and filing....or on the elliptical, I watch Hulu.


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## MonsterJoe (Feb 19, 2003)

I Hulu (via 61" TV on HTPC and it looks good)- exclusively...well, except for Big Brother and Survivor, which I watch at CBS.com. I don't even have OTA.

current subscriptions:

House
Castle
The Office
Kitchen Nightmares

I don't watch a lot of TV.


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## pkscout (Jan 11, 2003)

Just The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Almost everything else I watch other than that is OTA. A few things I get from Amazon OnDemand (HD versions available for download).


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## MLR930 (Dec 26, 2002)

I can get Hulu on my Sony Blu Ray player but what I don't understand is why some shows are on the website but when I use my Blu ray player some of those shows aren't there


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## Jesda (Feb 12, 2005)

I have a home theater PC but I never use Hulu on it. Until they ditch Flash (or until Flash gets better) I'm sticking with torrents.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

I've tried Hulu on my computer, but for some reason, it doesn't work well. The videos would skip or pause often, and the picture was less than stellar. 

By comparison, I've had no problems when streaming from Netflix.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

Hulu blocks out Canada. :down: BIH Hulu!


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## appleye1 (Jan 26, 2002)

I use Hulu Plus on my Roku, and I use Hulu Desktop on my HTPC. Picture quality on both is acceptable. 

I ditched DirecTv recently and went OTA plus Netfilx and Hulu. But since at least 80% of what I watch is on network, I don't really Hulu that much right now. And it seems like the "cable" shows that I really miss aren't on Hulu or Netflix, which pisses me off to no end. Some I can watch on the networks website, which is NOT a quality viewing experience, but some of the shows I want to watch don't have episodes anywhere! Not even past seasons for some of them. That's what pushes people to torrents.


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

Amnesia said:


> Isn't Hulu computer-only? Thanks, but I'd rather watch TV shows on my 60" HDTV...


I just hook up my notebook to the HDMI port on the side of the TV when I want to watch something on Hulu, or a show on abc.com, etc.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

I've used it maybe 5-6 times in the last few years.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I partially tried to dump satellite last year. I dropped to a package they only offer people complaining about high cost. After about 9 months, I couldn't take it anymore. I got sick of having to keep track of shows that my DVR used to do for me. Mainly because a bunch of shows I watched weren't on Hulu or Netflix and I ended up getting them off usenet or bit torrent. That is a whole other thing that I was stealing the shows.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

Amnesia said:


> Isn't Hulu computer-only? Thanks, but I'd rather watch TV shows on my 60" HDTV...


1) buy hdmi cable

2) plug cable into PC video card

3) plug cable into TV

4) profit! watch Hulu!


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## bobino (Jul 24, 2002)

Why would anyone watch Hulu? Don't they commercials that cannot be skipped?

-Bob
"never Hulu'ed"


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

bobino said:


> Why would anyone watch Hulu? Don't they commercials that cannot be skipped?
> 
> -Bob
> "never Hulu'ed"


Meh....you get maybe a couple of 30 second ones during an hour broadcast I think it was...nothing to get worked up about.


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

I do now that it's gotten more useful for me...

I use a media server called Play On that can stream Hulu out to my DLNA Blu Ray player, and there's an Android app so I can now watch it on my phone when I'm out.

At home, I've had some occasions where we've lost recordings due to a full TiVo, or there was a problem with the OTA reception, and it was easy to navigate to the program via the media server and watch an episode on the TV.

Sometimes during the day I'll watch a sitcom episode at lunch on my phone.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

Alfer said:


> Meh....you get maybe a couple of 30 second ones during an hour broadcast I think it was...nothing to get worked up about.


What I worry about is what happens when the streaming format becomes popular, and advertisers become more comfortable with it. Chances are that the number of ads will steadily increase until we're stuck watching the same 4+ minutes of commercials as before, but without the ability to skip them.

I've already seen an increase in the number of double-ad breaks, and I think I might have had a triple-ad break the other day. So the change has already started...


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Yeah I guess that will suck, but for now I can live pretty much Hulu-less so it shouldn't really cause issues for me...what little I may miss out on can be found on DTV On Demand or on a networks website...but again it's rare we really need to go online to catch up on any particular show.


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## deandashl (Aug 8, 2008)

No.


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

Yep.

