Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

Be sure to register in our forums and post your comments - we want to hear from you!


Zune Thoughts

Loading feed...

Apple Thoughts

Loading feed...

Laptop Thoughts

Loading feed...





All posts tagged "hulu"


Saturday, November 5, 2011

What Will Happen With Cable And Television In 2012?

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Digital Home Talk" @ 05:30 AM

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-t...expect-in-2012/

"But change is going to come, and amid news that Google is interested in entering the cable TV business and continued rumors that Apple will be releasing its own branded television set, we also have to wonder what's going to happen with streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. TalkPoint CEO Nick Balletta says that the real battle to hedge is with cable companies."

Molly McHugh over at the Digital Trends website has written a short piece about what we might see in 2012 with Internet streaming services, cable, and television. While streaming of content over the Internet and to your mobile or desktop device has been growing, cable and television are not sitting idly by. Changes in traditional content provision and consumption models have far-reaching implications and will play out over a multi-year period. So, in this slowly evolving industry, what movement might we see in 2012? One thing the article suggests is that connected TV's may hit their stride during the holiday shopping period next year. The Read link will take you to the Digital Trends site where you can read more.


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Can You Still Watch Your Favorite TV Series if You Ditch Cable?

Posted by Reid Kistler in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 05:00 PM

http://lifehacker.com/5667680/ditch...tm_medium=email

"Ever wonder if, for just your favorite shows, it might be smarter to get an iTunes or Amazon season pass? Pondering which shows you'd have to give up if you canceled cable? We compiled a big chart of answers for you.... The choosing was totally subjective, although we tried to keep an open mind about popular taste. We included online alternatives including Amazon Video on Demand, iTunes, Hulu and its $9.99/month Hulu Plus service, Netflix (in streaming form only), and network sites often accessible through a site like Clicker.com (and its neat apps on platforms like Boxee)."

If you are thinking about dropping your "Cable TV" service - whether delivered via traditional cable, satellite or fiber - Lifehacker has published a useful chart that lists a fair number of popular television series and whether they can be obtained from various alternative delivery services, and at what cost. This is a popular idea right now, especially with the introduction of Google TV (which is not included in the Lifehacker article) and Sony's Internet TV models. One of the our local newspapers even ran an article this week entitled "Is This the End of Cable?" which provides brief overviews of several "set-top boxes" and the networks they provide access to. Have you tried ditching your cable TV service? And, if so, how well has the experiment worked?


Saturday, August 28, 2010

Compare Hulu, Hulu Plus, and Netflix

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home News" @ 09:00 AM

http://lifehacker.com/5623690/

You can head on over to Lifehacker for the full chart. Things even out between Hulu Plus and Netflix as you progress through the alphabet, but I think Netflix is the clear winner since it is cheaper per month and you get one DVD by mail at a time as part of the same plan. Plus, Netflix is available on more devices, so you've got a better chance of streaming those shows to your TV easily.

Tags: hulu, netflix

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Comcast Interested in Hulu

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home News" @ 04:00 AM

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-...,0,980649.story

"The nation's leading cable company has made no secret of its disdain for Hulu's approach of giving away the shows that Comcast and other pay-TV distributors spend billions for -- and rely on to retain subscribers. Comcast is in talks with NBC Universal about pooling their entertainment assets into a new company that would own 30% of Hulu in addition to the NBC network and cable channels such as Bravo, E! and Syfy. Comcast would control the new entity and possibly have the clout to push Hulu to begin charging for access to some of its most popular shows, including "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" or "Psych.""

Like my previous post suggested, I've always assumed Hulu would become a pay service at some point. The question for me was whether they took the true a la carte approach that so many consumers have wanted or just became another version of Comcast. If they do become a pay service, they really need to make sure that it is easier to get the content on your TV (like service for the Wii, PS3, and Roku box) as well as making nice with Apple to get on the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Tags: hulu, comcast

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Is Comcast Feeling the Pressure from Hulu?

