After cutting cable and abandoning monthly bills like a bunch of rotten bananas, the idea of subscribing to an Internet TV service might seem like a massive step backwards. After all, between YouTube, Hulu and independent sites like Rev3, you can find more totally free content on the Web than the hours in your day will ever support. But when strongman training videos, The Daily Show and AnimeTV get stale, you’ll still be left craving the grade-A content cable TV used to spoon feed you every day.
Unless you have a soft spot for the skull and crossbones – as well as the occasional virus – Netflix is currently the most popular way to legally stream a vast library of popular TV shows and movies directly to your computer or television. As of Tuesday, Hulu has stepped up its game with Hulu Plus, a premium subscription service that will open access to the vast back archives of popular shows that have presently disappeared from free availability due to licensing.
Which should the cash-strapped-but-savvy TV enthusiast reach for? Let’s take a point-by-point breakdown of what we know so far.
Price
Winner: Netflix
At present, a monthly Netflix subscription with included free streaming costs $8.99 a month. Hulu has announced that Hulu Plus will charge $9.99 a month. Netflix clearly has the upper hand, but put in perspective, it’s almost a wash. While an extra dollar every month might deprive you of four gumballs, an item off the McDonald’s value menu, or a fine selection from the Dollar Store, we suspect the difference still won’t make much of a real difference to consumers who can already afford a monthly Internet bill, big-screen TVs and Blu-ray players. Frankly, both look like a steal compared to real cable and satellite TV packages.
Supported Devices
Winner: Netflix
Both Netflix and Hulu Plus will let you grab a quick episode of The Office on your 12-inch laptop screen at work, but what happens when you want to tap into it on the 42-incher in your living room, or on the road? You’ll need hardware that supports your subscription service of choice. Here’s an overview of how each service breaks down.
|
Device |
Hulu |
Netflix |
|
PC |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Apple iPad |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Apple iPhone |
✔ |
|
|
Internet-enabled TVs |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Internet-enabled Blu-ray players |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Set-top boxes |
|
✔ |
|
Xbox 360 |
|
✔ |
|
PlayStation 3 |
✔ |
✔ |
|
Nintendo Wii |
|
✔ |
Obviously, Netflix’s head start has given it broader support across more hardware, including set-top boxes like the Roku streaming player, WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player, and TiVo HD XL. More significant are the two most popular consoles on the market missing from Hulu Plus: the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360. However, Hulu Plus does have an iPhone app in its favor. But Netflix’s advantage gets even more obvious if you take a more granular look at any given category. With years of streaming under its belt, Netflix has amassed huge support for its service from hardware providers in every category. Want a Netflix-enabled Blu-ray player? You can look at models from Insignia, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Vizio, and Sony. Look for one that supports Hulu Plus, and you’re stuck with just Samsung, Vizo and Sony.
Now I understand that the Netflix App is a great step in the right direction BUT its too bad its limited because of AT&Ts control over the already controlling iPhone.
Why do I says its controlling? Because it will be controlling your pocket and how much money you spend on your limited data plans.
Most iPhone users hype themselves over the app but do they even really understand how much data this app uses? I didnt either until i read this article that laid out the data usage.
You can find it here: http://getyourgadgetsgoing.com/2010/09/07/netflix…
Doesn't really matter much for the older AT&T customers. I have the old unlimited data plan; and so do most of the iPhone users I know. The only people with limited data plans are the customers that are new(er) to AT&T.
You must not forget that the iPhone has built-in wifi, so it is most likely people will be using it more at places that have wifi (home, coffee shops, & anywhere else there's wifi) versus using AT&T's 3G connection.
I am a netflix subscriber and I use the instant watch frequently with my wii but i do use Hulu free service more. I am a sitcom junky and i find myself turning on my computer more often to watch my favorite 80's sitcoms on hulu more than I use the netflix instant watch. I think that if netflix want to stay on top they need to offer more movies and t.v. shows in the instant watch. I must say in my opinion Hulu has them beat with content.
You are sooo right! Netflix definitely need to offer more instant watch movies. 98% of everything I want to see is DVD only.
I'm evaluating Netflix streaming movies/tv for my 30 day free trial. I'm very disappointed with the lack of streaming-only content. So much of what I want to watch requires the upgrade to DVD, and I only find out about it, quite frustratingly, after I click search results each time. They should at least allow a filter to search for streaming content only for those of us who don't want to pay $2 more a month to include DVD shipments, and don't want to keep being asked every damn search about the upgrade option.
But I'm probably going to dump Netflix anyways on account of the above. On to Hulu Plus for evaluation.
When is Netflix going to buy Hulu? < 2 years? I think so.
Ummm… for like $5 bucks it’s a good buy but for the same amount I pay Netfix I get Blu Rays & DVDs’ on top of my streaming?!? No comparison.
netflick, hands down is absolutely the best thing going on at this time..i am a new i client… very happy i made up my mind to try something new. i will be waiting and watching to see what they come up with next.charlene
This seems dated, even though it came out yesterday. Netflix has an iPhone/iPod app, and 30 Rock is streamable. Netflix FTW
My husband and I have had netflix for years and have loved it, but it didn't have enough streaming content for us to feel comfortable getting rid of cable. In the last two months we started subscribing to Hulu plus and have access to all the cable shows we could ever want! I also love the fact that you do not have to wait for a show to come on on DVD to be able to watch it. I think Netflix is great for movies, Hulu Plus is awesome for television shows. Between the two we have finally ditched the cable company.
The author of this otherwise fine article apparently failed to realize that the quality of Netflix streamed to a TV (via a set top box) is far better than the Netflix streamed to a PC. The reason is that different streams are used for the two different platforms, as well as different types of compression. The PC version of Netflix is quite poor compared to the TV version via the Roku player.
I disagree Jan. Why would Netflix be better on one medium than another? I think Netflix over a PC looks pretty phenomenal, especially on a 30inch monitor.
I do think that Netflix streamed through the PS3 looks better than through the Xbox 360 for some reason (I have both and have tried Netflix on both).
Another factor to weigh is that Hulu also has a free version. Presumably this will hook some people and encourage them to sign up for Hulu Plus, while others will decide that the free version is enough for their needs.
http://www.jinni.com
I like netflix, but the instant que selection kinda sucks. It is nice to be able to get the new releases mailed to me though. They are usually waiting in my mailbox for me on the day they come out.