Hulu launches 10 dollars a month subscription service
June 29, 2010
Hulu has finally done it, they launched a 10 dollar subscription service to allow people to watch TV and movies for $9.99 a month.
Evidently the media companies that own it have been putting Hulu under some extreme pressure to generate a profit.
A new tab opened up on the site directing users to Hulu Plus, a section that shows current season episodes of “Glee,” “The Office,” “House,” and other shows from broadcasters ABC, Fox and NBC. The service also allows viewing of multiple back seasons of shows. Meaning that for 10 dollars you get to see all the older episodes as well.
Inital reports are stating that Hulu will then be made to be seen on Mobile Devices as well, as currently all mobile devices are banned from Hulu (iPhones, Androids, Blackberry are all banned). However ripe skeptism still is surrounding the mobile issue.
A free, ad-supported version of Hulu remains available, but with only recent episodes of shows.
Why TV is in trouble
May 20, 2010
The picture below explains why TV is in trouble. It also explains why Hulu and the record companies won’t allow the video site to be seen on a mobile device.
The problem at hand is that the average 5 year old doesn’t want to see TV like how their parents did, clearly he is watching youtube on the below video (displayed on a TV of course as we’re a family of geeks).
Let’s face it, most likely you watch more TV shows on Hulu than you actually watch on TV. I know I do…. so does this 5 year old pictured below.
Is TV in trouble? The answer is yes… it’s not the TV shows that are in trouble, it’s the format on how those TV shows are being delivered to the end user. I completely predict that within a few years some famous TV show that is literally internet only will have a wider audience than what would normally be reached via TV (as let’s face it, it’s easier to watch it on the computer).
The problem is computers only recently .. well.. TV’s only recently (past few years) became standardized with ways to hook them up to computers. So this is slow in the making.. but eventually you’ll see more and more individuals asking for an internet only plan from Comcast, and they are going to demand that that internet only plan is cheaper than the standard TV and Internet plan…. because honestly Comcast, we don’t want your TV.
As for mobile, well … let’s face it… it’s just wayyyy too convenient to watch anything you want.. whenever you want… right?
It’s time for Hulu to adopt HTML5 instead of Flash
May 2, 2010
Seriously when I can’t even watch TV shows anymore online because I am using the “wrong” OS is when I draw the line. HTML5 … please like yesterday. Of course Adobe would have fixed it if it didn’t stream on “cancel or allow” Vista or Windows 7 or even OSX .. but no since it’s linux we get the shaft.
” We’re sorry but we’re unable to stream videos to your system. This may be due an Adobe software limitation on 64-bit Linux Systems ”
Thank you Adobe, of course considering the fact that Adobe.com is hosted on 64 bit linux.
“Request
HEAD / HTTP/1.0
Host: www.adobe.com
Connection: close
Response
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Sun, 02 May 2010 14:56:49 GMT
Server: Apache
Cache-Control: max-age=21600
Expires: Sun, 02 May 2010 20:56:49 GMT
Content-Type: text/html
Connection: close”
Nice, so you have no problem using Linux, you just refuse to code for it properly.
Seriously thank you Adobe…. Hulu needs to adopt HTML5 and be done with this mess.
Comcast Tech Support vs Linux user
February 17, 2010
It appears that Comcast has no idea how to handle someone with an IQ over 30. This individual just wants setup fancast to watch hbo programming on his computer. Clearly Comcastic doesn’t know how to handle such a complicated question and the madness begins.
The below is a cut and paste of the IM discussion with Comcast this individual has.
——————
CustomerX > Trying to access HBO content on Fancast.com and it’s telling me I don’t subscribe to HBO.
Ronnel > Hello CustomerX_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Ronnel. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Ronnel > Hi CustomerX. I am glad to have you on chat. How are you today?
CustomerX_ > Good
Ronnel > I am glad to hear that.
Ronnel > I understand that you cannot access HBO on Fancast correct? Thank you for taking the time to contact us for this issue. I can certainly help you with this concern today to the best of my ability.
CustomerX_ > ok
Ronnel > May I know if you have signed in to Fancast using your comcast email and password?
CustomerX_ > yes
Ronnel > Do you have HBO on your cable service?
CustomerX_ > yes, yes i do.
Ronnel > Okay I will have to check on the subscription on your account. May I have your account number please?
CustomerX_ > i don’t have my account number on me. should i look it up?
Ronnel > Its okay. May I have the name and the address on the account please?
CustomerX_ > i have the number here
Ronnel > Yes may I have it please.
CustomerX_ > XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ronnel > Thank you very much. Please give me a few moments while I pull up your account.
Ronnel > Yes I do indeed see here that you have HBO subscription on your cable service. I have verified it on your account. Since this is an issue on Fancast. I will need to transfer you now to the Department that can help you solve this issue.