We cut the cord a couple of years ago and get most stuff OTA. In case of a 3-way conflict I watch on Hulu, plus The Daily Show.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

Nope. I've used it to view a couple Desperate Housewives eps that I missed when my TiVo's hard drive went belly up but was SUPER annoyed that ABC puts up and pulls eps, on a whim.

I could only watch a few and then the rest were yanked.  I also had to wait for MONTHS for those eps to even show up, only to find them up there for a brief time (by accident) and not enough long enough for me to get caught up.

I've maybe viewed some random video clips too but that's it. It can in no way replace my FiOS TV subscription, not even close.


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## SorenTodd (May 26, 2009)

Only for FOX shows, since FOX isn't available on my Verizon FiOS "On Demand".


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

cwerdna said:


> Nope. I've used it to view a couple Desperate Housewives eps that I missed when my TiVo's hard drive went belly up but was SUPER annoyed that ABC puts up and pulls eps, on a whim.
> 
> I could only watch a few and then the rest were yanked.  I also had to wait for MONTHS for those eps to even show up, only to find them up there for a brief time (by accident) and not enough long enough for me to get caught up.
> 
> I've maybe viewed some random video clips too but that's it. It can in no way replace my FiOS TV subscription, not even close.


Generally Hulu only carries the 5 most recent episodes at a time. Sometimes when a show is between seasons or in re-runs, they'll throw in an older episode just to mix it up, but you should never count on that.

I guess they don't want to offer whole seasons at a time because that would make it too easy for people to ignore broadcast schedules. Hulu was originally envisioned as a means for loyal broadcast viewers to catch up on a single missed episode without having to resort to illegal torrents; they never intended for it to be an exhaustive archive or a replacement for broadcast TV. They're starting to rethink that in the face of sheer inevitability, but it will be some time before they figure out exactly how to reorganize the service to best leverage the post-TV shift.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

dcheesi said:


> Generally Hulu only carries the 5 most recent episodes at a time. Sometimes when a show is between seasons or in re-runs, they'll throw in an older episode just to mix it up, but you should never count on that.
> 
> I guess they don't want to offer whole seasons at a time because that would make it too easy for people to ignore broadcast schedules. Hulu was originally envisioned as a means for loyal broadcast viewers to catch up on a single missed episode without having to resort to illegal torrents; they never intended for it to be an exhaustive archive or a replacement for broadcast TV. They're starting to rethink that in the face of sheer inevitability, but it will be some time before they figure out exactly how to reorganize the service to best leverage the post-TV shift.


I was in between seasons and posted about my Hulu anger at http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=8121977#post8121977.

I caught 1 or 2 eps I needed before it was yanked and had to wait some more before Lifetime reran the eps I needed.

As a result, I waited for >3.5 months to get caught up. I didn't want to watch the eps I had on my TiVo since that'd spoil things due to me missing a bunch of eps that came before them.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

bobino said:


> Why would anyone watch Hulu? Don't they commercials that cannot be skipped?


Generally I agree with you, but I have used it for a VERY few times when I missed an episode of something.. or actually, I think when the end of something was clipped and I want to make sure I caught the very end.

Though one of my Tivo drives died, and I may end up watching a couple of entire episodes of shows (first show this season of Biggest Loser at least) I missed.


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## rhuntington3 (May 1, 2001)

Yes, I use Hulu. I watch Outsourced there. I should set up a SP for it.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I use Hulu as a last resort. If my recordings are f-ed up (such as a blackout or rain fade, something like that), then I use Hulu on my HTPC. The problem I have with Hulu and other online services, is navigation is just too confusing sometimes. It's just not as intuitive as my sat box or even the sat on demand. Even using intermediary software such as Windows Media Center is a bit more difficult than just turning on the list on my DVR. And there's no way my wife would ever figure out how to do it!! Plus there's no 5.1 sound on the streaming services yet. 

But it's nice to have the option to use Hulu and streaming has gotten to the point where it's ALMOST as good as either OTA or cable/sat picture wise.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

never used it.


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## Anthjo (Aug 7, 2007)

I was thinking about getting a Roku XDS and adding a Hulu Plus subscription in addition to my one at a time Netflix. Honestly, it would be so refreshing to ditch the satellite (well, the monthly bill. I actually don't mind Directv as a "service")

Is it really as simple as it appears? 

My wired internet connection runs anywhere from 35-50 Mb/s up AND down (sometimes 75 up) Netflix works like a champ on my Samsung Blu-ray. No issues whatsoever there. Obviously, Hulu isn't an option on that device.

