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Hulu owners want only cable subscribers to be able to access Hulu

post #1 of 29
4/30/12 at 3:35pm
Thread Starter 
Another f'ed up move by content/network/cable owners

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...#ixzz1tWUi6ZaY
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post #2 of 29
4/30/12 at 3:50pm
From the article:
"The move toward authentication is fueled by cable companies and networks looking to protect and profit from their content."

THEIR CONTENT?
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post #3 of 29
4/30/12 at 3:52pm
"Hulu, owned by News Corp., Disney, Comcast and Providence, could see its March audience, as measured by ComScore, shrink after authentication. "

Good.
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post #4 of 29
4/30/12 at 5:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sammy2 View Post

From the article:
"The move toward authentication is fueled by cable companies and networks looking to protect and profit from their content."

THEIR CONTENT?

Not sure I understand. Are you suggesting it's not their content? Whose is it then?
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post #5 of 29
4/30/12 at 5:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sammy2 View Post

"Hulu, owned by News Corp., Disney, Comcast and Providence, could see its March audience, as measured by ComScore, shrink after authentication. "

Good.

Gee, ya think? I would imagine that a large number of people use Hulu to avoid having to pay for cable. I highly doubt that a large number of those people are going to suddenly decide to start forking over the exorbitant cable prices.

The cable/satellite companies need to be very careful here. I cut the cord about a year ago and I will definitely NOT be going back anytime soon, if ever. We get all of the content we need with an antenna. And as soon as they charging for that, I'm going to the library to check out books. It's a matter of principle now!
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post #6 of 29
4/30/12 at 6:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeydrunk View Post

Another [profanity removed] up move by content/network/cable owners

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...#ixzz1tWUi6ZaY


@joeydrunk:
You may want to remove the obscured profanities in the thread title and in the original post, quoted above. I was recently served an infraction from an AVS mod for "inappropriate language" when I posted an obscured profanity.

My infraction notice came by PM, and read as follows:


Quote:


You have received an infraction at AVS Forum.

Reason: Inappropriate Language
-------
Do not circumvent the language filters. This is an all ages board.
-------

This infraction is worth 1 point(s) and may result in restricted access until it expires. Serious infractions will never expire.


All it takes is someone reporting your post to the mods...

Just an FYI for everybody.
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post #7 of 29
4/30/12 at 7:17pm
You are talking about 1%, maybe 6% of total subscribers in the U.S.. Which at most, are those always on the move for business trips, etc. that want to catch up on their shows, or watch older shows.

No, what this is, is Hulu spreading FUD, just like the Pay to watch ownership, that wants everyone to believe that their Churn is caused by those cutting the cable, not the real reasons.
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post #8 of 29
4/30/12 at 7:24pm
It's like they don't want our money.
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post #9 of 29
4/30/12 at 9:49pm
This is only relevant because we don't run out and buy a Toyota while watching Hulu or any of the other products they run ads for.

All the stuff they have on Hulu is "available elsewhere" I just choose to watch it on Hulu to save disc space especially after the floods. Now with HDD supplies starting to return to normal - http://www.tomshardware.com/news/sea...l#xtor=RSS-998 its only a matter of time before they start charging across the board or limit access to connected cable/sat boxes, then its time to start DOWNLOADING and putting it on the server, oh well 2TB drives will be back to 2011 prices in the 2nd Q or 3rd Q, likely right around Christmas...
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post #10 of 29
5/1/12 at 6:49am
So how does this affect Hulu Plus subscribers? I currently pay the $8 a month for Hulu Plus since it's a lot cheaper than what I was paying DirecTV for a bunch of crap I didn't watch. If you will need to prove you are a cable subscriber in addition to paying for Hulu Plus, I'll just delete the whole thing off my PC when it comes to it. I have hard drives filled with content I need to get around to watching, Netflix, various online apps, Youtube, and free local HDTV. Hulu Plus was just a cool thing I got to sort of mimic still having DirecTV. If Hulu pulls this crap and expects me to go back to the cable companies I'll just cancel my service and move on.
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post #11 of 29
5/1/12 at 7:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zon2020 View Post


Not sure I understand. Are you suggesting it's not their content? Whose is it then?

It's mine, ALL MINE!
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post #12 of 29
5/2/12 at 4:37am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gregzoll View Post

You are talking about 1%, maybe 6% of total subscribers in the U.S.. Which at most, are those always on the move for business trips, etc. that want to catch up on their shows, or watch older shows.

No, what this is, is Hulu spreading FUD, just like the Pay to watch ownership, that wants everyone to believe that their Churn is caused by those cutting the cable, not the real reasons.



What are you saying that hulu want everyone to belive because of cord cutting?

Yeah I believe the huge majorjty of hulu users, and probably even more with hulu plus, don't have cable. When/if they do this their going to lose alot of their viewers which will hopefully cause their advertisers to leave because of such a small viewer base and hulu will end up losing money. I hope that's what happens anyways.
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post #13 of 29
5/2/12 at 4:43am
Thread Starter 
I got an infraction for my original title. That's total (swear word)!!

