Netlfix or Hulu Plus? Your Gaming Dollar

Netflix now has some competition in the console streaming race, and when trying to estimate value from the two services one comes out clearly on top.

In June of 2009 I sat down on the couch with my girlfriend, turned on my PS3, accessed the console’s web browser and opened Hulu.com from my bookmarks.  The two of us then got cuddly and watched two episodes of the then current season of NBC’s comedy “The Office.”  After laughing at the antics of Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute and the rest of the ensemble we called it a night and drifted to sleep, lingering smiles still on our faces.  Approximately one week later we attempted the same only to be greeted with the following from Hulu:

“Unfortunately, this video is not available on your platform.  We apologize for any inconvenience.”

I tried reloading the video several times only to receive the same brief message.  At first I naively wondered if the Hulu servers were down or if the site was temporarily unavailable for maintenance. Could it really be my PS3?  At that point my girlfriend—who had gone to the computer room to try Hulu on PC—called to me and said, “Honey, it’s working on the computer.  Let’s just watch it in here.”

I tried Hulu on PS3 once more the following morning only to be disappointed yet again.  I then tried watching on my MacBook Pro and PC and both let me play my favorite shows without trouble.  It was then that the sad truth finally dawned on me; Hulu had purposely blocked Sony’s shiny HD console.  That was the only possible explanation.  “This isn’t good,” I thought suspiciously.

About a month ago—almost one year to the date Hulu stopped functioning on my PS3—the site announced its Hulu Plus service for Sony's console as well as a whole slew of other platforms.  I would have been excited except that Hulu Plus, as you can guess from the “Plus” in its name, is a paid subscription service.  
My worries and suspicions were vindicated; what had once been free—just like the vast bulk of the Internet on my PS3—was now something I would have to pay to use.

Now don’t go and take what I am saying the wrong way.  I’m not inherently opposed Hulu or to paying for added features, whole current seasons, etcetera.  I’ve actually been a fan of the service since the first time I used it.  I’m simply not interested or happy with Hulu’s choice to force PS3 users into a single, 10-dollar per month option. To clarify, Hulu Plus is a paid service, even on PC, and yet Hulu “basic” has remained available to PC users during the entire development of Hulu Plus.  I therefore can’t help but wonder why Hulu was yanked from the PS3, a console with an impressive browser and media capabilities.  Why block my preferred source for Hulu delivery? The PS3 is hooked up to the largest TV in my house (as it is in many other households) and is therefore the best place to watch the service.  I should have been enjoying Hulu on PS3 this entire time.

I also can’t help but question the value of Hulu Plus in the face of a quickly growing amount of streaming content on Netflix.  At the time Hulu stopped working on my PS3 I was an almost daily Hulu user.  I did have a Netflix account and I did stream movies on occasion but I was far more likely to use Hulu for my TV show fix. The content was fresher, in the sense of showing the current season of my favorite shows, and the site was a friendlier for watching.  Since then, however, the game has changed.  Netflix’s formerly poor library of streamed content has improved dramatically, now offering the full available library of many of today’s most popular, ongoing television shows.  Although the idea of watching the entire current season of a favorite program through Hulu Plus is nice, I can do the same for free by turning on my TV at the appropriate times. Even better, Netflix offers whole seasons for instant watching and for one dollar cheaper each month.  Let’s see, do I want to pay $10 to watch the current season of The Office or do I want to pay $9 and stream the entire first 5 seasons, deliver DVD’s, & simply turn on the TV & Tivo the sixth?

When I told my girlfriend-turned-fiancée that Hulu Plus was coming and that we could resume watching in the living room she responded with a question:

“Oh, well…why would we do that when we already have Netflix and cable? We already watch those in the living room.”

I didn’t have an answer.

With the forthcoming PS3 Netflix interface update (planned for release by October), the immanent removal of the need for the streaming disc and an aggressive campaign to stream complete seasons of the hottest current shows (like the entire Family Guy Series in coming weeks!) Hulu Plus doesn’t offer enough for me to justify spending money for a subscription.

As a final point of debate, some feel that the value of Hulu Plus comes from the ability to watch videos on a menagerie of mobile devices.  Mobile viewing is a great feature yet Netflix, already available on almost 100 different formats including my 360 and Wii, is going mobile as well.  Soon your iPad, iPhone and more will stream your entire Netflix library without additional cost and feature far more content than Hulu Plus.  Again, why should I part with additional money when a competitor I’m already subscribed too offers more for less?

In closing, as a gamer already paying for Netflix, Xbox Live, PlayStation Plus, Cable, and High speed internet, Hulu Plus simply does not offer enough for me to justify spending any more money.  The idea is great but Hulu Plus on my PS3, or any other format for that matter, offers too little too late.