I watch 5-10 shows regularly. All seem to be available on Hulu Plus. For those of you who have "ditched the dish" (or cable eqiuvalent) my question is this....has it been worth it?


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

Absolutely worth it. (Although I have an antenna, not Hulu+, but I did ditch the dish & the hefty monthly bill.)

I can't imagine going back to paying for television now, but it helps that we don't watch much. We don't have nearly enough time to watch what the TiVo gets off the three channels we receive.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Robin said:


> Absolutely worth it. (Although I have an antenna, not Hulu+, but I did ditch the dish & the hefty monthly bill.)
> 
> I can't imagine going back to paying for television now, but it helps that we don't watch much. We don't have nearly enough time to watch what the TiVo gets off the three channels we receive.


I see people mention this similar scenario from time to time.

So how much does having Tivo cost in your case?

Did you pay one flat "lifetime" fee and no longer have monthly fees?

I thought Tivo was in some cases had a month to month fee included to use it?


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

I do do....


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)




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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

Alfer said:


> I see people mention this similar scenario from time to time.
> 
> So how much does having Tivo cost in your case?
> 
> ...


I have TIVO and OTA only. They give OTA users a deal. It is only $9.99 per month instead of the $19.99 cable and satellite users are charged. A free 6- month subscription to Hulu plus was included.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

We got Lifetime for our TiVo Series 1 (in 1999!) and then got grandfathered over (maybe we had to pay something, I can't remember, but it wasn't a full lifetime fee) when we moved to our TiVoHD. I won't pay that kind of $$ for a monthly fee. In the last 13 years we've only had/needed 2 TiVos.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I would use Hulu once in a while if it worked with Google TV but unless someone has come up with a workaround, it doesn't, Hulu blocks Google TV. A couple of times I have connected a laptop with HDMI out to an HDTV and watched a couple of programs using Hulu, I think it works well but it isn't convenient enough to watch it that way for me.


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

Chris Gerhard said:


> I would use Hulu once in a while if it worked with Google TV but unless someone has come up with a workaround, it doesn't, Hulu blocks Google TV. A couple of times I have connected a laptop with HDMI out to an HDTV and watched a couple of programs using Hulu, I think it works well but it isn't convenient enough to watch it that way for me.


I use a workaround of sorts. I watch Hulu on Google TV by way of the PlayOn media server on a networked PC.


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## digdug (Jan 13, 2004)

Why yes, I do Hulu. We ditched DTV some time back and now use Hulu+ via Roku and Xbox. We also use Apple TV and Netflix on both devices. We haven't looked back. No, I don't care about the commercials on Hulu+. 

Basically, we took a long look at the shows we were recording on the DVR and went to see how much they were on the Apple TV. We found that there were some shows which we didn't really watch, but were still recording. These didn't make the cut to Apple TV. Some shows are not offered on Apple TV or we were not willing to pay $50 for a season. Those shows are watched on Hulu+. 

Honestly, the kids didn't bat an eye when we ditched DTV. I figured we'd have a revolt, but that wasn't the case.


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## digdug (Jan 13, 2004)

Anthjo said:


> For those of you who have "ditched the dish" (or cable eqiuvalent) my question is this....has it been worth it?


I believe it is worth it. We only have about 12 shows we like to watch. They are spread between Apple TV and Hulu+ (see my other post). The Roku device is great. It's cost effective, easy to use and does a good job with Hulu+ and Netflix. I love the fact that it's wireless so I can put my TV anywhere I want.

PM me if you have any specific questions or concerns. I'd be happy to relate my experience with cutting the cord.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

hefe said:


> I use a workaround of sorts. I watch Hulu on Google TV by way of the PlayOn media server on a networked PC.


Yes, I am aware I could use PlayOn or TVersity Pro and a PC or one of the other servers that can share internet streaming but haven't decided on which one to buy. I need to make a decision but I think I used the PlayOn free trial years ago and might not qualify for a second free trial. I need to do something, I have a desktop in my network that should work for the purpose. I thought maybe something specific designed for Google TV would show up on the market and work great but I haven't noticed anything yet.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

Anthjo said:


> For those of you who have "ditched the dish" (or cable eqiuvalent) my question is this....has it been worth it?


