{"id":340041,"date":"2017-05-04T04:19:10","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T20:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1484845"},"modified":"2017-05-04T04:19:10","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T20:19:10","slug":"hands-on-with-hulus-new-live-tv-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/hands-on-with-hulus-new-live-tv-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands-on with Hulu\u2019s new Live TV service"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Hulu officially announced the launch of its live TV streaming service this morning at its Upfront presentation in New York, after earlier promising its \u201cunder $40\u201d offering would arrive sometime this spring. The service \u2014 which is actually $39.99 per month \u2014 has a robust channel lineup, cloud DVR and combines Hulu\u2019s existing on-demand library, including its Originals, with streaming TV and on-demand content from its broadcast partners.\u00a0However, a key part to the new service is the revamped, redesigned Hulu experience.<\/p>\n

Though Hulu\u2019s new user interface made its debut at CES earlier this year, the company didn\u2019t allow press to try the service for themselves at that time. Over the months since, a number of Hulu beta testers were allowed to demo the service and offer early feedback. But today\u2019s launch is still considered a beta, as Hulu is continuing to tweak many of the details.<\/p>\n

At first glance, the service feels like a worthy\u00a0upgrade from the existing Hulu app, which was starting to seem a little dated. The new interface instead has a mobile-first focus, with swipeable screens, larger imagery and (planned) support for push notification reminders and alerts.<\/p>\n

But the devil is in the details, as they say.<\/p>\n

Upgrading challenges<\/h2>\n

There are a couple of things to know if you\u2019re interested in upgrading to the live TV service. For starters, it\u2019s not yet available on every platform. At launch, you can stream Hulu\u2019s live TV on Apple TV, Xbox One and Chromecast, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices. Support for other major platforms, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV\/Fire TV Stick and Samsung Smart TVs, is\u00a0coming soon.<\/p>\n

I initially ran into another gotcha, too. I had subscribed to Hulu through my Roku, which prevented me from being able to upgrade to the new service. Until Roku is supported, the workaround would be to cancel your account, wait for the account to expire, then re-sign up. But that may take weeks as your account is not immediately switched off \u2014 you still have access through the billing cycle. (For the purposes of this review, I had to get\u00a0help from Hulu.)<\/p>\n

Onboarding<\/h2>\n

When you first sign into your Live TV\u00a0account, Hulu will walk both existing customers and newcomers through an onboarding experience designed to customize Hulu to your preferences.<\/p>\n

Here, users are prompted to import their existing WatchList if available, and then go through screens where they tell Hulu more about their interests. Some of the interest categories are broad \u2014 like Crime & Justice, Sci-Fi, Late Night, Action & Adventure, or News & Headlines \u2014 while others are more niche. For example, there are two categories for reality TV \u2014 one for celeb reality shows and the other for reality competition shows.<\/p>\n

You can also pick your favorite channels through the onboarding experience. I\u2019m not sold on the idea that we should still be tracking favorite channels \u2014 after all, the new Hulu is supposed to be about following the content you like, not networks.<\/p>\n

The app<\/h2>\n

The main Hulu app is organized into five main sections, accessible from the bottom of the screen: Home, My Stuff, Browse, Search<\/strong>\u00a0and Profile<\/strong> (settings).<\/p>\n

Home is where you kick-off your Hulu experience and is the company\u2019s big bet on personalization. It\u2019s not immediately obvious, but the section on your home screen\u00a0called \u201cLineup\u201d is meant to be a mix of the shows, movies and sports programming it knows you like (because you\u2019ve favorited or watched) along with recommendations it thinks you\u2019ll like. At first, this screen may have some misses, but the promise is that it will get better in time the more you use Hulu.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, as many Hulu users have been conditioned to seek out and watch on-demand content, it may feel odd at first to start here with a screen designed for serendipitous discovery \u2014 especially when it\u2019s getting things wrong.<\/p>\n

As you move through the Home screen, you can dive into other sections, like \u201cContinue Watching\u201d to pick up where you left off, \u201cMy Channels\u201d (which shows you what\u2019s on now on your favorite stations), Sports, TV, Movies, Kids, News, Featured Movies, Hulu Originals and other suggested categories. In total, it\u2019s 13 swipes to reach the end of the Home screen.<\/p>\n

Above: Flipping through Hulu\u2019s Home screen<\/em><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, you can\u2019t customize this Home screen to remove any of the default categories here, which is a bummer if you\u2019re not into sports or don\u2019t have kids and don\u2019t want to see these categories.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As you scroll further to the right, Hulu offers other suggestions of things you may like to watch. For now, Hulu is suggesting a lineup of shows under the \u201cDark Futures\u201d category heading and another called \u201cMagic of Disney.\u201d The company says that these are editorial collections\u00a0everyone sees at launch, but you\u2019ll receive more personalized suggestions like this in time.<\/p>\n

