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Hulu... anyone?
- Thread starter caj
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It takes a long time. I added my name about 3-4-ish months ago and I got the email about 2 weeks ago.
Remember, they don't need a ton of people so it may take a while as they add more content.
Remember, they don't need a ton of people so it may take a while as they add more content.
Peace
Cancelled
Ditto on that.It sucks to have to sit in front of your computer to watch a TV show.This model is doomed to failure.
The downloads would stream to an Xbox 360 or MS Media Centre..
Hulu is blocked to the UK, but does anyone know if it works on the Wii browser? Seems a good way to watch it on TV.
Phazer
I got my invite finally this past weekend, and I must say I've really enjoyed using hulu so far.
I have a computer hooked up to my plasma TV, so this junk about 'can't watch it on my TV' doesn't apply to me.
it's selection seems pretty good, too. Lots of older shows that aren't being aired anymore are appearing. Mostly just the first seasons of them so far. Doogie Howser anyone? The A-Team! Miami Vice! Kojak! Dragnet! Bob Newhart Show!!! Lost in Space, Mary Tyler Moore, I could go on for quite a while...All of that stuff and the current episodes of stuff that is on the air today. I imagine they'll be filling in everything over time. There are a LOT of SNL clips of various sketches.
The video quality is better than I expected. When you're used to free video looking like youtube, it is a refreshing change. Not DVD quality, but very close, I'd say. They also have an HD module that they seem to be testing out on movie trailers...Hopefully that will become part of the regular service as well, as a lot of the shows they have already were recorded in HD, and the really old shows were recorded on film, so they will look better in HD than they did when original airing if they are taken from the film instead of the DVD masters. The original Star Trek on HD-DVD looks incredible.
All in all, I must say that Hulu impresses me. If they added CBS (which isn't very likely), and maybe some of the other channels like stuff that comes over from BBC (Dr. Who, anyone?), and offered things in HD that were available that way, it would almost totally replace my satellite TV subscription.
I'll watch all kinds of Axe Body Spray commercials if it will save me 70 dollars a month...
I have a computer hooked up to my plasma TV, so this junk about 'can't watch it on my TV' doesn't apply to me.
it's selection seems pretty good, too. Lots of older shows that aren't being aired anymore are appearing. Mostly just the first seasons of them so far. Doogie Howser anyone? The A-Team! Miami Vice! Kojak! Dragnet! Bob Newhart Show!!! Lost in Space, Mary Tyler Moore, I could go on for quite a while...All of that stuff and the current episodes of stuff that is on the air today. I imagine they'll be filling in everything over time. There are a LOT of SNL clips of various sketches.
The video quality is better than I expected. When you're used to free video looking like youtube, it is a refreshing change. Not DVD quality, but very close, I'd say. They also have an HD module that they seem to be testing out on movie trailers...Hopefully that will become part of the regular service as well, as a lot of the shows they have already were recorded in HD, and the really old shows were recorded on film, so they will look better in HD than they did when original airing if they are taken from the film instead of the DVD masters. The original Star Trek on HD-DVD looks incredible.
All in all, I must say that Hulu impresses me. If they added CBS (which isn't very likely), and maybe some of the other channels like stuff that comes over from BBC (Dr. Who, anyone?), and offered things in HD that were available that way, it would almost totally replace my satellite TV subscription.
I'll watch all kinds of Axe Body Spray commercials if it will save me 70 dollars a month...
I just found instant invites on CNet.
See here, They have some 700 remaining.
http://www.hulu.com/beta/webware
See here, They have some 700 remaining.
http://www.hulu.com/beta/webware
mkrishnan
Moderator emeritus
My experience so far is that they have a very nice set of content. They have lots of current things, such as Tin Man, which aired on Sci Fi ... a week ago? Major shows of a variety as well.
However, (disagreeing with Ben above) -- the quality is somewhat disappointing. Full screen is slightly laggy on a reasonably fast Cable connection, but more to the point, full screen resolution is not very good for use either on a computer display or on an HDTV. On my TV (720p) in fullscreen, the quality is notably pixelated. The overall image quality (ignoring the lagging) is notably worse than analog SD cable recorded at lowest quality on my DVR (lowest quality is something like 0.8-1.0 GB/hour).