I did, dropped DirecTV after 12 years, bought two TiVoHDs with lifetime in 2009 and it has worked out great. OTA, Blu-ray/DVD and Google TV are what I have ultimately settled on and I am very happy. Throughout the house I have a PS3, Oppo BDP-93 and LG BD390 which are used in addition to Google TV some but Google TV covers most all of my internet TV except Vudu rentals. We do watch a lot of discs, nothing from the internet approaches Blu-ray quality although Vudu comes closest.

My internet service is Xfinity 6Mbps and with an inexpensive modem and wireless router, we get a good signal for everything I use, including Vudu HDX which is the most demanding.


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

Chris Gerhard said:


> I did, dropped DirecTV after 12 years, bought two TiVoHDs with lifetime in 2009 and it has worked out great. OTA, Blu-ray/DVD and Google TV are what I have ultimately settled on and I am very happy. Throughout the house I have a PS3, Oppo BDP-93 and LG BD390 which are used in addition to Google TV some but Google TV covers most all of my internet TV except Vudu rentals. We do watch a lot of discs, nothing from the internet approaches Blu-ray quality although Vudu comes closest.
> 
> My internet service is Xfinity 6Mbps and with an inexpensive modem and wireless router, we get a good signal for everything I use, including Vudu HDX which is the most demanding.


Very similar to me... long time DTV customer, but seriously considering dropping them to go total OTA like you did. Have Google TV and an LG BD390 just like you. Have a 6Mbps connection too, but through DSL.


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## BradJW (Jun 9, 2008)

I'm paying for satellite through Jun 30th, 2012, at which point I will no longer pay for it. If my wife decides she wants it enough to pay for it, great, otherwise, I'll be OTA with Hulu exclusively.

I'll have to find a way to watch 

Walking Dead
Falling Skies
Suits
Franklin & Nash

But 4 shows is NOT worth $75 a month to me.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

hefe said:


> Very similar to me... long time DTV customer, but seriously considering dropping them to go total OTA like you did. Have Google TV and an LG BD390 just like you. Have a 6Mbps connection too, but through DSL.


AT&T DSL was more reliable for me than Xfinity but Xfinity has worked really well. I don't recall more than 2 or 3 brief outages with our DSL service over 5 years but the rate went up and AT&T didn't offer any discount so I switched. When I called to cancel, AT&T did offer a good rate and I wouldn't have bothered to switch but by that time I had already purchased a modem and had service set to begin with Comcast. Now I expect Comcast to raise the rate and I will likely switch to AT&T UVerse.


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

You can watch TNT shows on their website. I just hook my laptop up to my TV with HDMI cord.


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## BradJW (Jun 9, 2008)

I've got a PC connected to my projector. I can easily hook up something to my other TV if necessary. Or just use that as an excuse to spend more time in my theater.


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## pkscout (Jan 11, 2003)

tiams said:


> You can watch TNT shows on their website. I just hook my laptop up to my TV with HDMI cord.


Odd. When I go to the TNT web site and try to watch full episodes, I get bumped to a screen where I have to login with my "provider" username/password (i.e. my cable or satellite provider I assume). Since I'm OTA only I'm SOL. Seems odd to offer shows only to the folks already paying for them.


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

pkscout said:


> Odd. When I go to the TNT web site and try to watch full episodes, I get bumped to a screen where I have to login with my "provider" username/password (i.e. my cable or satellite provider I assume). Since I'm OTA only I'm SOL. Seems odd to offer shows only to the folks already paying for them.


Oh, sorry. I thought the most recent episodes were available to anyone. I watched The Closer using a friends' login.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

FWIW, I've been watching the "Hulu exclusive" show _Endgame_. It's your basic "eccentric genius turned detective" formula, but the main character is a hoot.


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## Cereal_Killer (Jan 5, 2007)

MLR930 said:


> I can get Hulu on my Sony Blu Ray player but what I don't understand is why some shows are on the website but when I use my Blu ray player some of those shows aren't there


According to Hulu its because when they started, they received licensing to stream content directly to the PC only.

Now that they have a new pay service (Hulu+), they have to obtain licensing all over again and for every device (PC, BluRay, Xbox, etc) you use to stream the service.

So you will find some devices dont have the shows that you clearly saw earlier on the PC. They are working on getting licensing on all devices caught up to what you can see on the PC. :up:


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## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

Cereal_Killer said:


> According to Hulu its because when they started, they received licensing to stream content directly to the PC only.
> 
> Now that they have a new pay service (Hulu+), they have to obtain licensing all over again and for every device (PC, BluRay, Xbox, etc) you use to stream the service.
> 
> So you will find some devices dont have the shows that you clearly saw earlier on the PC. They are working on getting licensing on all devices caught up to what you can see on the PC. :up:


That was incredibly short sighted of them. I canceled quickly when I realized some of the Hulu content that I watch is not available on Hulu+. Pirating is a much easier option to get the video to my Tivo.