Mixing live and on demand<\/h2>\n

Hulu\u2019s Home screen may work for people who don\u2019t really have a show or movie in mind they want to see, and are just generally interested in finding something to watch\u00a0right now. It blurs the line between live television and on demand \u2014 only marking its live TV content with a little green lightning bolt and the text \u201cWatch Live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure the average streaming service user arrives with the desire to first\u00a0browse suggestions, though. Once you make the decision to ditch cable, you generally make watching TV a less passive experience. When you log onto a streaming service, you tend to first<\/em> follow your favorites and then<\/em> look for recommendations when you\u2019ve binged your way past the shows you had been\u00a0tracking and now want something new.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also not fully convinced that combining favorites and recommendations across both live TV and on demand into a confusingly named \u201cLineup\u201d makes sense. Granted, this is just my day-one gut reaction, but something about the Home screen feels wrong.\u00a0I\u2019m not sure\u00a0if it would have been better to place your \u201cMy Stuff\u201d into the Home section along with a \u201cWatch Now\u201d list of live TV recommendations,\u00a0or if it just bugs me that \u201cLineup\u201d is the place you start.<\/p>\n

\u201cLineup\u201d is basically Hulu thinking its recommendation technology is going to be so good that it\u2019s the first thing you\u2019ll want to see when you log in. But in reality, I\u2019m coming to Hulu either for a specific piece of content, or \u2014 now \u2014 the desire to flip around\u00a0live TV to see if something good is on.<\/p>\n

Finding content through the Search\u00a0and Browse screens<\/h2>\n

The rest of Hulu\u2019s interface is fairly self-explanatory \u2014 a Search screen helps you find channels, movies and shows, and see trending searches as before. The Browse screen lets you discover content by Networks, TV Shows, Movies, Originals, Kids, Sports or Genres.<\/p>\n

It seems sort of odd that the categories Sports, TV Shows, Movies and Kids are\u00a0in both \u201cBrowse\u201d and \u201cHome\u201d \u2014 I think that\u2019s overkill. Hulu seems to think people wouldn\u2019t figure out how to find these high-level categories on their own, so it added them to the Home screen. But there it\u00a0feels like clutter.<\/p>\n

Tracking sports teams<\/h2>\n

Though I\u2019m not a huge sports fan myself, Hulu\u2019s new interface does offer a handy\u00a0way to track your favorite teams so you won\u2019t miss their games. There\u2019s a \u201cTeams\u201d section under \u201cMy Stuff,\u201d but you can\u2019t search and add those teams from this interface.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Instead, you have to search for the teams from the Search screen, tap onto a search result, then tap the plus (+) sign to add it to your Teams. Not ideal, but once it\u2019s set up, you can follow your favorites through \u201cMy Stuff\u201d at any time.<\/p>\n

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    IMG_3629<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
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    IMG_3630<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
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    IMG_3631<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n

    Above: How to track a team<\/em><\/p>\n

    The idea with following your Teams is not only to make it easier to find the games you want to see when you tune into Hulu, but also to alert you to games that are about to start so you can tune in or record them. This will work with favorite TV shows, too. Unfortunately, push notifications are not available during the beta.<\/p>\n

    Cloud DVR<\/h2>\n

    The implementation of the cloud DVR is also a little odd. You might have expected the DVR\u00a0to have its own button at the bottom of the screen, but instead the \u201cManage DVR\u201d section is the very last item on the \u201cMy Stuff\u201d screen \u2014 you have to swipe more than six times to find it.<\/p>\n

    While you can play content from the DVR on this screen, it\u2019s obvious Hulu doesn\u2019t want\u00a0you to.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Instead, the\u00a0way you\u2019re meant to use the DVR is not by going to a \u201cDVR\u201d section but rather by adding items to \u201cMy Stuff\u201d via\u00a0the plus (+) button. This is confusing because the plus is\u00a0also the same button you use to favorite content for later viewing.<\/p>\n

    For example, if you tap the plus sign on a non-current TV series\u00a0in Hulu\u2019s library, that show will be added to \u201cMy Stuff,\u201d but not create recordings. If you plus a current-season show, Hulu will record new episodes only.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Testing this feature on a show that has an on-demand library, syndicated re-runs and current airings (\u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d), I found that Hulu aggregated all the episodes\u00a0it had in its library or was planning to air live.<\/p>\n

    You could then switch between seasons from the show\u2019s Episodes page (Seasons 6-8 in re-runs or the current season 13). However, if you wanted to watch a particular syndicated re-run, you\u2019d have to add that episode by adding it individually to \u201cMy Stuff.\u201d For its current season, Hulu had all episodes on demand, and will add to this as new ones air on ABC.<\/p>\n

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      IMG_3625<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n
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      IMG_3627<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n

