# Hulu + Device Streaming



## dsilvermaster (Aug 30, 2009)

I searched the forums but didn't find any current answers to this. Please forgive me if I missed it someplace....

I subscribe to Hulu + and get commercial free content when I watch through my Bolt device. However, when I watched a Hulu Plus program on my desktop computer streaming through my Bolt (Using TIVO ONLINE) from Hulu Plus I had post and pre commercials as well as commercials during the actual playback of the program. Almost as if I had a standard HULU sub.

Is this part of a licensing issue through TIVO or is there something different I need to do with my sub? 

Thanks for any feedback.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

How much are you paying for your Hulu+ subscription? If you pay $8, then you get commercials online. If you pay $12 you get no commercials. I can't explain why you may be getting the commercial free version on Bolt, but I'd chalk it up to luck or a glitch. Enjoy it while it lasts.

If you are indeed paying for the commercial free version and still getting commercials, then you need to contact Hulu support to sort that out. My guess is you may have multiple accounts or logins.


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## 59er (Mar 27, 2008)

It's not "Hulu Plus" any longer. It's just Hulu, but there's a premium plan for "Commercial-Free" subscription ($11.99, rather than $7.99).


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## dsilvermaster (Aug 30, 2009)

I confirmed I do have the $11.99 sub for Hulu. Accessing from either smart TV or the TIVO Bolt gives me commercial free content. Accessing through TIVO ONLINE gives me commercials. Since it appears TIVO ONLINE isn't the culprit I will contact Hulu. 
THANKS


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

dsilvermaster said:


> I confirmed I do have the $11.99 sub for Hulu. Accessing from either smart TV or the TIVO Bolt gives me commercial free content. Accessing through TIVO ONLINE gives me commercials. Since it appears TIVO ONLINE isn't the culprit I will contact Hulu.
> THANKS


If you're using TiVo Online then you're on a PC with a web browser. What happens when you just go to Hulu.com and play a video?


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

I didn't even know that was possible. Why wouldn't you go through Hulu.com?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

mdavej said:


> I didn't even know that was possible. Why wouldn't you go through Hulu.com?


Good question. Especially since my TiVo Online listing for South Park doesn't list even a small portion of the episodes that are available to those with a Hulu subscription. This makes me wonder if TiVo Online isn't still living in the Hulu vs Hulu Plus world, affecting both the list of available titles (showing just the now obsolete "free" Hulu titles) and the method of playback (with the launch/playback URL possibly lacking the commercial-free capability).

That TiVo Online's "Watch Now" dialog labels the Hulu playback option as "Hulu Free" makes me more confident that TO's Hulu integration is out-of-date...








Or is there some place I'm not aware of where we're supposed to instruct TiVo Online that we have a Hulu subscription. (Ditto for Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc.)


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

dsilvermaster said:


> I confirmed I do have the $11.99 sub for Hulu. Accessing from either smart TV or the TIVO Bolt gives me commercial free content. Accessing through TIVO ONLINE gives me commercials. Since it appears TIVO ONLINE isn't the culprit I will contact Hulu.
> THANKS


Actually, would you consider NOT contacting Hulu and simply using the Hulu site instead for streaming? This "Hulu Free" loophole at Tivo Online may be under the radar for now. I'd hate for it to get closed if Hulu is made aware.

Thanks


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## dsilvermaster (Aug 30, 2009)

mdavej

Good point. I will just leave well enough alone on that.
I've confirmed that hulu.com does in fact give me commercial free content. Only through Tivo Online do I get what appears to be Hulu Free, even though I am using the same logon credentials. 

thank again


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

dsilvermaster said:


> Good point. I will just leave well enough alone on that.
> I've confirmed that hulu.com does in fact give me commercial free content. Only through Tivo Online do I get what appears to be Hulu Free, even though I am using the same logon credentials.


I think you would also find that TiVo Online doesn't have a good understanding of what content is available through Hulu, as it appears to only present content that fits under the out-of-date "Hulu Free" umbrella. For example, 265 episodes over 20 seasons of South Park are available to Hulu subscribers, yet TiVo Online only lists about 28 episodes of South Park as available for online streaming.

And ANOTHER good reason to watch directly through Hulu... Hulu allows you to watch a video through a completely resize-able pop-up window, whereas TiVo Online appears to only display the video as a fixed size overlayed in your existing browser window and doesn't adjust focus if you resize the window (i.e. you then have to scroll the window content to re-center the video). Better than nothing, but ugh.

p.s. It seems to me like TiVo Online needs a feature similar to 'My Video Providers' on the TiVos that instruct TiVo Online as to which online streaming sources it should consider when displaying available content. If I don't subscribe to Hulu or cable TV, don't display Hulu or any TV Everywhere service under the Watch Online tab.


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## JayMan747 (Nov 10, 2008)

Is it possible to view any of the Showtime/Starz programming subscribed through Hulu on Tivo?
From what I've read, this did not work on when it came out, but curious if working now -if the Hulu app was updated.

Thanks,


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