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## Beryl (Feb 22, 2009)

In don't want to start a new thread so.....

Just activated my 'free' 6-month subscription (at the last minute) from buying a Premiere last year. Commercials? Really? I do like the idea of being able to watch shows from my iPad though. 

It is 'free' so I'm done complaining.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I haven't tried Hulu Plus yet but I will soon. I wish there was a 6-month free trial on something other than TiVo Premiere since I don't have a Premiere. All I recall seeing offered me was a week or two for free.

Overall, I am happy with OTA, discs and streaming as a cord cutting solution. The only pay streaming services I use are PPV, Amazon and Vudu, and then only on sale rentals. I did buy PlayOn to open up streaming services that block Google TV and I like it really well. I have also installed Plex and have a different PC running the Plex Media Server but haven't really gotten it running well enough to be of any use to me, I thought it might open up some HD streaming options I can't access directly with Google TV since PlayOn is SD only. Vudu is easily the best quality streaming I use but all of it is good enough that the convenience and price make it acceptable.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Chris Gerhard said:


> I haven't tried Hulu Plus yet but I will soon. I wish there was a 6-month free trial on something other than TiVo Premiere since I don't have a Premiere. All I recall seeing offered me was a week or two for free.
> 
> Overall, I am happy with OTA, discs and streaming as a cord cutting solution. The only pay streaming services I use are PPV, Amazon and Vudu, and then only on sale rentals. I did buy PlayOn to open up streaming services that block Google TV and I like it really well. I have also installed Plex and have a different PC running the Plex Media Server but haven't really gotten it running well enough to be of any use to me, I thought it might open up some HD streaming options I can't access directly with Google TV since PlayOn is SD only. Vudu is easily the best quality streaming I use but all of it is good enough that the convenience and price make it acceptable.


So how much money are you saving per month? What level of hassle is it to jostle all the different things just to watch certain shows/movies vs. having it all in one simple DVR package?


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

Alfer said:


> So how much money are you saving per month? What level of hassle is it to jostle all the different things just to watch certain shows/movies vs. having it all in one simple DVR package?


My DirecTV package was about $80/month when I dropped it in 2009. I haven't subscribed to any of the monthly streaming packages such as Netflix or Hulu Plus and have used a free month trial of Amazon Prime. Let's assume I spend an additional $10/month on rentals/PPV so the savings should be about $70/month. I haven't precisely calculated breakeven if taking all of the equipment purchases into account, but considering the lifetime TiVoHDs are worth maybe 65% of purchase cost and the other equipment worth around 50% on average, I could sell now and would have saved maybe $1,000 in total ignoring my Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVD collection costs, I don't consider it relevant, I did that anyway although I doubt it would be as great as it is without cutting the cord. I have no further equipment purchases planned but always seem to be thinking of adding an HTPC.

I would think the level of hassle is pretty great but I can deal with it rather effortlessly, my girlfriend could not deal with it at all without my handling of almost everything. I don't have any local files other than DVR recordings and I don't do anything special to handle any of that, just TiVo transfers, TiVo Desktop and DLNA client server setups. We mostly watch everything where recorded. My girlfriend watches TiVo recordings, PlayLater recordings and Google TV bookmarked programs. She used to watch Hulu a little on her a laptop with HDMI output to a display but I think since I installed PlayLater and have that computer connected full-time to a display, she just uses that, I record the programs for her.

A simple DVR with digital cable or satellite would be much easier of course. Right now, no single box can do everything I want, not even an HTPC. A computer can't play Vudu HDX and a streaming box can't do Hulu so I need at a minimum a streaming box and traditional PC. No single streaming box covers everything I need from a streaming box so at a minimum, I need 2 of those. Right now I have one old laptop with Playon/PlayLater and a whole house full of Blu-ray players and 3 Google TV boxes. I have several Blu-ray players that also serve as DLNA clients along with handling some streaming.

