Hulu Plus

CNET Editors' review

by: Jessica Dolcourt on June 30, 2010

Ever since it became the go-to URL for streaming TV episodes, folks have been wanting to see a version of Hulu.com for smartphones. The response comes in the form of a monthly subscription to premium content that's available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch via the free Hulu Plus app.

Hulu's large storehouse of content from major TV networks and movie producers is its claim to fame over competing services that are attempting to bring on-demand entertainment to mobile devices. Though we found the app's interface attractive, navigating around was doable, but more difficult than necessary. For example, the queue of shows you'd like to watch is buried in the More menu on the iPhone and takes multiple taps to access. Streaming is fine if you've got reliable Wi-Fi or 3G data, but the $10 monthly subscription should buy you rights to also download a copyright-protected video for a limited amount of time so you can watch what you pay for without fear of freezing.

Even with reliable Wi-Fi, shows could and did spontaneously stop and restart. Luckily, the video resumed in almost the same place, though on one occasion it replayed the opening announcement and ad--a frustration. Video quality on the iPhone 4 was choppy in one test, but reliable on the iPhone and iPad in another. In more than one instance, the scene lagged behind the sound. This kind of disjointing isn't completely unexpected with a streaming-media service, which brings us back to the hope that Hulu will expand its premium Hulu Plus service to include some sort of caching.

Speaking of pricing, the Hulu Plus app itself is free, and there's a decent-size library of free content that anyone with an iDevice can watch. The majority of the content costs about $10 per month, but it also includes the same ads you'd see when using Hulu for free from a desktop computer. We're not too happy with this double-standard-inducing price point, though we do enjoy finally being able to access Hulu while on the go.

Publisher's Description

From Hulu:

This application requires a Hulu Plus subscription.Hulu Plus. The Hulu You Know + More Shows and Movies + More Ways to Watch. Stream thousands of episodes from hundreds of current and classic TV shows to your iPad, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, 3rd generation iPod Touch, computer, TV, and other devices with a Hulu Plus subscription. Hulu Plus subscribers receive many exclusive benefits: Get a full season pass and watch every current season episode of top TV shows from ABC, Fox, and NBC like Family Guy, Modern Family, Glee, Saturday Night Live, The Office, Greys Anatomy, and many more. All episodes available all season long. Jump in and catch up on the full season anytime. Enjoy full series runs or back seasons of classic shows like The X-Files, Arrested Development, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Desperate Housewives, Roswell, Miami Vice, Angel, Saturday Night Live, Law and Order: SVU, Ally McBeal, Roswell, My So-Called Life, and many more. Thousands of episodes from hundreds of titles. Enjoy up to 720p HD resolution with multi-bitrate support for the optimal viewing experience for your screen resolution and network connection speed. Search and browse for shows and videos and manage your queue directly from your iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Resume play from where you left off on other Hulu Plus devices including your computer and select mobile phones, internet-connected TVs, and Blu-ray players. Watch over WiFi and 3G (on your iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and 3G iPads). Use of Hulu Plus is subject to the Hulu Plus Terms of Service.

What's new in this version: Added ability to save an entire season to Queue A subset of content includes closed captioning support iPad 2 supports HDMI video out (standard definition only)"Subscriptions" are now "Favorites" Fixed miscellaneous bugs

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