As I’ve alluded to in a few places, Hulu Plus ($9.99/mo) isn’t quite doing it for me. My main beef? The same one I have with Hulu Non-Plus — random, inconsistant content. In addition to the incomplete seasons found on Hulu, Plus also is missing seasons and does away with entire titles. So what I have available on my laptop isn’t necessarily what I have available on my iPhone. Here’s what they have to say:
Currently we don’t have the rights to make all shows on Hulu.com available on all devices — we’re working hard to continue clearing shows for mobile and TV access.
Hulu just isn’t (yet?) the episodic television archive Holy Grail folks like Mari and I have been hoping for. Granted, this isn’t all on Hulu — we recognize there are complex licensing issues at play and rights don’t come cheap.
Having said that, I am finding a decent amount of content to keep me occupied. But… it’s largely the same content available via my Netflix subscription. So once the official iPhone app hits, I’ll have less reason to continue with Hulu Plus.
As to the reason I can’t quite bring myself to cancel Hulu Plus, I’m waiting on hardware. Television was meant to be watched on television. And I keep hoping a lower-end Samsung or Sony Blu-ray player will join the mix any day, allowing me to really see if Hulu Plus is a service I need. But each time I threaten to leave, while awaiting cheaper platforms, I’m reminded that I may not be invited back. Until the beta/preview concludes.