CustomerX_ > hey, can you guys just fix it and email me? or do i have to waste all night on this?
CustomerX_ > i mean, it’s not really MY fault
CustomerX_ > is it now?
Ronnel > Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Butch > hhi
Butch > How’s it going!Il be more than delighted to assist you with your concern.
CustomerX_ > Hi Butch!
Butch > Hey there!hows it going?
CustomerX_ > Great, I just want to watch HBO shows on Fancast by signing in with my super comcast login!!!
CustomerX_ > but it won;t let me
CustomerX_ > and ronnel wasn’t helpful
CustomerX_ > can you fix it or is it all like fail
CustomerX_ > ??
Butch > sure!
CustomerX_ > yippee!!!!
CustomerX_ > w00t!
Butch > may i please have your comcast email addresS?
CustomerX_ > [email protected]
CustomerX_ > yep thats it
CustomerX_ > is it fixed yet?
CustomerX_ > still won’t let me login
Butch > Im sorry but we need your comcast.net email account
CustomerX_ > and i’ve been here 30 minutes
Butch > Let me go ahead and check it for you
CustomerX_ > that’s what i’m registered with. if it’s good enough to take my money, it’s good enough to log in with. i don’t use the crappy comcast email.
Butch > You need to use the comcast.net email so you will be distinguished as having with account with comcast and that you will have more features in Fancast such as watching HBO
CustomerX_ > wait, i use this email address to login to comcast to manage my account and make payments. nowhere does it say i have to use your crap email
CustomerX_ > so i can has fancast now?
Butch > to pay your bill online, you also need to have your comcast.net account email
CustomerX_ > nope
CustomerX_ > wrong butchy
CustomerX_ > thats wrong
Butch > Do you currently have internet service from us?
CustomerX_ > i pay like this
CustomerX_ > yes
CustomerX_ > using it now
CustomerX_ > i have never ever had to use comcast.net email addy
CustomerX_ > in fact, i’m logged into comcast now with the yahoo addy
Butch > I understand…please do use it CustomerX…just for the mere reason of accessing HBO on fancast…
CustomerX_ > but then i have to set it up and use it, which i do not want to do and should not have to do. that’s not the nature of the comcast login system at all, so what do we have to do other than you showing me the specific policy that compels me to use your craptastic email????
Butch > No need…il have it done for you
CustomerX_ > woah spooky
CustomerX_ > neways, i can has fancast now?
Butch > Please give me some time to go through with all the p[rocess for your convenience
CustomerX_ > oh so convenient!
Butch > CustomerX, can you please grab a pen paper?
CustomerX_ > sure can butch! got them handy in my hand
Butch > Have you downloaded comcast access?
CustomerX_ > wtf is that?
Butch > Username:xxxxxxxx Randomly Generated Password:xxxxxxx
Butch > That is the software that you will need to use to view fancast.
Butch > You wont have an ordinary Fnacast once you have downloaded it
CustomerX_ > wait i need software to use a web based streaming video site just because i want to watch hbo?
CustomerX_ > oh will i have super duper fancast?
CustomerX_ > or like hulu desktop?
CustomerX_ > or like…
Butch > Well something like that CustomerX
Butch > You will be able to view more movies and HBO
CustomerX_ > ok, so does that work on mac and linux too?
Butch > We apparebntly handle windows OS
CustomerX_ > only windows os?
CustomerX_ > so that’s limiting
CustomerX_ > what os versions?
CustomerX_ > like windows 3.1?
CustomerX_ > 95?
CustomerX_ > 98?
CustomerX_ > ME?
CustomerX_ > 2000?
CustomerX_ > xp…
Butch > 98 and newer
CustomerX_ > vista?
Butch > Thank you!
CustomerX_ > ahhhh
CustomerX_ > so you support 98 but no ubuntu or osx?
CustomerX_ > neways butch
CustomerX_ > thanks millions
CustomerX_ > so i download access and i has fancast?
Butch > most welcome
CustomerX_ > i log in with that username and pass?
Butch > Let me give you the link to download comcast access. And please use your comcast email username account to regsiter
CustomerX_ > ok, can email me this transcript? like to my real email addy?
Butch > https://device.comcast.net/comcast-access/
CustomerX_ > my yahoo one?
Butch > No CustomerX, please use your comcast.net username(the one i have given you)
CustomerX_ > i know i hear what you puttin down butchy
CustomerX_ > but i want our conversation emailed to me
CustomerX_ > naaamean?
