Netflix vs Hulu: Fight!

[Bullwinkle]

With the recent unpleasantness and the recent pleasantness, I find myself needing a video service but not knowing which one to get.

I have Amazon Prime, which is great, but there's no Prime App for the iPad (that I've found).  The world of iPad is totally new for me, so I may be missing something obvious there.

Also, I've not been getting nearly enough sleep the last two days, as I've been playing with this thing.  Consequently, I may be completely forgetting about a video service.

None the less, I'd love a discussion to help me pick something.  I figure it'll be an interesting debate for others, too.

Thanks, gang.

[hepcat]

Netflix streaming still offers far more, imho.  plus, the ipad app for netflix just rocks.   

[walTer]

Posting so I can see what people say.  Yesterday I cancelled my disc portion of Netflix and dropped to streaming only.  I have my Apple TV (which is simple and awesome) for my streaming and renting from Apple,  and we have FIOS so tons of on demand movies....I figure some months I will probably spend the 20.00 Netflix was going to charge me but some months I won't.

And now if I have that disc sitting there for 3 weeks I won't feel like I am losing money because, well it won't be sitting there!

And I am interested in what people think about Hulu ....so no vote for me yet.

[rshetts2]

I did the Hulu Plus trial for 30 day and was very underwhelmed.  There were several shows I wanted to watch that were available on regular hulu through the internet but they were not available to stream through Hulu plus.    Though I recently dumped Netflix because I didnt use the streaming enough, of the two I would have to say Netflix is superior, unless youre looking for current TV episodes. 

[Laner]

There were several shows I wanted to watch that were available on regular hulu through the internet but they were not available to stream through Hulu plus.

That's my biggest gripe with Hulu Plus - too much content that is supposedly available, yet they restrict it on iPad/PS3/360.

[Bullwinkle]

I did the Hulu Plus trial for 30 day and was very underwhelmed.  There were several shows I wanted to watch that were available on regular hulu through the internet but they were not available to stream through Hulu plus.    Though I recently dumped Netflix because I didnt use the streaming enough, of the two I would have to say Netflix is superior, unless youre looking for current TV episodes. 

Current TV episodes are a factor for me, actually.

[gellar]

There were several shows I wanted to watch that were available on regular hulu through the internet but they were not available to stream through Hulu plus.

That's my biggest gripe with Hulu Plus - too much content that is supposedly available, yet they restrict it on iPad/PS3/360.

Ditto.  Canceled for that reason.

[CeeKay]

does Hulu Plus still make you watch commercials?

[Harkonis]

if current tv is more important than overall selection, Hulu is the only choice.

[Bullwinkle]

if current tv is more important than overall selection, Hulu is the only choice.

Well, neither is ideal, really, in my case.  But I am wondering, especially with the price changes, what people are thinking.

BTW,is there something I'm missing regarding television or movies on the iPad.

[kathode]

I do both, and feel like I'm covered on not having cable.  If I had to give one up, it would be Hulu. 

[iloveplywood]

I had both for a while but the ever increasing commercials drove me away from hulu plus. It started off with a few twenty second commercials which was fine, but by the time I quit it was creeping closer to broadcast Tv levels. Hulu also was consistently worse in the video quality department.

[ravenvii]

Netflix streaming still offers far more, imho.  plus, the ipad app for netflix just rocks.   

While it does indeed rock *during* watching a movie, getting there is pure hell. It's one of the most poorly written apps on the iPad I've ever seen.

[ydejin]

Netflix streaming still offers far more, imho.  plus, the ipad app for netflix just rocks.   

While it does indeed rock *during* watching a movie, getting there is pure hell. It's one of the most poorly written apps on the iPad I've ever seen.

It's better than it used to be.  When it first came out, it was just horrible.  IIRC it was essentially just the old Netflix webpage, which used too much fancy JavaScript for the poor iPad's processor to keep up on.

The new design doesn't have half the functionality of the old Netflix app, but at least it mostly works.

