Hulu Plus Available on IPhone, IPad, Xbox, Samsung TV's and Blu-Ray Players

On Tuesday, online video site, Hulu, rolled out the first wave of its Hulu Plus $10 a month subscription service. The paid subscription service expands on demand access to TV shows over the internet to full seasons of current TV shows, not just the prior six episodes as the current free HULU service currently provides. Included in the library are also past season episodes of fan favorites such as Grey's Anatomy, X-Files and Buffy.

Current Hulu offerings come from Hulu's three corporate partners, NBC, ABC and Fox, so you certainly are not getting the range of free-to-air programming. Missing also is content produced by cable only networks such as HBO.

The subscription service also still includes ads within the programming. Hulu are betting that given the choice between a few ads throughout the content (something we are already well versed in from free-to air programming and cable TV offerings) and a higher ad free subscription price, consumers will chose the lower monthly subscription price.

But the monthly subscription providing access to the expanded Hulu library is only half of the story.

For anyone who has ever tried to connect their laptop of PC to their TV knows the experience can be more frustrating than the benefit of watching your content online.

To counter this frustration, Hulu brings internet video to your living room-and your big screen TV enabling streaming of Hulu content video in 720p high definition. Assuming you have the right hardware.

Certain model of Samsung TV's and Blu-ray players will also soon be able to access Hulu, in much the same way that they can currently access Netflix HD movie streaming (also under a $10 a month subscription).

Later this year the Hulu will also be available on Sony TV's , Blu-Ray Players and PlayStation 3, Microsoft's Xbox. Presumably, the roll-out will expand to include other internet and digital media devices such as the WD Live TV Plus, which allows consumers to turn any TV into an internet ready TV. These devices currently offer Netflix connectivity, which has been a great success, so anticipating a Hulu release for these devices isn't a big stretch.

The Hulu Plus subscription service simply expands the "whenever we want" concept of how we watch TV. For those who want their TV not only on demand, but wherever they want, Hulu has you covered as well. Enjoy Hulu on the go with apps for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, with the promise of support for more devices in the future.

Services such as Hulu Plus and Netflix streaming are changing the way consumers look at TV--a trend that must have cable companies worried. After all, unless you are a true television devotee, two $10 monthly subscriptions to Hulu Plus and Netflix, is a lot cheaper than the current tariffs charged by cable companies.

Of course, Hulu and Netflix access does presume broadband internet access, at a reasonable speed and with a high download allowance. Introduction of download limits and/or throttling of internet speeds by ISP's (as seen commonly outside of the US) could put the brakes on these services.

Visit the Hulu website for detail on the expanded content library and a list of current supported devices as well as the schedule for support on additional devices. Access to the Hulu Plus subscription service is currently by invite, which you can request from the Hulu website.

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Sources:

Hulu.com