As far as how happy we are with what is on TV, we are very happy. Streaming quality on average isn't as good as good digital cable or satellite but OTA quality compares favorably. I consider Vudu HDX better than most cable or satellite quality I have seen so that is the one exception to that rule I can think of right now.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

Oh yeah, my additional electricity cost is probably about $5/month so that should be taken into account. The DVRs are of course running all of the time with OTA or pay TV but a streaming box is also running some of the time now so make the monthly savings $65.


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## steverm2 (May 10, 2005)

I never had OTA reception so i do cable.i dont subscribe to premium channel so i save some there.tried hulu plus and other streaming sites but it got to be too much hassle.yeah, cable bill(including internet and phone)is pricey but i get bto watch/tivo shows i watch without hassle.i look at the cost of a month of cable as the same as a night out to dinner.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

Hulu Plus is on Tivo Premiere as is Netflix. I'm trying to figure out if I should subscribe to one of them (price is $7.99 for both I believe, for streaming) but don't know if one is better than the other.


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

Their catalogs are very different. Check them both out and see which has the stuff you want to watch.


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## TiVoLance (Aug 29, 2002)

I love Hulu plus. I hate having to plug the laptop into the tv to watch food network star on the big screen though. I wish they would expand the shows they offer but for $8 I won't complain.


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## steverm2 (May 10, 2005)

Netflix is great for movies and watching older tv series.am in the middle of "breaking bad".hulu(which i tried) has lots of current tv,but not enuf of what i watch most.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

All of these services for $8 or less a month, Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime are great deals in my opinion. I still find more than I can watch with an antenna and free streaming like YouTube and Hulu.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I just stopped to count the number of boxes in my house to be used for streaming.

(2) Logitech Revue Google TV
Sony NSZ-GT1 Google TV
(2) TiVoHD
PS3
LG BD390
LG BD590 (just picked up a Best Buy customer return cheap)
Oppo BDP-93
Laptop

That makes 10 although the TiVoHDs don't do much I use other than Amazon Instant Video.


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## steverm2 (May 10, 2005)

What would you all do w/o OTA for local news and network shows?No CBS on hulu.What do you do when friends and coworkers are discussing last nites shows?When do you jump onto these forums.I would love to cut the cord but to pay $8/mo here,$8/mo there and still not see all i want and also still pay the cable guys for high speed so that i can stream this stuff.There just is not enuf to make me do it.Just my two cents worth here.


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## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

We had Hulu+ for a few months but won't be back until the silly "web only" limitations are gone.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

steverm2 said:


> What would you all do w/o OTA for local news and network shows?No CBS on hulu.What do you do when friends and coworkers are discussing last nites shows?When do you jump onto these forums.I would love to cut the cord but to pay $8/mo here,$8/mo there and still not see all i want and also still pay the cable guys for high speed so that i can stream this stuff.There just is not enuf to make me do it.Just my two cents worth here.


When does CBS.com stream news shows?


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

Chris Gerhard said:


> When does CBS.com stream news shows?


He's saying that CBS and local news aren't on Hulu, so what do we do about that without OTA?

Me, I have OTA, so it's not a problem.


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

From Slate: Hulu is too Good. It has to make itself crummier.



> The problem is that Hulu knows it's too good. If it were a startup company, like Facebook or YouTube or Amazon, this wouldn't be a problem at all. It would just go on being too good until it grew to dominate the market. Then it would go public and set about figuring out how to turn a fat profit. But Hulu isn't a startup. Owned by NBC, News Corp., Disney, and a private-equity firm, it's a traditional media company that has been acting like a startup in order to defend its old-media business model. And that's why the fun can't last. Hulu has to make itself less awesome, and soon, before it eviscerates its own corporate parents.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

hefe said:


> He's saying that CBS and local news aren't on Hulu, so what do we do about that without OTA?
> 
> Me, I have OTA, so it's not a problem.


I have OTA also but if I didn't, I assumed CBS.com would stream national news and local affiliate sites will stream local news.

Here is my local CBS station's site. There are several of the news segments available to stream but I don't know how timely or complete it is.

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/article/212660/2/THV-at-Noon-Free-physicals-for-7th-12th-graders


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

But going to the computer to get that is still a geek solution. Average people want it on the family room TV without jumping through connection hoops.


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

Actually I've been surprised how many non geeks are cutting the cord.

Instead of jumping through hoops to get all the same content most are just watching less TV.


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## kdelande (Dec 17, 2001)

Boston Fan said:


> We had Hulu+ for a few months but won't be back until the silly "web only" limitations are gone.


THIS. Seemed like everything I wanted to watch via a device (iPad primarily) was "web only". That's some serious weak sauce right there.


