Hasta La Gadget!

There you have it, good people of the internet, the rumored Hulu Plus price drop has indeed been enacted, though it’s a little smaller than some might have hoped. The formerly $9.99 subscription service has now dipped to $7.99 per month — enough to get you to jump on board? Maybe the one week free trial will help get you there, but don’t fret if you’re already subscribed — Hulu’s got you covered with a refund for the difference from the preview price to the current one, which will be applied in your next billing cycle. Isn’t that nice? Also good to know is that the list of devices you can enjoy your Plus experience on has been expanded by one, adding Roku’s hardware as previously planned. You’ll find the full press release after the break.

[Thanks, Adam S. and Alwyn]

Continue reading Hulu Plus drops price to $7.99 a month, adds Roku support for official launch

Hulu Plus drops price to $7.99 a month, adds Roku support for official launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sad, dreary day at your place? Fret not, as the Boob Tube is just about to get even better. Hulu has just revealed a movement to get Hulu Plus stocked with more content and onto more devices, STAT. Making sure those words aren’t empty, we’re learning that all 2010 Sony BRAVIA HDTVs will today have access to the subscription programming service, with it bleeding over to Sony’s various Blu-ray players, home theater systems, network media players and even the Dash — yeah, that Dash — in due time. In related news, Hulu will be soon yanking the invite requirement to get Hulu Plus on the PlayStation 3, and as of next week, any ole PlayStation Network member (as opposed to PlayStation Plus, as it stands today) will be able to grab it. ‘Course, even those freeloaders will be forced to pony up $9.99 per month if they’re interested in using it, but hey, it’s not like Raising Hope is financed with pixie dust, right?

[Thanks, Brian]

Continue reading Hulu Plus hits 2010 BRAVIA HDTVs, coming to all PS3 users next week

Hulu Plus hits 2010 BRAVIA HDTVs, coming to all PS3 users next week originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bummer. Just a few short days after PlayOn support was apparently added to Roku’s stable of set-top boxes, it looks as if the fun has come to an abrupt halt. Based on quotes from both PlayOn and Roku staff members, it sounds like the PlayOn channel will no longer work on those who try to get it installed, but those who managed to slip in early may be in the clear. Jim, a PlayOn staffer, stated that his company was “contacted today by Roku and told that they were going to disallow this channel,” and because neither the Roku channel developer nor Roku “are affiliated with PlayOn, [they] have no control over the situation.” On the Roku side, one Patrick has confirmed that “while… many of you are excited about a PlayOn-compatible Channel and may be using it, it unfortunately presents the possibility of legal exposure for us; as a result, the current PlayOn channels have been removed and are no longer available to add to your Roku player.” If your bubble has just been popped in the worst possible way, we’d probably start looking into that 30-day return policy — for you early birds, is PlayOn still working on your Roku box? Hit us up in comments below.

[Thanks, Brian]

Roku ‘disallows’ PlayOn, cites ‘possibility of legal exposure’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aw, suki suki now! Roku — the guys responsible for taking over your living room — just announced that it’s making its hardware and software platform available to license. At first glance, you may assume this means little to nothing for consumers, but you’re (hopefully) mistaken. If you’ll recall, the Roku XD was rebranded in order to slip into Netgear’s vast sales channels, but the software part of this equation has our interest very much piqued. We’ve already seen Vudu’s software baked into a number of HDTVs, and we’re envisioning a future filled with world peace, In-N-Out for all and Roku-embedded television sets. We’ll take two outta three if we have to, though.

Continue reading Roku makes hardware and software available to license, embedded TVs can’t be far out

Roku makes hardware and software available to license, embedded TVs can’t be far out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Considering the level of hype that has surrounded Google TV, freakishly little is actually known about how it’ll work. Of course, a lot of that is expected to be cleared up on Wednesday when Logitech unveils its Google TV lineup, but the Big G itself is giving us all a sneak peek beforehand. The company has just launched a new ‘quick tour’ portal that showcases the most prominent Google TV features, including Search, Web, Apps, Remote (complete with an Eastbound & Down plug), Personal, Dual View and DVR. Frankly, we’re pretty jazzed by the look of the user interface, and we can hardly wait to see what kind of punches Logitech and Sony throw in the coming weeks. Hit that source link to draw your own conclusion.

Update: Google has elaborated some on its plans, and it’s all shaping up quite nicely. We’re told that Turner Broadcasting has been working to optimize the websites of TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network and more for viewing on Google TV, and NBC Universal has collaborated with Google TV to bring CNBC Real-Time, an application that allows you to track your favorite stocks and access news feeds while enjoying the best financial news from CNBC directly on the TV screen. HBO GO will also be supported and the NBA has built NBA Game Time, an application that lets you follow game scores in real-time and catch up on the latest highlights from your favorite team in HD. Need more? Amazon Video on Demand will be present, and it sounds like Goog has hordes of other companies just moments away from offering compatible content portals. Hop on past the break for a quick video overview of the Apps segment.

Update 2: Whoa, Netflix just confirmed that ‘Watch Instantly’ will be fully supported on Google TV devices launching later this month. Huzzah!

Continue reading Google TV quick tour shows off the service’s inner workings, Kenny Powers’ dreams (update: Netflix support!)

Google TV quick tour shows off the service’s inner workings, Kenny Powers’ dreams (update: Netflix support!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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