Hulu officially announced the launch of its live TV streaming service this morning at its Upfront presentation in New York, after earlier promising its “under $40” offering would arrive sometime this spring. The service — which is actually $39.99 per month — 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 to the new service is the revamped, redesigned Hulu experience.
Though Hulu’s new user interface made its debut at CES earlier this year, the company didn’t 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’s launch is still considered a beta, as Hulu is continuing to tweak many of the details.
Above: How to record a re-run
The way to record re-runs feels overly complex. While I understand that Hulu doesn’t want you to clog your DVR with re-runs for a show that’s still airing, it seems that it would be easier to allow those who do want to watch all the re-runs to simply tap a single button to add an entire back season to their “My Stuff.” (In other words, instead of tapping the individual re-run of a “Grey’s” episode on Lifetime, you could tap “Record Season.”)
This would be especially helpful for those who are working their way through a TV series, but are behind what’s 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 of those back seasons are on Hulu, you could just record them and save your money.
Recording live TV
It was also not immediately obvious how to record a live program you’re watching now. According to Hulu’s documentation, 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 “FLIPTRAY” button on the pause screen, and then you’ll see the option to add the show to “My Episodes.”
This seems, well, wrong. The recording option should be right on the pause screen, not hidden away underneath the FLIPTRAY button.
And secondly, I don’t know why things can’t just be labeled “record.” Given that Hulu is now a mix of on-demand streamable content and live TV, I think it should be more obvious and differentiated whether you’re favoriting something (to stream later on demand) or explicitly asking Hulu to use up your recording space to save a particular episode.
Hulu wants to blur this distinction, but I think that’s doing a disservice to users.
FLIPTRAY?
FLIPTRAY, by the way, feels even more experimental. It has two sections: “Up Next” and “Live.” When you’re watching a live TV show, you can think of “Up Next” as a guide to what’s going to air next on that channel. But when you’re watching on-demand content it seems to be a list of related suggestions. (You like “Battlestar Galactica?” Well, try “Elysium.”)
The “Live” section, meanwhile, is a scrollable list of what’s on now. The same list can be found under Browse –> Networks –> Live. (Because Hulu likes putting the same things in two places!)
Hulu has said that it wants to move away from people worrying about whether a show is on-demand or live — it’s all just TV — and some of its design decisions honor 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’re a live TV service! Watch now!
Still a beta
Hulu has definitely broken away from other streaming services — both on demand and live TV — with its new interface. But its Home screen experience could still be more personalized and feels misaligned with the way you browse the rest of Hulu’s app.
Today, the way you flip through content on Home is different from its other sections, which can be jarring. On Home, as you flip through the Lineup, TV Shows or Movies, etc., a show or movie’s imagery takes over the entire screen. It’s a more immersive experience, but it’s also a bit time-consuming to browse this way.
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’s like Hulu wanted to try a new way to browse on mobile, but then couldn’t fully commit. (And to be honest, there’s a reason why all the other services go the thumbnail route: it’s efficient. Home is pretty, but definitely not speedy.)
Then there are the little tweaks — like the hidden record option or the option to tap once to add a season to your lineup — that could make Hulu easier to use.
And can we talk about this light font choice? It’s hard to see on the TV:
Finally, it remains to be seen if Hulu’s larger design decisions — like minimizing the DVR’s existence and recording functionality — will confuse users or make the service feel simpler in the long run.
Hulu’s live TV service is still in beta, so much could change between now and its public launch.
