Hulu Plus coming soon to Roku, TiVo Premiere
The set-top box will bring the subscription-based Hulu Plus to any TV "later this fall."
This post was updated with TiVo's announcement.
Potential cord cutters take note: the cheapest and arguably easiest and (for some) long-awaited way to bring Hulu to a TV is now a reality.
Roku today confirmed the murmurings of yesterday that Hulu Plus is coming to its trio of set-top boxes. Starting "later this fall," the $9.99-per-month service that brings on-demand movies and TV shows from NBC, Fox, ABC, and others will be available.
There is no extra fee beyond the standard Hulu Plus subscription.
This is, of course, not the only way to get Hulu on your TV: Samsung, Sony, and Vizio TVs and Blu-ray players, as well as the Xbox and PlayStation 3 will feed Hulu Plus to your TV screen, but those require a much larger purchase. Roku comes in three options now, ranging from $59 to $99. (And Roku takes about six minutes to set up.)
It's also an interesting option compared with the new Apple TV. Apple rejiggered its set-top offering to feature a rental-only service for content, including 99-cent TV shows. But for those who prefer a flat fee from Hulu versus paying for every show, Roku is making itself an intriguing alternative.
Update 11:55 a.m. PDT: Not to be outdone, TiVo issued its own announcement minutes after Roku's. Hulu Plus will also be coming to TiVo Premiere "in the coming months." It's the same deal, subscribers who pay $9.99 a month for Hulu Plus can add it to their TiVo Premiere box for free.
Neither Roku nor TiVo's Hulu Plus service is ready to go the day of their announcements. It sure seems like they're both itching to get this news out before the first wave of Apple TV shipments start reaching customers' doorsteps later this week.