Hulu Sucks. Really.
By Ed Oswald | Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Okay. I know its not professional to say it, but I’m going to. Why must this company try so damn hard to make life difficult for the people who want to use their content? Oh that’s right. There’s this. Once again, the company is trying to dictate how and where you may watch the content on your site.
Let’s call it DRM — web style — because that’s pretty much what it is. Hulu is now taking steps to encrypt the HTML that they send to the browser, which in turn is decrypted at the client using JavaScript and DHTML. In plain English: if you’re not using a browser, you’re out of luck.
This is a bold-faced attempt at preventing any non-browser client (ahem, Boxee) from using its content in a way the company doesn’t approve of. Doesn’t matter what you the viewer may prefer, it’s Hulu’s way or the highway.
Bad news for Hulu, though — people have already found a way around this newest functionality — and Boxee is for all intents and purposes using a browser within its applicaiton to serve Hulu videos to you.
Given this content provider’s past history, its all but certain they’ll continue to try to thwart Boxee and others. After all, it directly threatens ZillionTV which in a shocker is supported by NBC Universal and News Corp, the two chief content providers to Hulu.
See, these two network’s sudden snub of Boxee was all planned. I just wish Boxee and others would stop being so nice to these people — its become abundantly clear they have no intention of being nice back.
Until Hulu stops this behavior, I’m no longer interested in using their service.
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ABC Does Hulu, I’m Still Passing. | Technologizer Says:
July 6th, 2009 at 10:41 am[…] I’ve said many times before, I have no intention of using Hulu because of their content usage policies. Once they change, I may […]
April 1st, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I was interested in Hulu at the beginning, because it sounded like a great idea. Free streaming content? Sign me up.
But they pull more and more shenanigans, and you can’t use content the way you want… Heck, for the hoops I have to jump through for “free,” I’m just going back to… ways that are not so sanctioned by Big Content.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Exactly. Call me suspicious.. but this has accelerated with the launch of Zillion. It’s clearly an attempt to give their parent companies’ project an advantage over others.
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:05 am
I ditched my TV. I use Hulu and other web services for my limited television interests. (My wife has even joined me for March Madness on Demand). Complain all you want, but Hulu serves my needs quite well.
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 am
well, and now disney is about to sign a deal with hulu – what do we actually get out of this deal?
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:44 am
Grow up. Hulu, NBC, FOX, whoever don’t owe you free content in the manner of your choosing. They’re not charities; they need ways of making money back so that they can pay for actors, writers, production, etc. And everybody in the business knows that the revenue from online outlets has been piss poor.
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Stu-how is revenue different for Hulu via Boxee vs. in a computer web browser?
Answer: It isn’t.
July 19th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Stu, that could at least provide the service that they advertise. If you’re going to make something, make it good. Don’t do it half-@$$ed and then expect people to buy it.
November 12th, 2009 at 8:38 am
When the first commercial popped up, I knew their site was destine to piss me off. We’re paying for the content every time we’re forced to sit through one of these bullshit adverts. So gee, we’re paying for cable so there’s 1 payment for their show. We’re also paying for internet so there’s 2 times we’ve paid for the show. We’re sitting through commercials for products we likely already buy due to necessity so there’s 3 times we’ve paid for the show.
As far as I know, there is not a single product or service that exists other than entertainment media where they can legally get away with charging you more than once!
Hulu sucks and I use it maybe a few times every couple months. I’d rather just pay a site like megavideo for a year as I’m certain Hollywood is getting their cut from them anyway. Bottom line is now or later, any movie or TV show I watch, they’re getting paid for and often through more than one channel of payment.
And they say downloading is a crime!?!
August 24th, 2010 at 12:36 am
Hulu Incredibly pisses me off they pulled some shit with me and literally let me watch 3/4ths of the Episode of the Show I was trying to watch before telling me I had to pay for the Episode.
I wouldnt be bugged if they told I had to pay too use the Services in the first place but trying to drag you in by letting you watch most of a Episode of a long forgotten TV Series you loved as a kid and then telling you that YOU have to pay to watch the rest of it. Really goes to show that they suck at business advertising if they have to use such direct tactics with people already using their service.
January 4th, 2011 at 2:55 am
NOW….. THE NEW HULU WITH EVEN MORE COMMERCIALS INTERRUPTIONS
AND THE SAME COMMERCIALS OOVER AND OVER AND OVER… ALL THERE MISSING IS THE Quietus COMMERCIAL
January 18th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
it seems now for me that i can't seem to even load anything on any one of my 4 pc's since i started using my RUKU box which (mind you) only plays the "H+" video. anyone else having an issue like this?
February 10th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Hulu really sucks now because every tv show you try to watch it wants your credit card number for 1 week trial I bet they won't stop payments and act like aol and try to keep you connected after just trying the trial finding its not for you.
March 14th, 2011 at 2:10 am
Don't try signing up for a free week of Hulu Plus. I tried to follow their instructions for cancelling before I got charged for the next month, after the trial period. They omit the billing button from your profile, so that you can't cancel. Sent them a coupla emails, getting the message that a response will come within 15 minutes. Sure, a canned email saying I can get info on their website. Jerkoffs.
March 19th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Obviously we are all meant to live simplier ways and forget about technology.
March 21st, 2011 at 11:43 pm
HULU sucks big time!
I happen to be an American that currently does not reside within any US Territory. This means that when I try to watch anything on HULU or F*&KU as I like to call it I get the same lame message about copyright that I get from NBC and others. Hmmm for some reason COMMERCIALS don’t have copyright restrictions but the content does.
There are plenty of sites that I can use to “get around” the problem, I just don’t know why they don’t figure out that we (those of us not in the USA) can “see” most of the content they try to block anyway, so while make it difficult?
June 16th, 2011 at 9:58 am
Personally I like using my browser. The way I have mine set up I’m well garded against privacy issues, site viruses and so on. I wish everything could be done in my browser. What I dont like it she glitchyness provided from a free company that is still sponsored by commercials. Theres allot of free tv show sites with no commercials that get way better playback and up to date airing. with in one day. hulu is the best idea there is but the next to worst service. If my connection gets so much as a sniffle then my watching experience is totally over. They fun factor is gone. So good try hulu but needs way more refining.
December 18th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Agreed, Hulu sucks and they might as well not have a "support team" as they really do not solve issues. No Hulu and no purchasing from their advertisers. I won't support Hulu or their sponsors.
December 26th, 2011 at 4:14 am
Actually, I am just about to use Hulu but because of your post I am thinking twice now. I do not want to spend my time on something that will just give me problems in the future.
December 30th, 2011 at 5:06 am
For some reason my DVR didn't record the season finale of one of my shows. So, I tried to catch it last night on Hulu. Last time I'll do that!
The amount of commercials they make you suffer through to watch an hour show is mind numbing.
Stick it Hulu!
January 11th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
where are the good free tv and movie sites?
January 28th, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Apparently their server needs to be upgraded. If you are watching at night. The streaming gets stuck.
February 28th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Hulu is basically tv migrating to the internet. It is not better than tv. it is just an invasion of the online space by big business attempting to put their hands into your pocketbook yet again.
I watched one show on it and was so disgusted by the comercials that I will NEVER use it again. I stopped watching TV 16 years ago for the same reason. And I refuse to be sucked in by this new brainwashing technique. I watch content I am interested in without comercials, or I don't watch it. Period!
June 2nd, 2014 at 9:21 pm
My family loves Netflix and signed on to Hulu for variety. What a horrible experience; commercials, freeze- ups, and worthless user interface. This site had to be designed by Microsoft max cost= min service