Hulu plus for Apple TV

IMO Hulu Plus has a chance of potentially being an APP on ATV2; however, that is only because it is a paid service. I think allowing someone to stream the same TV shows that APPLE intends for consumers to purchase with iTunes would not be smart. I would like that option! But, if you think about it from that perspective...it makes me think it will be difficult to get the shows from the free sources

but like I said...just my opinion.

jimmy1984 said:

I think allowing someone to stream the same TV shows that APPLE intends for consumers to purchase with iTunes would not be smart. .

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Well, you could say that netflix also allows the user to stream shows and movies that Apple intends to sell or rent. I don't think this would be the reason for Hulu Plus being/not being on the aTV.

I'm not sure how Hulu does the whole subscription thing. Is it like Netflix where you signup for an account and then you have access on whatever device you want? Or is it where you have to buy (and continue paying) an app for each device you wish to watch Hulu Plus on?

If it's the latter, I'm not interested. I'd pay $8/month to have access to Hulu Plus on multiple devices. But I'm not gonna pay $8/mo for each device I have.

I would disagree that Netflix and iTunes offer the same service. It is extremely rare for Netflix to have current seasons of shows available. I would argue that ATV2 is targeting folks who do not have cable or a DVR, and missed a show and want to keep up.

aduteau said:

Since Hulu plus is streaming only, I for one think it would make a lot of sense for Apple to add this to the Apple TV just lile they added Netflix as a default program.

what do you guys think ... Do you think we have any hopes of this being added as a default program like Netflix on a future update ... Or we have to wait for an app store in an even more futire world ???

thx for your opinions guys

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I think it will probably be available on aTV at some point, although AirPlay may make that moot if the iPhone/iPad apps support it.

Personally, I hate ads, and would rather pay through iTunes or wait for NetFlix than use Hulu anyway.

If AirPlay becomes available using PLEX (and you don't have a dedicated home theatre setup)...perhaps streaming those shows from your iMac, MBP, etc. would nullify the need to even have the app on ATV.

But I guess we'll see in time. I just think there is a fundamental difference in Netflix and Hulu Plus

Is Apple still a hardware company?

I think a big part of the equation about what services we are likely to see is whether Apple still sees itself primarily as a hardware company.

A few years ago I am sure that there were comments from Apple (Steve Jobs maybe) that they did not want to license OS X as they are in the business of selling hardware and that the software only exists to sell that hardware.

I thought there were similar comments about iTunes - Apple wanted the cheapest prices it could for the songs because they are in the business of selling hardware (ipods) and the iTunes store would sell iPods.

If this is still their model then they should allow other services on Apple TV with the intention of selling as many hardware units as possible.

aduteau said:

Beside having adds during shows with Hulu Plus ... what are the other differences with Netflix ?

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I live in Canada so I use neither but I believe the difference is Hulu has current shows while Netflix rarely does, and Netflix is more of movie streaming whereas Hulu is for TV.

I think the one thing that Apple may block from having as a default app on the Apple TV would be VUDU.

But what do you guys think .... would it be a default app in an update ... or have to wait for an app store on the Apple TV ??

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I think that the Apple TV definitely needs an App Store to make it more functional. Get Hulu Plus on there (and get Hulu in Canada!) and definitely Vevo for music videos and something to stream live sports and it'd be perfect.

jimmy1984 said:

IMO Hulu Plus has a chance of potentially being an APP on ATV2; however, that is only because it is a paid service. I think allowing someone to stream the same TV shows that APPLE intends for consumers to purchase with iTunes would not be smart. I would like that option! But, if you think about it from that perspective...it makes me think it will be difficult to get the shows from the free sources

but like I said...just my opinion.

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You mean like how Apple has specifically approved and even happily promote having Hulu Plus on their iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad?

newagemac said:

You mean like how Apple has specifically approved and even happily promote having Hulu Plus on their iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad?

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I understand what you're saying...but the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad serve a fundamentally different purpose than the ATV.

But with Hulu Plus streaming on those devices...there is no need to put an app on ATV...just AirPlay it from your devices.

Apple TV Apps

Everyone is forgetting that the AppleTV is essentially an iOS device. And I believe Apple will eventually allow an App Store for the AppleTV just like they have for all the other iOS devices. Then it will be the individual content owners responsibility to make an App for the AppleTV to display their content and not Apple's. This way everybody's happy. Apple sells more hardware and the content owners get more viewers while maintaining control over their content through their own App for the AppleTV.

We just need to give them time to iron out the details. I bet we will see the App store for AppleTV sometime next year.

If the ATV2 gets an app store, Hulu will be available. I'm expecting both to eventually happen.

iscripter said:

Everyone is forgetting that the AppleTV is essentially an iOS device. And I believe Apple will eventually allow an App Store for the AppleTV just like they have for all the other iOS devices. Then it will be the individual content owners responsibility to make an App for the AppleTV to display their content and not Apple's. This way everybody's happy. Apple sells more hardware and the content owners get more viewers while maintaining control over their content through their own App for the AppleTV.

We just need to give them time to iron out the details. I bet we will see the App store for AppleTV sometime next year.

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Nobody forgot. We just don't want to wait.

jimmy1984 said:

I would disagree that Netflix and iTunes offer the same service. It is extremely rare for Netflix to have current seasons of shows available. I would argue that ATV2 is targeting folks who do not have cable or a DVR, and missed a show and want to keep up.

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While Netflix and iTunes don't totally overlap, there is some overlap in what they offer. Movies is the main thing where they compete.

IMHO, the aTV2 is targeted to folks who have lots invested in the iTunes ecosystem. iTunes includes purchase and rentals. I do agree that rentals are being heavily pushed by Apple ... and for the most part, rentals make more sense than purchases for most content.

iscripter said:

Everyone is forgetting that the AppleTV is essentially an iOS device.

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Essentially? I think the fact that it runs iOS on an A4 chip makes it an iOS device and is what originally made people think it would have an App Store.

An iOS device doesn't necessarily have to have a touch screen. Think similar to how iOS is a scaled down version of OS X, but you interact with them in completely different ways.

I think Apple is probably just fine tuning the details of the real iOS interface for Apple TV, seeing as how the current UI is just basically a port from the Apple TV 1G stuck on top of iOS.

jimmy1984 said:

IMO Hulu Plus has a chance of potentially being an APP on ATV2; however, that is only because it is a paid service. I think allowing someone to stream the same TV shows that APPLE intends for consumers to purchase with iTunes would not be smart. I would like that option! But, if you think about it from that perspective...it makes me think it will be difficult to get the shows from the free sources

but like I said...just my opinion.

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So... that's why Netflix is already on ATV?

ftaok said:

IMHO, the aTV2 is targeted to folks who have lots invested in the iTunes ecosystem. iTunes includes purchase and rentals. I do agree that rentals are being heavily pushed by Apple ... and for the most part, rentals make more sense than purchases for most content.

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Agreed. The big advantage of the ATV over other streamers is that if you're hosting all your content in iPhoto and iTunes you can easily access it on the ATV, and that kind of integration with the broader Apple ecosystem is only going to get more and more functional. 4.2 is only the first volley in Apple's strategy to make the process seamless across Mac, iPod, iPad, iPhone, iTunes, iPhoto and even Keynote and others. Remember, the Apple mantra is "build the whole widget." That's what the so-called Apple ecosystem is all about.

And I say this as someone who owns an ATV2, a Roku, a PS3 and a Boxee Boxon the way. Thus far the ATV beats the others by a mile for someone like me who houses practically all his files in Apple applications.