The whole reason I added an asterik was so I wouldn't be offensive. I wanted to use a word to express my anger and to convey how upset I was. I thought I did that very well and in a safe and respectful manner. By adding an asterik in my swear word it wouldn't actually spell the swear word but if you used your imagination you could guess what it was suppose to say and it would get my message across. I very much respect this site and the users. If I didn't care I would have just typed a swear word. I can't believe someone would be so offended by my title (that didn't actually have a swear word) that they would tell the mods. Cmon, I guess Il just have to be more careful and have to tiptoe around while I walk on the egg shells.
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post #14 of 29
5/2/12 at 5:11am
joeydrunk, you can get an infraction on here if you sneeze wrong. Sometimes the mods get too over zelous without looking at the big picture, and there are some who can not either take stuff at light, or believe that everyone that disagrees with them is condescending. I expect an infraction on one post today, because I posted back on someone stating that I was condescending to the OP, even though I laid it out on the table in truthful terms.

I personally do not care if you slip and state a word or two once in a while. It is when you just do it all of the time, then I tend to cringe and wonder what the person's problem is. Some people do not care, and live in a bubble.
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post #15 of 29
5/2/12 at 6:43am
Quote:


I tend to cringe and wonder what the person's problem is.

That's how we feel every time you post
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post #16 of 29
5/2/12 at 8:47am
I've been using the free Hulu Desktop for years now. My toddlers watch their shows on it more than I do as I really don't have time.
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post #17 of 29
5/2/12 at 9:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeydrunk View Post

What are you saying that hulu want everyone to belive because of cord cutting?

Yeah I believe the huge majorjty of hulu users, and probably even more with hulu plus, don't have cable. When/if they do this their going to lose alot of their viewers which will hopefully cause their advertisers to leave because of such a small viewer base and hulu will end up losing money. I hope that's what happens anyways.

I don't think that's their business model. Hulu isn't an independant company like Netflix. It's a joint venture of NBCUniversal, Fox Entertainment Group and Disney-ABC Television Group. If they go to a "subscribers only" system, then that will make them just like "WatchESPN" or "HBOGo" or the like. They'll make money by selling this service to the cable and satellite companies as an additional benefit to be offered to their subscribers, which is probably more profitable and predictable than trying to sell ads at low rates for streaming viewing.

I suspect they have concluded that they are cannibalizing their own cable subscription fees by giving the stuff away for nothing or next-to-nothing on the internet. I doubt if they care a bit if a small proportion of people give up watching if it means they don't undercut their primary source of revenue.
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post #18 of 29
5/2/12 at 10:37am
Correct, but why not just put that under subscription through Hulu? The antenna route is looking more attractive every day.. In the process of switching to CharterCATV yesterday I discovered that the OTA networks charge a fee to re-transmit their signal via cable AND I cannot order cable without getting the locals. Pretty much a scam! (and I had to censor myself here to avoid getting a spanking from the mods).
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post #19 of 29
5/2/12 at 10:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sammy2 View Post

In the process of switching to CharterCATV yesterday I discovered that the OTA networks charge a fee to re-transmit their signal via cable AND I cannot order cable without getting the locals. Pretty much a scam! (and I had to censor myself here to avoid getting a spanking from the mods).

Thank your congressman. This is all required by law.

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/cable-carr...dcast-stations
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post #20 of 29
5/2/12 at 11:09am
I knew it was required by law but what I didn't know was that we have to pay for it and cannot opt out. I can understand that for health coverage but not for something like CATV which is not a neccesity like getting medical care can be.
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post #21 of 29
5/2/12 at 11:23am
Hulu, Schmulu. If I can't get the network shows I want from my antenna or FIOS, there's always BT. I've tried Hulu in the past and never cared much for it. I record everything I watch, with but few exceptions, in order to avoid commercials. With Hulu and similar streaming services you're a captive audience for someone always trying to sell you something. It's like having to listen to telemarketers every 12 minutes or so. I understand the necessity for advertising, but that doesn't mean I have to be forced to watch it.

The bottom line is that I could care less what Hulu does.
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post #22 of 29
5/2/12 at 11:46am
+1.

I checked it out a year or so ago and was not at all impressed, especially by the lock-down on >> during a commercial.
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post #23 of 29
5/2/12 at 12:33pm
I don't mind the commercials in Hulu, don't really like them either but it doesn't bother me too much. I usually have my laptop next to me anyways so I usually take that time to do some quick web surfing. There are usually only about 2 ads during each break which isn't so bad compared to what seems like an eternity when I watch regular TV which is why I record and timeskip through commercials for most shows.