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home News" @ 03:00 AM

http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/24/...-comcast-subcr/

"Time Warner and Comcast have joined hands in order to regain control on some of the content that is slipping right out from under 'em. In the olden days, the only portal for catching content was the 'tube; today, a vast array of television shows are available gratis on the web, and that's downright frightening for pay-TV operators. Today, both firms are detailing TV Everywhere in the most general way possible, only telling us that paying Comcast subscribers will soon have access to "premium long-form content" via a web portal. TNT and TBS are the only networks specifically named thus far, but considering that both of those already offer their best programming online to everyone, we're not terribly impressed."

I'm thinking cable networks are going to start getting desperate. Hulu, Netflix, and DTV offer a much cheaper alternative than even basic cable. Unfortunately, giving subscribers what they can already get for free elsewhere will probably do little to help solve this problem.


Friday, May 29, 2009

Hulu Moves To Your Desktop

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 01:00 PM

http://gizmodo.com/5272139/hulu-des...kyline=true&s=i

"Everytime somebody has said that Hulu killed TV, they were exaggerating. Until now maybe. Hulu Desktop sure looks a whole lot like the future of TV. It's a media center type of application—like Front Row or Boxee or Netflix or Windows Media Center—that gives you full access to Hulu with an Apple Remote or Windows Media remote or just your keyboard and mouse."

I sincerely hope viewers in the US appreciate all the cool Internet based applications you get access to. Hulu has already etched out a name for itself as being a great TV watching replacement. With a desktop application, the limitations of the browser are tossed aside and with that, the experience becomes much better. Their desktop application offers all the same features as the browser client, but with more panache, easier to use controls and a more fluid response. Of course, this is what Gizmodo tells me because Hulu hasn't taken it upon themselves to start offering services to other countries! One thing I do find interesting about this release is that it is in stark contrast to much marginalized competitor Joost, who ended going with a Flash based browser client only just last year. I imagine Joost switched for convenience reasons, while Hulu now has the base that customers want a more compelling experience that can't currently be offered through Flash.


Thursday, May 14, 2009

Robert X. Cringely on The Future of Television

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Articles & Resources" @ 04:00 PM

http://www.cringely.com/2009/05/the...vision-part-ii/

"The important lesson to learn when it comes to these competitive services is that the first three - broadcast, cable, and satellite - are all going up in cost to their providers while the cost of providing Internet service is going down. In the USA, broadcast viewership is dropping, which means the cost per viewer is rising. Same for cable where viewers are stagnant, viewership is declining (number of hours of viewing) and the cost of content is rising. Satellite has been growing marginally but that could end at any moment and it shares the same content cost increases as cable. Meanwhile Internet service just gets faster and cheaper thanks to a Moore's Law double whammy."

I always enjoy Cringely's prognostications about the future of technology, and this time he's taking aim at what's going to happen to television - one of his favourite topics. It's funny, I must be one of those odd-ball types who bucks the trend - I watch more TV now than I did a few years ago. I think the landscape in the US will transform faster than it will elsewhere - with all the IP blocking going on with Hulu and similar services, there's no "next-gen" Internet TV service available to me in Canada, and I suspect the same is elsewhere. We'll see what happens, but I've heard that Hulu is having a heck of a time making enough money to offset the costs of streaming the content - its business model is shaky. And until Hulu or services like it are seamlessly integrated into TVs or a set-top box connected to the TV, watching TV in the browser is going to be a uber-geek-only approach.


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Hotspot Shield Grants Hulu Access For Everyone? Sort Of...

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Software" @ 09:47 AM

http://hotspotshield.com/

"Public networks (both wired and wireless) are great. After all, what would life be without connecting while at airports, hotels and coffee shops? However, the danger to your personal data exists even if you connect to a fee based open network. Your passwords, credit card numbers, and any data you send can be seen and associated with you personally. Standard antivirus software won't protect you as this threat is on the network, not your laptop or iPhone. That's why AnchorFree is pleased to offer Hotspot Shield. Our application keeps your Internet connection secure and anonymous on public networks."

