Hulu's Pluses and minuses on the iPad and iPhone (photos)
Can Hulu Plus provide enough for its $9.99 a month to convince a cable-cutting editor to keep the service? We run it through its paces on the iPad and iPhone.
The iPad interface for Hulu Plus is a lot like the Web version of Hulu, but it runs a lot more smoothly than the Netflix iPad app.
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Scott Stein/CNET
Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
Scrolling through the list of networks feels a little random--big-name providers are placed side by side with tiny, unknown entities.
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Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
Adding individual episodes to your personal queue is an easy task, and necessary for building a playlist to avoid browsing.
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Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
Video playback looked as good as HD on the iPad.
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Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
The selection of "movies" on Hulu Plus--if we can deem them that--is pathetic indeed. Most people wouldn't even accept this content for free.
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Scott Stein/CNET
Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
On the playlist queue, episodes are broken up by show for easier navigation.
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Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
Here's one advantage to having a 4:3 screen like the iPad's: classic TV shows in 4:3 have no letterboxing and actually look great. Seen here: "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour."
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Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
Once we had a good experience with one classic show, we naturally wanted to try them all ("Bob Newhart").
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Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
Many shows on Hulu Plus have a complete multiseason collection of episodes to browse, but not all of them.
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Scott Stein/CNET
Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
Hulu Plus on the iPhone is pared-down in terms of interface, but surprisingly well-featured and laid out nicely.
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Scott Stein/CNET
Hulu Plus (and its minuses)
Video playback on the iPhone 3GS looked pretty good to us--no need for Retina Display.
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Discuss: Hulu's Pluses and minuses on the iPad and iPhone (photos)
Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.