[corruptrelic]

if current tv is more important than overall selection, Hulu is the only choice.

There's also JetFlicks. It's $4.99 per month or $49.99 for the year.
I caught up on Spartacus, Camelot, and Game of Thrones (all current) through JetFlicks on my Android phone using an HDMI cable to put it on my HDTV. They have most of the new TV shows

While I still like Netflix, their recent massive price hike (I wish they would have grandfathered existing loyal customers in as long as you keep your account current) and lack of TV shows I may end up cancelling and just using JetFlicks. It's cheaper and has just about every new TV show available.
And I'll stick with redbox for my $1 new movies.

[Bullwinkle]

Can I somehow use Jetflix on the iPad?

Also, what the hell is Jetflix?

I've tried clicking on "How Does Jetflix Work" and it gives me nothing.

[corruptrelic]

Go to www.jetflicks.mobi on your iPad directly. Jetflicks is made for mobile devices (android/iphone/blackberry/etc) so it'll work fine on the iPad.

They are loaded with TV shows new ones like Camelot and Alphas to old ones such as Married with Children and Smallville.

[rshetts2]

Can I somehow use Jetflix on the iPad?

Also, what the hell is Jetflix?

I've tried clicking on "How Does Jetflix Work" and it gives me nothing.

first off its Jet Flicks,  not JetFlix.  I checked a few things on it and they have a facebook page where someone comments how awesome it is now that they can use it on the Ipad so I assume it can be done.  Im interested in it as well, if it can be used on TV thru a PC it would be fantastic, if not I want to try to use it on my hacked android nook color.  For $49 a year its pretty nice.

[corruptrelic]

If you figure that one out, let me know! I have no way of logging into the mobile version on my PC and the only way to stream is through a mobile device.

What I've been doing is hooking my android up to my tv via the HDMI port. I also tried it on my ipod touch using the component cable and that worked as well, though the picture quality took a bit of a hit. (Which is a given considering the episodes are formatted with a mobile device in mind.)
Not sure of the name of the cable, but if you search for ipod or ipad component cable you'll find plenty of them to hook it up to your TV. The one I got hooks up to your TV and charges the ipod touch at the same time.

I've been with them almost a year now and don't regret the $50 annual fee at all considering how much content I've gotten out of it.. from watching every episode of Spartacus to the brand new Camelot (and they added the new episodes almost immediately after Starz got them - no 3 month wait like Netflix had!) it's been one of my best Android purchases to date. They have an app in the android market as well, but all it really is is a launcher to jetflicks.mobi on the web browser.

[rshetts2]

Just checked out the site.  All of the information links are useless.  The thing Im curious about now is I have a Revue, which is based on the Android platform and Ill soon have access to the android app store.  Im wondering if this app is runnable on the Revue, because that would be killer if it was.  If not then Ill have to check it out through my Nook Color.  My phone is also android based ( EVO 4G ) and has an HDMI out so I guess theres also that route as well.  interesting possibilities here.

[corruptrelic]

Try visiting www.jetflicks.mobi on your Revue's browser. If the mobile site appears, then you're good to go.

[rshetts2]

Thanks for the advice.  I just picked up the Revue today as they dropped the price to $99 and I figured with the net capabilities as well as Amazon and Netflix streaming, at $99 it was a pretty good deal.  Ill have it hooked up tomorrow and see if Jetflicks works on it.  I'll report back if it does. 

[Bullwinkle]

All I'm getting on that mobi link is a sign in page.  I Tried typing in .com instead, assuming it would mobil-ize the regular site, but I had the same page with the same problems I had on the PC.

[corruptrelic]

There should be a 'signup' section on the mobile page as well. I signed up through the Android app in the marketplace. The jetflicks.mobi page is also where you'd login on your ipad/android.

www.jetflicks.mobi/mb/subscription_series.php on your mobile device.

I was off on the pricing it's $9.99 / month, $19.99 / 3 months, $29.99 / 6 months, or $49.99 for a year. Once you signup you can access your account (to renew/cancel/etc) on the regular PC site.

