Hulu is following the Netflix trail in getting its for pay subscription app embedded in a long list of TV-connected consumer devices such as smart TVs. This week it said it will soon offer for-pay Hulu Plus premium service through boxes from both Roku and TiVo and soon TV sets from Sony and Vizio, plus in early 2011, the Xbox 360.
Hulu Plus offers episodes of more than 45 current hit TV shows from ABC, FOX and NBC, which jointly own Hulu. Included are popular shows such as “Modern Family,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Glee,” “Family Guy,” “The Office” and “30 Rock.” Viewers can also get full series and many back seasons of classics such as “The X-Files,” “Law and Order: SVU” and “Saturday Night Live.”
In getting Hulu Plus, TiVo and Roku join Hulu on PCs, Apple’s iPad, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and 3rd generation iPod touch (iPhones and iPod touchs need to be running iOS 4), Sony’s PlayStation 3 and some Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray players.
Roku already streams Netflix, Major League Baseball, Amazon VOD, Flickr, Pandora and videos from other providers, some free and some for a fee. Last week Roku launched three upgraded set tops, the HD ($60) which streams up to 720p and has built-in Ethernet and wireless connectivity; the XD ($80) streams up to 1080p HD over HDMI cables, supports 802.11b/g/n wireless and has instant replay; and XDS ($100) also streams up to 1080p HD, has instant replay and 802.11b/g/n, but also has dual-band Wireless-N technology, component video output, optical audio output and a USB port.