Butch > You may have this chat transcript printed or saved by hitting the END session Button. You will then have the option to print this out
CustomerX_ > ok, just wanted to lnot lose the instructions mr butch! thanks again and have a swell night
Butch > You need to first download comcast access and then manage your computer. You will first need to configure everything before you can have its full features
CustomerX_ > yeah, i’ll give it a whirl tomorrow
Butch > http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/FAQViewer.aspx?seoid=use-comcast-access-manage-computers
Butch > The link i just gave you will shoe you how to manage and use your comcast access
CustomerX_ > gotcha
CustomerX_ > sounds wonderfully restrictive! anyways, gotta run butch
——————
High Speed Hotel Internet — the term should be banned
December 25, 2009
The term should be banned from any advertising for any hotel. I paid extra for this “hi-speed hotel internet” … and attached is the results for my connection from speedtest.net
This epic speed is akin to using 2 tin cans and a wire between them… I am not sure why Hotels feel the need to charge additional for this… when clearly it’s a tiny DSL line running into the main hotel, with all 500 people here using it.
Youtube and Hulu are worthless, this post took nearly 3 minutes to load.
I want the term “hi-speed internet” to mean high speed. Not this… this is garbage. For the record, my cell phone is showing download speeds of double what the hotel is… and most likely I would be using that if it weren’t for the fact that Hulu banned all mobile devices.
This is the definition of false advertising. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the armpits of the ad agency created marketing material that informed me of the great high speed internet at this location.
Ad Agency Publicis : You’re gonna have to pay for Hulu
November 17, 2009
Evidently Maurice Levy feels that there is not enough advertising dollars out there to support any real growth online. So he came to the stunning solution that people will actually have to pay for services rendered. Novel idea. Wonder where he got that… it’s only the general concept of economic activity for the past 10,000 years.
“Free content devalues everything in the food chain. It is disintermediating everything, including ad agencies and advertising revenues,” he said.
Really, and people want to spend money to see a guy falling off a donkey on Youtube shot by a cell phone camera?
What Maurice doesn’t understand however is that people don’t like to shell out money, the services online has to be compelling enough to make people feel the need to shell out their hard earned money during the great recession. Good luck with that. Mostly because there is an expectation that if I pay money for a service, I don’t want any of his services included.
Think about it, would you pay money for something if it was filled with advertising? I had no problem shelling out money for Modern Warfare 2, because I am not expecting to be see some unwanted advertising. So yes Maurice, I will pay for some online services, just as long as your services are not there. Also if you guys want to take a pot shot at me for stating this, feel free to attack me all you want.. my Xbox Live account username is “AdAgency”.
I’m fine with advertising on Hulu because it’s free… I’m not fine with advertising while playing Modern Warfare 2 because I paid for it. Understand the concept yet Maurice?
“Advertising cannot cover the cost of everything in the new digital media world. Other sources of generating revenues will have to be created, such as having consumers pay for some content. It cannot all be free or paid for with advertising,” Levy told me in a weekend interview at the Monaco Media Forum, co-sponsored by Publicis. Seeking Alpha is reporting
Hulu responds to Boxee / Skyfire / PS3 Ban
August 11, 2009
EDIT : The below is an e-mail exchange with Hulu regarding the viewing of the content via a mobile device (in this case it’s a Windows Mobile Device). That being stated, Hulu is now officially not supporting ANY mobile device.
That means your Iphone, Your Android, Your blackberry, doesn’t matter… you are not allowed to watch Hulu content on any mobile device. The last holdout was using a Windows Mobile device and the skyfire browser.
This was removed earlier this year.
To put it bluntly, all support for any hand held device, such as a smartphone is now removed. You cannot watch Hulu on your mobile.
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:37:31 -0700 [17:37:31 EDT]
Hi Roger,
Thanks for writing. To answer your question, I thought some context might be helpful.
For decades, the TV/movie industry has built its business model on a windowing
strategy. Content rights are granted for limited time periods across specific
distribution channels. For example, a movie starts in theaters, then moves to
pay-per-view and DVD, then to pay-cable channels, later to broadcast, and so on
down the line. Similarly, TV shows are available on TV first, then in repeats,
then to DVD and possibly syndication, etc.
Distribution availability across platforms — theaters vs. TV vs. recorded media
like DVDs vs. online streaming vs. mobile phones — was always implicitly or
explicitly controlled in that world. But a few factors have made the barriers
between those platforms more permeable: the rise of the web, increased broadband
availability, the ease of digitizing video, and the increase in the computing
power of devices like gaming consoles, set-top boxes, and mobile phones.
However, in the near-term, the windowing strategy is still dominant in the
business. Billions of dollars flow in across these different windows, and entire
companies are organized around them. Nothing productive comes from flouting that
reality (except to law firms who work on the occasional lawsuit).
We do, however, expect these windows to converge over time. There’s no way around
that, and we’re working hard with all of our partners to guide and participate in
this important transition in the business. Everything we do is with an eye toward
achieving our long-term goal of maximizing the content you can access as
conveniently as possible in a way that “works” for the content owner. In the
short-term that may require us to make some tough decisions, but we only do so
when we believe it improves our long-term prospects to build a more enduring,
legal solution to that same problem.