      Above: How to record a re-run<\/em><\/p>\n

      The way to record re-runs feels overly complex.\u00a0While I understand that Hulu doesn\u2019t want you to clog your DVR with re-runs for a show that\u2019s still airing, it seems that it would be easier to allow those who do<\/em> want to watch all the\u00a0re-runs to simply tap a single button to add an entire back season to their \u201cMy Stuff.\u201d (In other words, instead of tapping the individual re-run of a \u201cGrey\u2019s\u201d episode on Lifetime, you could tap \u201cRecord Season.\u201d)<\/p>\n

      This would be\u00a0especially helpful for those who are working their way through a TV series, but are behind what\u2019s live. Often, to get caught up on non-Netflix shows, you have to buy a season from Amazon Video or iTunes to see the episodes you missed. But if some<\/em> of those back seasons are on Hulu, you could just record them and save your money.<\/p>\n

      Recording live TV<\/h2>\n

      It was also not immediately obvious how to record a live program you\u2019re watching now. According to Hulu\u2019s documentation<\/a>, you have to pause the show, then tap the plus sign. But in testing, there was no plus sign to tap! Instead, you have to first tap the \u201cFLIPTRAY\u201d button on the pause screen, and then you\u2019ll see the option to add the show to \u201cMy Episodes.\u201d<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      This seems, well, wrong. The recording option should be right on the pause screen, not hidden away underneath the FLIPTRAY button.<\/p>\n

      And secondly, I don\u2019t know why things can\u2019t just be labeled \u201crecord.\u201d Given that Hulu is now a mix of on-demand streamable content and live TV, I\u00a0think it should be more obvious and differentiated whether you\u2019re favoriting<\/em> something (to stream later on demand) or explicitly asking<\/em> Hulu to use up your recording space to save a particular episode.<\/p>\n

      Hulu wants to blur this distinction, but I think that\u2019s doing a disservice to users.<\/p>\n

      FLIPTRAY?<\/h2>\n

      FLIPTRAY, by the way, feels even more experimental. It has two sections: \u201cUp Next\u201d and \u201cLive.\u201d When you\u2019re watching a live TV show, you can think of \u201cUp Next\u201d as a guide to what\u2019s going to air next on that channel. But when you\u2019re watching on-demand content it seems to be a list of related suggestions. (You like \u201cBattlestar Galactica?\u201d Well, try \u201cElysium.\u201d)<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      The \u201cLive\u201d section, meanwhile, is a scrollable list of what\u2019s on now. The same list can be found under Browse \u2013> Networks \u2013> Live. (Because Hulu likes putting the same things in two places!)<\/p>\n

      Hulu has said that it wants to move away from people worrying about whether a show is on-demand or live \u2014 it\u2019s all just TV \u2014 and some of its design decisions\u00a0honor that vision. But putting a way to browse live TV right within the now playing window is like trying to remind users at every stopping point that, hey, we\u2019re a live TV service! Watch now! \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Still a beta<\/h2>\n

      Hulu has definitely broken away from other streaming services \u2014 both on demand and live TV \u2014 with its new interface. But its Home screen experience could still be more personalized and feels misaligned with the way you browse\u00a0the rest of Hulu\u2019s app.<\/p>\n

      Today, the\u00a0way you flip through content on Home is different from its other sections, which can be\u00a0jarring. On Home, as you flip through the Lineup, TV Shows or Movies, etc., a show or movie\u2019s imagery takes over the entire screen. It\u2019s a more immersive experience, but it\u2019s also\u00a0a bit time-consuming to browse this way.<\/p>\n

      Meanwhile, all the other sections rely on more traditional thumbnails of the show, movie or channel, which lets it better utilize the screen space. It\u2019s like Hulu wanted to try a new way to browse on mobile, but then couldn\u2019t fully commit. (And to be honest,\u00a0there\u2019s a reason why all the other services go the thumbnail route: it\u2019s efficient. Home is pretty, but definitely not speedy.)<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Then there are the little tweaks \u2014 like the hidden record option or the option to tap once to add a season to your lineup \u2014 that could make Hulu easier to use.<\/p>\n

      And can we talk about this light font choice? It\u2019s hard to see on the TV:<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Finally, it remains to be seen if Hulu\u2019s\u00a0larger design decisions \u2014 like minimizing the DVR\u2019s existence and recording functionality \u2014 will confuse users or make the service feel simpler in the long run.<\/p>\n

      Hulu\u2019s live TV service is still in beta, so much could change between now and its public launch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      \"\" Hulu officially announced the launch of its live TV streaming service this morning at its Upfront presentation in New York. The service has a robust channel lineup, cloud DVR and combines Hulu’s existing on-demand library, including its Originals, with streaming TV and on-demand content from its broadcast partners. However, a key part is the revamped, redesigned Hulu experience. Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

      \n<\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

      \"\"\/ <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5817,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,25],"tags":[59,66,26],"class_list":["post-340041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media","category-technology","tag-media","tag-techcrunch","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5817"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=340041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340041\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=340041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=340041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=340041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}