It may have launched somewhat bare feature-wise, at least compared to its competition, but Hulu’s live TV offering has been adding features at a fairly rapid clip. In December it brought a feature into its beta web interface adding a picture-in-picture mode, and in the past week it has added 60-frames-per-second support to some channels, as well as announcing new control features for its cloud DVR.
While it may not make much of a difference for a sitcom or drama, the ability to stream at 60 fps is a boon for sports fans, with much smoother action. With the Winter Olympics kicking off today, the service seems to have rolled it out just in time. According to Hulu’s Reddit post announcing the new feature, 60 fps support is “one of the most-requested features” by users.
This will roll out in stages, with a smaller number of channels and devices supported at first, and more coming later on. Channels that currently support the feature are CNN, CNN International, HLN, TNT, TBS, TCM, TruTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and all Showtime channels, as well as New England Channel News, “about half” of Fox affiliates, and all NBC affiliates available via the service. Platforms that can currently make use of the new feature are iPhone and iPad, Apple TV, Xbox One, Fire TV, Samsung Tizen TVs, and Nintendo Switch.
It seems that Hulu may be prioritizing the platforms listed above, as those are the exact same platforms that can make use of the service’s new DVR controls, announced on February 8. This is the same DVR you’re already familiar with if you use Hulu’s live TV service, just with more options as to what exactly gets recorded — you can now tell Hulu to record only new episodes, or to record new episodes as well as reruns. You can also add a show to My Stuff but not record episodes at all, useful if you want to keep an eye on a show but don’t need it filling up your DVR.
As with the 60 fps support, this new, more granular control over your recordings will come to more devices moving forward, though so far Hulu has yet to say what exactly those devices are. In the meantime, if you’re not sure which service is for you, be sure to check our comparison of live TV streaming services.