[Bullwinkle]

There wasn't a way to register on the mobi site, but I was able to do it (through the website, IIRC).

However, the convoluted way this is working is not instilling me with a lot of confidence.

Also, I can't really tell what episodes might be available from some series on the website.

[SkyLander]

I'm confused how JetFlicks is able to get those shows. At least Game of Thrones, I thought HBO blocked out everyone from rights to streaming it's shows since it was going to go through HBO Go! or whatever it is.

[corruptrelic]

Jetflicks used to have True Blood but recently took it down. (As in the last few days.) Not sure if it was a dispute with HBO or not but I sent them an email asking about it as it was one of my favorite shows.

Most shows have every episode available. (Smallville for example has every episode from season 1 episode 1 to current.)

[Bullwinkle]

It'd be great if I could click on "How Jetflicks Works" or the "Instructional Video" but neither works.

[corruptrelic]

You could always sign up for one month and then decide if it's worth it or not.

Considering the amount of shows available (which includes most current ones) to me it's been worth it, even more so than Netflix. I had finished watching Camelot on Jetflicks long before it came to Netflix.

The only downside of Jetflicks as I mentioned is you have to stream from a mobile device (Android, iphone, etc.) as the videos are formatted for mobile. To get around that watching on a TV you can use the ipod touch component cable or an HDMI cable if your Android supports it. Picture quality will take a bit of a hit though, compared to watching on your mobile device directly.

If you have any questions on shows/episodes currently available send me a PM and I'd be happy to check it for you.

[corruptrelic]

SkyLander jinxed us! No more True Blood or Game of Thrones on JetFlicks. They said they couldn't secure the streaming rights and had to remove them from their lineup.

[EngineNo9]

Sounds like they are just trying to fly below the radar and make money off illegally stream shows before the networks find out about it.

[ravenvii]

Sounds like they are just trying to fly below the radar and make money off illegally stream shows before the networks find out about it.

Exactly. JetFlicks sounds like a "fly by night" operation. I have a feeling they won't be around for much longer.

[corruptrelic]

I'm not sure that's true as I've been a member for almost a year now, and they were around before I ever signed up. Look at the amount of reviews (and downloads) they have for jetflicks in the android market.

That, and I emailed them when I first joined asking about carrying WWE Monday Night Raw and they said it cost too much but they were continuing to work on getting a licensing deal for it.

Though I do wonder about Camelot.. they had the new episodes up within a day of them airing on Starz, while Netflix had to wait 90 days to get them.

In any case I'll stay subscribed because I'm getting a great deal at $50 a year, even with the loss of the HBO shows. They always have responded to my questions and suggestions and they are never late putting up new episodes. Considering I probably spend more time on my Android than I do my computer, it's a worth wild investment.

[ydejin]

The whole HBO on Jetflicks sounds really sketchy.

I have not been able to find any legal sources of HBO shows online.  They don't even sell their older stuff on iTunes.  They recently started their own HBO Go service which is only available if you get HBO through a cable network -- if you don't pay for a full cable subscription, you are not eligible to watch HBO Go online.

So the idea that they would let a second-tier streaming service stream their best brand new material seems very unlikely.

I'd say EngineNo9's explanation sounds most likely:

Sounds like they are just trying to fly below the radar and make money off illegally stream shows before the networks find out about it.

[Harkonis]

Getting bummed with Netflix streaming.  selection can be a problem.  I went through a list of movies I either would like to see again, or haven't seen that have been recommended to me.  Out of 25 movies on my list, 2 are available on streaming.

[Morgul]

Wish I could watch game of thrones, but I don't have cable.

[corruptrelic]

It'd be nice if we could subscribe to HBO and stream directly from their site (or with HBO GO) for shows like Game of Thrones and True Blood. I'd have no issue paying their monthly subscription price if I could get it directly through them instead of having to waste another $100 on DirecTV (or other provider) when I'm paying for channels I don't need.