We hear your frustration, and solving it remains our full-time job.
Cheers,
Rebecca
Hulu
07/10/2009 19:20 - Roger XXXXX wrote:
I have been using Skyfire on a Microsoft Windows Mobile device to watch
Hulu when traveling, however there appears to be an error that recently
showed up. I am somewhat confused on why this is happening as it
worked perfectly in the past.
If Skyfire is not supported, then what browser may I use on a Windows
Mobile device to view the TV and movies?
Why Hulu blocked all mobile devices
July 10, 2009
Hulu has officially blocked all Smartphone access to the website. Even though the last supported device, Microsoft Windows Mobile users with Skyfire cannot block any advertising (yes all of us were watching Hulu ads at the bus station prior to the shows).
The problem is Hulu realized that they have no way of knowing whether Skyfire users coming through the US servers are actually in the US and since they are not allowed to let people outside the US watch their videos they decided to block all of Skyfire, and all mobile devices for that matter.
The Apple iPhone was never supported, nor was any other platform other than Windows Mobile Device using a browser called Skyfire, earlier this week (on or about July 3ed) all screens went dark with an error message stating “Unfortunately, this video is not available on your platform. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
This actually is a dark milestone, it means that Hulu has now blocked all mobile smart phones from the website. There is no work around yet at this time.
Many people (such as myself) have actually bought a Windows Mobile phone rather than an iPhone for this sole reason. Whenever I am in a train or passenger of an auto, I fired up Skyfire to watch Hulu.
Even though I am located in the US, Hulu cannot tell since all the traffic is routed though Skyfire servers via a proxy, and if was in Mexico or the UK the same would apply, it’s all routed though the US servers… so Hulu cannot tell if all that US based traffic is actually coming from the US.
The only way to get this to work as per our sources in Hulu would be for Skyfire to block all non-US users. This is actually being considered by Skyfire. Other options would be to offer a US and non-US version of Skyfire.
The reason is Hulu is the main driver for Skyfire’s growth… without Hulu access, Skyfire lost it’s main competitive advantage.
Story is developing, expect some major blockage for all non-US users from being able to use Skyfire.
Internet Progress with TV
May 26, 2009
The Internet has really changed advertising so much in the past 3 years. When online videos started appearing in the 1990′s, they generally were slow to download due to the widespread use of dialup modems at the time, plus the overall lack of legal content online also hindered its growth.
But circa 2009 isn’t the same as circa 1996, a dozen years ago it would be illegal or impossible (depending on how you want to argue it) to place a full TV show online … embedded in a news article such as a episode of Stargate SG-1 included in this post.
The advantage to online video ads are pretty straightforward - the first being actual measurement rather than guesstimates. The problem with TV advertising is honestly you really don’t know what you are getting. Back in the 1960′s Star Trek was cancelled due to lack of ratings, but 1/2 a century later the francise is still going very strong, to the point of blockbuster openings and record ticket sales. The evidence is strong that the measurement system was broken at the time, and is still broken till today.
Shows are canceled, though they have a wide following, Jericho, King, Firefly and others in recent history have been removed from television programming, even though they did have a wide following.
For every person that hits the play button, it’s recorded and sent to content owners and counted as a view. They know when you started, they know if you completed the program, for the first time in history actual counts are being made rather than estimates that are generally well off the mark.
You most likely would see a massive change with television content if this is how it will accurately be measured online as compared to current standard TV measurement.
This is actually a big win for everyone, how good content is will actually now be properly measured as compared to taking a random sample of 100 people in a market of 2.5 million.
Advertisers will finally be able to know what shows to sponsors.
The MPAA isn’t the AntiChrist
April 18, 2008
We like to call the RIAA the AntiChrist and much of the time it’s for good reason. However we have seen some positive steps from the MPAA in regards of a far more progressive approach than what the RIAA has taken.
Don’t get us wrong, we are sure the MPAA will sue faster than a speeding bullet when confronted with a copyright case, but in this instance the Movie and TV industry has moved light years ahead of the record industry. Hulu, Veoh and even the Sci-Fi channel have published massive amounts of TV shows and Movies online for free, with advertising agency backing from corporate brands. In short, they figured a way to get paid for the content without sending out lawsuits right and left, ticking off their fans.
It’s a strategy that has appeared to pay off. It was leaked to us that a report will be coming out shortly that will show Hulu is on the path to being called the #1 channel in terms of views… meaning that they are looking at more viewers watching Hulu than watching NBC proper within a reasonable time frame.
Yes people, if trends hold… Hulu will be NBC’s main video outlet within 3 years… we have no way to verify the authenticity of the report.
However if true, this compares to how the music industry’s marketing department resides in their legal department.
If trends hold, we have to admit that we are truly impressed with the steps the MPAA has taken as compared to the RIAA.
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