After watching Netflix, Streaming ITunes purchases, and surfing Hulu/Youtube I felt like I was missing something in my life.  I was at a loss as to what it was.  I couldn’t figure out why I had such an empty feeling in my stomach.  I wasn’t hungry and I wasn’t tired so it had to be something.  Then Hulu Plus entered my life.

I decided that for $7.99 I couldn’t just skip the opportunity to try this out for a month at the very least.  I checked the streaming devices and noticed that they offered streaming on the PS3.  Being a PS3 owner I was glad I didn’t have to spend my time watching Hulu plus on my computer.  This would be a nice way to enjoy my favorite TV shows without having to wear headphones or stare at a computer monitor.

The thing I liked most about Hulu plus was that I had all these TV shows at my fingertips.  It seemed there were more here than on Netflix.  Whether or not there was I didn’t care to research.  There are a lot of older TV shows that I didn’t care to watch so that lessened my excitement for this program.  I did like the fact that if I missed a show I could watch it 24 hours later on my PS3.  The shows I watch are The Office, Parks and Recreation, Perfect Couples, Kitchen Nightmares, Jersey Shore, and Community.

Oddly enough I did find myself spending more time in front of my computer screen on Hulu than I did on my PS3.  My fiancé did however spend an enormous amount of time tearing through the Desperate Housewives seasons.  This is where we noticed a problem.

My internet is not slow and does perfectly fine streaming HD movies and TV shows.  Just to give you a reference here is my speedtest:

There is A LOT of freezing and lagging on Hulu Plus for PS3.  I did notice though that the lag is not consistent.  As I write this article we have watched 4 episodes of Desperate Housewives and only lagged/froze during one.  This is odd for Hulu Plus because every other time it skips through each episode.  I think the fact that the PS3 App of Hulu is just like Hulu Desktop and is mainly just a browser hinders its ability to function as a separate entity from said browser.

My PS3 is brand new and has never had an issue with connection or playback.  Everything works fine except for Hulu Plus.  Like I said above though this is only on certain nights or on certain episodes.  At the very most I would say they should call this app Hulu Plus Beta.  There are some kinks in it that have to be worked out.  I also noticed that after paying my $7.99 and having an active plus account; my commercials have doubled themselves.

I know that Hulu runs 1 or 2 commercials per commercial break, but most of the time it is just one.  Since I’ve purchased Hulu Plus I have been consistently getting one or more minutes of commercials during each break.  The most annoying part is that I am paying $7.99 a month.  Why do I still have to view commercials?

Netflix is $7.99 a month for their streaming and you don’t have to view commercials.  The argument itself would be that Hulu has newer or new TV shows.  I agree there, but after seeing what Hulu Plus has to offer there is no reason to pay for the service.  You can watch all the new episodes after they air and you can even go to many TV show websites and view the TV shows.

Unless you want to have a giant back catalog of old TV shows or TV shows that have been cancelled then Hulu Plus isn’t the right move for you.  Commercials, Old Bad TV Shows, and a Fee are three good reasons to stick with the free service.  Spend your $7.99 on something else.