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

I am OTA only. I have Netflix (which I also had when I had satellite) and Tivo so my monthly costs are less than $20. Tivo service for OTA is only $9.99 as opposed to the regular cost of $19.99. I don't miss that DirecTV bill at all!


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## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

I use hulu on a HTPC so there's little incentive to subscribe to plus.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

hefe said:


> But going to the computer to get that is still a geek solution. Average people want it on the family room TV without jumping through connection hoops.


I understand and OTA is a necessity for me as part of my cord cutting, without it, I don't think I would have dropped DirecTV. I don't know if my local affiliates .com sites are accessible directly by Google TV since I don't need them but I would hope so.


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

Until there is a solution for news and sports, I don't think I could cord cut.


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## hefe (Dec 5, 2000)

Turtleboy said:


> Until there is a solution for news and sports, I don't think I could cord cut.


News and sports worked themselves out for me.

All the cable news sucks, and all my sports teams suck. So I don't have to watch any of them!


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## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

Turtleboy said:


> Until there is a solution for news and sports, I don't think I could cord cut.


I'm much happier without 24 hour news. I don't feel like I'm missing anything.


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## steverm2 (May 10, 2005)

Robin said:


> Actually I've been surprised how many non geeks are cutting the cord.
> 
> Instead of jumping through hoops to get all the same content most are just watching less TV.


Is that one of those"bite off your nose to spite your face"things?


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I am certainly no geek and it is sort of strange that I have embraced using a wireless keyboard to find TV programs and movies to watch but I am doing it and it works. I decided to order the Logitech PS3 Bluetooth wireless keyboard to see if I can make the PS3 more useful for internet TV. So far, as far as internet streaming, I only use the PS3 for Vudu.

As far as 24 hour news, I don't think I would have any problem finding lots of news to watch using Google TV if I wanted to, as is, I am selective and watch only news stories that are of interest to me but I do spend some time watching the news both from OTA and internet streaming.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

Someone at another forum suggested google.aio.tv. It is accessible with Google TV under Spotlight>TV & Movies, very cool. Easiest internet TV app I have seen yet, about 65 channels with a really neat and easy to use scrolling guide. Lots of live news, recorded news, music, some recent and old TV shows are accessible from this app. I don't know where it came from, it is really just a neat way to aggregate a whole bunch of internet TV sources and whoever did it got it right in my opinion. 

I assume aioTV (All-In-One TV) is accessible by computer and various streaming boxes although this version appears to be optimized for Google TV. I started out this morning with my keyboard to watch TV, laughing to myself how absurd it may seem but this is the type of guide that can knock pay TV on its keister.


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## mike1977 (Feb 22, 2004)

More commercials, snipes during programming, shortening reruns of shows to cram in more commercial time, same couple of shows over and over ad nauseum (like L&O and NCIS on USA) on a certain channel, squeezing show in small box 1 while running credits to previous show in small box 2...SURE, my desire to watch TV has gone down.

But I don't Hulu or watch stuff by streaming just yet.


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## SWFan (Oct 6, 2002)

Alfer said:


> So how much money are you saving per month? What level of hassle is it to jostle all the different things just to watch certain shows/movies vs. having it all in one simple DVR package?


For our household the savings is about $40/month. As to hassle, it hasn't been. The only shows we watched were network shows, so Tivo still records them just fine from our OTA.


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## SWFan (Oct 6, 2002)

steverm2 said:


> What would you all do w/o OTA for local news and network shows?No CBS on hulu.What do you do when friends and coworkers are discussing last nites shows?When do you jump onto these forums.I would love to cut the cord but to pay $8/mo here,$8/mo there and still not see all i want and also still pay the cable guys for high speed so that i can stream this stuff.There just is not enuf to make me do it.Just my two cents worth here.


Why would you need to do w/o OTA? The only people who would be without OTA would be those that are in extreme rural areas that no size antenna is going to pick up the locals. For me I pick up all the locals just fine with a cheapo indoor rabbit ear set up.

And I pay for Netflix streaming to watch some older tv shows and movies. We also have an Apple TV and will rent newer movies on it periodically.


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## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

We got a code for a free month, so we gave Hulu Plus another shot. A large number of the shows still have the "Web Only" limitation, meaning we can only view shows through a computer. All of our TVs are internet connected through either PS3 or Roku boxes. 