I heard about about Hotspot Sheild last week as a method for watching Hulu content outside the USA - it's a free VPN solution with servers located in the USA, so for all intents and purposes, your browser is inside the USA when accessing online content. The installation does a couple of somewhat concerning driver installs that pops up a scary-looking warning from Windows Vista, but I was installing it inside a virtual machine so I didn't particularly care. I'm not a security expert, but Windows Defender didn't flag anything, so I suspect the program is safe.

After I got it installed, I gave it a test and could definitely tell my connection was being routed through another server. With Hulu specifically, I saw frequent buffering problems, but it did work. Switching Hulu to the high-quality stream made things much worse, and strangely enough pausing the show to let the buffer fill up didn't work - the buffer would fill up, then go back to zero bars. I don't know if the fact that I was running this inside a virtual machine had any impact on the performance, but it's possible. So while Hotspot Shield might work well for basic Web browsing, as a soultion for Hulu, it doesn't seem to be a good solution. Are there any VPN solutions out there, either free or low-cost, that work well with streaming media sites like Hulu?


Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Cable TV's Value Challenged

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 09:30 PM

http://caseygotcher.wordpress.com/2...really-need-it/

"More and more of my friends and co-workers are getting tired of dealing with this cost, not to mention the associated taxes, and hassles the cable company puts you through. They beginning to ask, “Can I live without cable?” I have been looking into the answer to this question for some time now. If you had asked me 2 years ago, I would have said no. At least for most people. Ask me again today, and I would say Yes! Between over the air (OTA, ATSC), and online, you have some good options now that you didn’t have before."

Casey Gotcher explores the numerous options for watching tv shows online that have cropped up over the past couple of years. The result is a wide variety of ways to get your American Idol fix. However, not all options are free, and managing the different video providers may get confusing for some. The big concern for me is cost. If you're trying to save, transferring the cost from your Cable TV provider to an online site doesn't make any appreciable difference. Depending on what shows you watch, you can possibly save some money though. Another important note that isn't mentioned, is that the options listed assume you live in the US of A. Being Canadian, I find my options much more limited, and you'll find the situation similar across the globe. Still, I've found that with the few shows I do watch, I can survive with what's online and OTA. Anyone else slashed their monthly bills and getting their fix online?


Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hulu.com Opens to Public, Offers Free Streams of Hit TV Shows, Movies and Clips

Posted by Jeremy Charette in "Digital Home News" @ 08:00 AM

http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/2008/03...vies-and-clips/

"Beginning today, consumers in the U.S. can go to Hulu.com to watch a large selection of hit TV shows, movies, clips and more in high-quality – anytime, for free. In addition, Hulu announced new content partnerships with the Warner Bros. Television Group, Lionsgate, NBA, NHL and more than 20 other top content providers. New content additions to Hulu’s library will include: feature films like The Usual Suspects and Ice Age, shows like Dirt, The Incredible Hulk, Babylon 5, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Dick Van Dyke Show, nightly highlights, top plays and full-length games from the NBA and the NHL, popular made for web programming such as Prom Queen and Onion News Network, and much more. On Hulu.com, consumers can enjoy one of the largest selections of legal, free videos from more than 50 top broadcast networks, cable networks, movie studios and web-centric content providers."

I tried HULU when the beta first started, and found the quality and selection to be pretty good. I still prefer my cable provider for watching TV however, especially since I can record a program and skip the commercials. That, I'm willing to pay for. It remains to be seen if NBC and its partners can make a successful business model out of ad-supported online video distribution. I don't think it's for everyone, but I think the market is bigger than most people are predicting.


Featured Product

The Canon PowerShot S100 - The incredibly fun and small camera that offers you 12.1 megapixels with a bright f/2.0 lens and full 1080p video recording . MORE INFO

News Tip or Feedback?

Contact us

Thoughts Media Sites

Windows Phone Thoughts

Digital Home Thoughts

Zune Thoughts

Apple Thoughts

Laptop Thoughts

Android Thoughts

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...