According to The Business Insider, Hulu is developing an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch which would allow users to stream Hulu's popular content over 3G and Wi-Fi. Apparently the app would be 'badass', a probable indication that it would be a hit with the crowd, just as the site is. The application is expected to be released in a few months.For those who are not familiar with Hulu, it is a website that offers commercial-supported streaming videos of TV shows and movies from NBC, Fox and many other networks and studios. Of the many shows hosted on the site, popular ones include Arrested Development, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, 30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, Family Guy and many more. The videos are available in both 480p resolution and High Definition in the flash video format. However, this service is only available in the United States due to licensing reasons.
Of course, it wouldn't be the first iPhone/iPod Touch mobile video app to be released. Other such apps include Joost Streaming app and CBS's TV.com. If recent trends are anything to go by, mobile video applications have not really been a hit as of yet, probably due to lack of quality content, cost and unsatisfactory video quality. However, if the Hulu app is all that its hyped up to be, the trend could be reversed.
All that you can do now is keep your fingers crossed and pray that NBC, Fox and Apple give their blessings.
Image courtesy of Gizmodo
Skyfire - the best mobile browser - streams Hulu and Youtube and any other site. Full flash support. Beat that, apple.
iPhone app that would take advantage of this would be great. Hulu is the iTunes of YouTube
I wonder if the iphone proxy settings will just work, or whether I'll need a proxifier for iphone app as well?
(I'm not actually sure what Proxifier does to be honest, I just know that using my proxy in firefox alone doesn't work)
LOL I guess I will have to use what I've been paying for.
Let's get our priorities striaght. Open up the service beyond the all-mighty-USA, then worry about being able to see the videos on tiny mobile status symbols.
Give me one example of Hulu ever attempting to draw up licensing deals with content providers in countries other than the USA. Its either a lack of wanting to that's preventing Hulu from being available anywhere else but the USA, or like I said before... ignorance.
Hulu is a new concept (legalising what once was illegial) and it's gonna take a LOT of time to convine content providers to go down this route. They are still working on the US market currently and only when Hulu become a standard (i.e. not a new concept anymore), only then will they consider rolloing out to other countries.
Think about how TV stations work. The BBC started off in the UK. Only when they conquered their own land did they launch BBC America/World Service.
Hulu is a new concept (legalising what once was illegial) and it's gonna take a LOT of time to convine content providers to go down this route. They are still working on the US market currently and only when Hulu become a standard (i.e. not a new concept anymore), only then will they consider rolloing out to other countries.
Think about how TV stations work. The BBC started off in the UK. Only when they conquered their own land did they launch BBC America/World Service.
I'm pretty sure they had the same 'were working on it' message a year or two ago as well, so yes... it holds no meaning whatsoever.
I didn't say the rest of the world should feel an "entitlement" for Hulu's service, but until it is available beyond the USA; there still isn't a good alternative to piracy and everyone outside the USA will see this service as nothing more than an annoyance.
"only then will they consider rolloing out to other countries." if they ever roll this service out past America I'll be very surprised, by the time they realise that the rest of the world exists some other distribution service will have already had it covered.
"Think about how TV stations work. The BBC started off in the UK. Only when they conquered their own land did they launch BBC America/World Service." Proving its possible but only if your really working on making it happen, clearly Hulu's not even close to that stage.
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