It's ridiculous that we'd have to go through the hassle of connecting a computer to whatever TV we want to watch Hulu on, so as soon as the free month runs out Hulu Plus gets cancelled again.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Hulu Plus has web only? I thought part of the Plus was that you could watch them on any device...


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## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

mattack said:


> Hulu Plus has web only? I thought part of the Plus was that you could watch them on any device...


Yep. And for some very popular shows. For us this remains the biggest reason we will never pay for Hulu Plus.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

Boston Fan said:


> We got a code for a free month, so we gave Hulu Plus another shot. A large number of the shows still have the "Web Only" limitation, meaning we can only view shows through a computer. All of our TVs are internet connected through either PS3 or Roku boxes.
> 
> It's ridiculous that we'd have to go through the hassle of connecting a computer to whatever TV we want to watch Hulu on, so as soon as the free month runs out Hulu Plus gets cancelled again.


So if all of the shows that are web only were just not available at all, you would find the service better? If I owned the rights to programming and wanted to offer it for viewing using a traditional PC only, that should be my right. As a consumer in my opinion, all of the programming with that limitation is better than not being available at all and certainly doesn't distract from the overall value of the service.

Hulu Plus looks like a great deal to me and I sure understand it isn't Hulu's fault that some programs are web only, that is entirely at the discretion of the right's owners. I am grateful Hulu chooses that option rather than not having the program available at all. Same with programs available for TiVo with copy restrictions, non transferrable, much better than nothing at all.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Chris Gerhard said:


> So if all of the shows that are web only were just not available at all, you would find the service better? If I owned the rights to programming and wanted to offer it for viewing using a traditional PC only, that should be my right. As a consumer in my opinion, all of the programming with that limitation is better than not being available at all and certainly doesn't distract from the overall value of the service.


As a consumer in his opinion, Boston Fan feels it _does_ detract from the overall value of the service, so much so that he doesn't think it's worth the money. It's certainly just as much his right to not pay for the programming if it isn't provided in the format he wants, as it is for the owner of the rights to decide what format to provide it in.


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## steverm2 (May 10, 2005)

SWFan said:


> Why would you need to do w/o OTA? The only people who would be without OTA would be those that are in extreme rural areas that no size antenna is going to pick up the locals. For me I pick up all the locals just fine with a cheapo indoor rabbit ear set up.
> 
> And I pay for Netflix streaming to watch some older tv shows and movies. We also have an Apple TV and will rent newer movies on it periodically.


Because my OTA sucks! all of my local channels are 30 or so miles away over water.sounds close to ideal,but Iam surrounded by much taller buildings.I do have a clear shot to Portugal,though.


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## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

Chris Gerhard said:


> Hulu Plus looks like a great deal to me and I sure understand it isn't Hulu's fault that some programs are web only, that is entirely at the discretion of the right's owners.


Doesn't matter to me who's responsibility the restrictions are, it makes the service less valuable to me. In the end Hulu and the content providers lose out on this revenue. In the end it doesn't really matter to be as I have plenty of access to much more user-friendly content.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

madscientist said:


> As a consumer in his opinion, Boston Fan feels it _does_ detract from the overall value of the service, so much so that he doesn't think it's worth the money. It's certainly just as much his right to not pay for the programming if it isn't provided in the format he wants, as it is for the owner of the rights to decide what format to provide it in.


Having the programs as web only rather than not at all detracts from the value? It seems to me that can provide value for some, like me, and be meaningless for others, like Boston Fan.


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## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

Chris Gerhard said:


> Having the programs as web only rather than not at all detracts from the value?


No. Having them web-only as opposed to not having them web-only detracts from the value. Surely the concept cannot be this difficult to grasp.


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## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

It's still strange seeing one of your old threads pop up. 

We have moved to the country and have only a Verizon hotspot as internet, so I can't Hulu. BUT we are saving so much $$ on other things that I use my notification e-mails from Hulu to know what I'm missing. Then I buy the episodes from Amazon and watch on my Kindle.

It's kind of barbaric, but until ATT comes into the area (supposedly they are *this far* from it), I don't really have any other choice.

That said, the good about being out here outweighs the bad 10 fold....


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

I just watched my first Hulu show yesterday - the original Lost In Space pilot (the one without Dr. Smith and the robot).

One thing I didn't check was whether or not it does what the Fox site does - if you go back and forth over a commercial block (e.g. to watch the start of the closing credits), it plays the same commercials each time you do it.


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