I guess I should keep in mind that it's free, but... I would have trouble making myself watch this quality level for an hour straight. I don't think I could handle it for more than about five minutes. It's definitely not up to the quality of say (cough, apologies inclusive) the DivX-encoded content that Stage6/TV Links had before TV Links was shut down. 😛
However, (disagreeing with Ben above) -- the quality is somewhat disappointing. Full screen is slightly laggy on a reasonably fast Cable connection, but more to the point, full screen resolution is not very good for use either on a computer display or on an HDTV. On my TV (720p) in fullscreen, the quality is notably pixelated. The overall image quality (ignoring the lagging) is notably worse than analog SD cable recorded at lowest quality on my DVR (lowest quality is something like 0.8-1.0 GB/hour).
I guess I should keep in mind that it's free, but... I would have trouble making myself watch this quality level for an hour straight. I don't think I could handle it for more than about five minutes. It's definitely not up to the quality of say (cough, apologies inclusive) the DivX-encoded content that Stage6/TV Links had before TV Links was shut down. 😛
I can't log into the site...anyone able to do so right now?
I have my PC hooked up to my 52" LCD HDTV but have yet to watch a hulu show. I tried the Netflix WatchNow content though and it seemed decent depending on the age of the film there were only minor artifacts, nothing I'd complain about with streaming video.
I have my PC hooked up to my 52" LCD HDTV but have yet to watch a hulu show. I tried the Netflix WatchNow content though and it seemed decent depending on the age of the film there were only minor artifacts, nothing I'd complain about with streaming video.
coolbreeze
macrumors 68000
Man, I'm actually debating canceling my Dish Network subscription. Hulu has just about everything I watch, including movies and college football! I also have a $5/month Netflix (grandfathered) plan, so I have DVD's and online viewing to help out.
Saving $80/month while sacrificing video quality is looking very attractive. I can put that $960/year into my Roth IRA.
Very tempting.
Anyone know if Hulu will be free forever? Seems too good to be true.
Saving $80/month while sacrificing video quality is looking very attractive. I can put that $960/year into my Roth IRA.
Very tempting.
Anyone know if Hulu will be free forever? Seems too good to be true.
I got my invite a couple of weeks ago and I have to say that I'm loving Hulu. I'm a big Apple fan, but personally, I really like Hulu better than buying shows on iTunes, and I'm glad NBC and Fox made this move. It certainly suits my own personal preferences better. I'm not going to pay a la cart prices for tv shows (period). That ads up way to fast and I don't have the money to waste on that. But if I can watch them for free all day long by viewing a few commercials, I'm definately in. Also, I don't really watch movies on my iphone or ipod so I don't care if they are downloadable or not.
And I know some have complained about having to watch shows on a computer. That doesn't bother me at all. I actually spend much more time watching stuff on You Tube and so forth on my macbook and iMac than I do watching my Tivo and satellite TV anymore. I think this may be largely an age based thing. Seems the older generations think this is dumb because they want the content on their TVs and not their computers, while most people my age (30's) and younger seem to have no problem viewing content on a computer screen.
Anyway, so far, I'm really loving Hulu, and I certainly prefer the free, ad based, streaming model over having to pay for content on iTunes. I know there are some nay sayers, but I know a lot of others my age and younger that are loving the free concept of Hulu for TV content.
And I know some have complained about having to watch shows on a computer. That doesn't bother me at all. I actually spend much more time watching stuff on You Tube and so forth on my macbook and iMac than I do watching my Tivo and satellite TV anymore. I think this may be largely an age based thing. Seems the older generations think this is dumb because they want the content on their TVs and not their computers, while most people my age (30's) and younger seem to have no problem viewing content on a computer screen.
Anyway, so far, I'm really loving Hulu, and I certainly prefer the free, ad based, streaming model over having to pay for content on iTunes. I know there are some nay sayers, but I know a lot of others my age and younger that are loving the free concept of Hulu for TV content.
It's amazing that you were even able to post this! How in the world do you get "a la carte" shows from iTunes without internet access?
Work. I have a laptop so I can get internet access at various spots, spots that are, by the way impractical for watching videos online.
puckhead193
macrumors G3
i got mine a few weeks ago. Took about 3-4 weeks for the acceptance. Its pretty cool, only bad thing is you have to sit in front of your computer. But hey its free!