Plus every once in a while a cool commercial like the Doritos commercial with the El Camino jumping the schoolbuses and crashing through a china store that sells fireworks out the back comes on that amuses me. I also like catching the random trailers for upcoming blockbusters every now and then. If I have to have a cable subscription even though I pay them for Hulu Plus then they can keep the service and I'll find alternatives that will either put even less money or none in their pockets.
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post #24 of 29
5/2/12 at 1:19pm
whats so bad about commercials? id rather not watch them, but if somebody is going to entertain me for approx 45 minutes I can put up with them asking me to move to Sprint a few times.
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post #25 of 29
5/2/12 at 10:12pm
Do you guys realize you can bypass commercials if you use the Hulu addon in xbmc?

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=121023
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post #26 of 29
5/3/12 at 4:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StinDaWg View Post

Do you guys realize you can bypass commercials if you use the Hulu addon in xbmc?

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=121023

Nice to know, but I doubt it will ever convince me to use Hulu for the reasons I stated above.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pittsoccer33 View Post

whats so bad about commercials? id rather not watch them, but if somebody is going to entertain me for approx 45 minutes I can put up with them asking me to move to Sprint a few times.

Well, to start with, the vast majority of commercials are simply done poorly. I don't mind watching commercials if they're entertaining or actually informative rather than something that insults my intelligence. Some commercials are just too stupid to watch. I'd really be curious to know how many people bought cars or a particular brand of beer because they saw an ad for it on TV. I've never been convinced by a TV ad to buy a product, unless it was something I had never heard of before and it piqued my interest. Getting the word out about your product is important, but it gets to a point where the consumer is bombarded by the same old propoganda day in and day out. I always research a product before I buy, especially if it's a high ticket item.

The main reason I don't like commercials is that they take away time from other things I can be doing. For every hour of TV I watch there's about 15-18 minutes of commercials embedded in the recording, on average. I like the fact that I can watch a one-hour show in less than 45 minutes. With the amount of TV I watch, that extra 15-18 minutes per show really adds up in a hurry. I record about 40-50 hours of TV each week and watch every show I record. Cutting commercials saves me about 10-13 hours each week, which is no small potatoes. Wouldn't you like to have an additional half-day each week? I know I would.
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post #27 of 29
5/4/12 at 12:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by captain_video View Post


Nice to know, but I doubt it will ever convince me to use Hulu for the reasons I stated above.

Well, to start with, the vast majority of commercials are simply done poorly. I don't mind watching commercials if they're entertaining or actually informative rather than something that insults my intelligence. Some commercials are just too stupid to watch. I'd really be curious to know how many people bought cars or a particular brand of beer because they saw an ad for it on TV. I've never been convinced by a TV ad to buy a product, unless it was something I had never heard of before and it piqued my interest. Getting the word out about your product is important, but it gets to a point where the consumer is bombarded by the same old propoganda day in and day out. I always research a product before I buy, especially if it's a high ticket item.

The main reason I don't like commercials is that they take away time from other things I can be doing. For every hour of TV I watch there's about 15-18 minutes of commercials embedded in the recording, on average. I like the fact that I can watch a one-hour show in less than 45 minutes. With the amount of TV I watch, that extra 15-18 minutes per show really adds up in a hurry. I record about 40-50 hours of TV each week and watch every show I record. Cutting commercials saves me about 10-13 hours each week, which is no small potatoes. Wouldn't you like to have an additional half-day each week? I know I would.

The only reason you stated for not using hulu was because of commercials, so the xbmc plugin would fix that
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post #28 of 29
5/4/12 at 5:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeydrunk View Post

The only reason you stated for not using hulu was because of commercials, so the xbmc plugin would fix that

What I neglected to state is that the vast majority of streaming services offer lower quality audio and video than the original source or similar offerings on Blu-Ray. It's an unfortunate necessity due to compression required to fit in the allocated bandwidth. The only way to get around this is to subscribe to a higher quality streaming service that offers a better product. I prefer to record my shows the first time around so I don't have to deal with these types of services (i.e., I like my shows for free, whenever possible, but I don't mind a NetFlix subscription if I can get them on Blu-Ray). It's not just that I don't care for Hulu but also that I don't have a need for it either.

I've been a DVR user for well over a decade and an avid multi-VCR user for another 15 years or so prior to that. I've just gotten used to the idea of planning my viewing habits ahead of time and recording everything I watch. The whole idea of using a streaming service simply doesn't appeal to me, especially when I can already get it for free with better quality and not have to deal with any commercials. Hulu is for people that don't plan ahead or have no interest in using a DVR, IMHO, although I could see using it in the occasional instance where a recording gets missed for whatever reason (it happens).
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post #29 of 29
5/4/12 at 5:57am
Yeah, I definitely use it as a backup DVR when WMC misses or screws up the recording of certain shows. But since I don't subscribe to any paid TV, I use it for a couple G4 and Comedy Central shows like The Daily Show. I haven't watched a movie on Hulu Plus and doubt I will since I don't think the quality will be there but for TV shows, a lot of which are pretty mindless and just something I have on in the background or just to kill time, the quality is good enough.
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