In the last few years, there’s been a shift in the moviegoing norm toward watching movies on the computer, rather than on DVD or Blu-Ray. But if you’ve put down some serious capital on a large TV, you’re probably going to want to kick back on the couch and stream Shame (okay, Hot Tub Time Machine) in eye-blistering HD. Chances are, you don’t want to fuss around with the interface too much, either; who wants to click through menu screens for half an hour just to find something he might like?
Two video-on-demand services offer the kind of service you’re looking for: Hulu Plus and soon-to-be newcomer Voddler. But which one is the better option for the comfortable FilmBuff?
As it stands, Hulu is very much the standard for many a FilmBuff household. The basic service is a constantly-updated selection of TV shows from providers like NBC and Comedy Central. Back in the dark days of November 2010, the Plus service was launched, which offers a greater selection of movies and TV shows for a monthly price.
Price: $7.99 per month for unlimited streaming of everything in the Hulu Plus library.
Selection: It’s practically overwhelming in the TV section, but the movies on offer leave a little to be desired. That said, there’s some interesting stuff in here, such as the cult favorite, Ip Man, and even some Rifftrax (a modern-day Mystery Science Theatre 3000), as well as some interesting documentaries. But it seems Hulu is still very much a TV-on-demand service rather than a movie-on-demand one; the selection can be a bit weird. What the hell is Titanica?
There is, however, an exclusive range of movies from the Criterion collection, which might swing the vote. It depends on your priorities: would you rather watch a whole season of Lost or a single hit of Good Will Hunting?
Picture Quality: One of the benefits of handing over eight of your hard-earned dollars is the TV-quality HD streaming. We can’t find fault with it. It’s glorious.
Accessibility: The interface is minimalist, the selections are ranked in order of popularity which is, as you’ll know if you’ve ever attempted to use a VOD service, a huge boon. FilmBuff has spent whole evening lost in catalogs sorted by alphabetical or — movie gods, help us — ‘by rating’ algorithms. However, browsing with a TV remote can be a little frustrating.
Devices: Windows and Mac computers (through Hulu.com or the desktop application), most iDevices, Roku, PlayStation 3, TiVo Premiere, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and some HDTV and Blu-ray players.
X Factor: As well as the devices we listed above, Hulu Plus is also available for the Nintendo 3DS. Bizarre? Slightly. But you’ve got to respect a company that offers HD streaming on a three-inch screen; that’s the kind of forward-thinking FilmBuff can’t help but appreciate.
The Scandinavian VOD service Voddler has been touted the “Spotify of movies,” either because of its peer-to-peer service, or because it’s taking a while getting to the United States. Although it may not be here yet, Voddler does have a couple of features that could make it worth the wait: it’s primarily designed with large TVs in mind, and the movies are never streamed from a central server but rather from the nearest customers to you. It’s a unique approach, which is why it’s gaining so much attention from the international movie industry.
Right now the biggest downside is that Voddler is in the beta phase of development and only available in the Nordic European countries, so unless you’re in Denmark, Finland, Sweden or Norway (or you’ve got a good proxy service), you’re out of luck. However, the company is expanding to North American and European markets very soon (the Spanish launch took place on March 23rd).
Price: Ad-based: newer releases are available with a ‘Plus’ subscription or on a pay-per-view basis (37 SEK, or about $5), but you can stream older movies like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Nines for free, as long as you don’t mind a couple of ads before the movie starts.
Selection: As far as selection goes, the library is a little eclectic. The new releases aren’t always that new (we spotted Killers in the pay-per-view section, and we’d hesitate to call that new), but the quality and variety are solid. Meanwhile, the free-to-view movies are, for the most part, the kind of DVDs you might find in a bargain bin. It looks like it will be worth paying for the Voddler Plus service when it rolls out over here.
Picture Quality: User reviews range from acceptable to excellent, which would indicate it depends on your Internet connection. Overall, it’s comparable with the BBC’s iPlayer, which has been setting the gold standard for streaming video-on-demand for a few years now.
Accessibility: The interface is large, chunky and perfectly clear; exactly the kind of menu you’d want to browse from the other side of the room. The Voddler website also gets bonus points for explaining its error codes from the sidebar, so if there’s a snafu, you know exactly what’s gone wrong. But…
Devices: You’re going to have to connect your laptop to the TV screen. It’s not all that difficult (all you usually need is a cable). Voddler is available on Mac and Windows systems, as well as a variety of portable devices: specifically, iDevices and Android or Symbian-enabled smartphones.
X Factor: Aside from the “do I have to get up and mess around with it?” question, Voddler is also striking deals with a great number of international distributors, which should allow for a greater selection of foreign movies in the future.
Winner
Hulu Plus wins out for its accessibility to the U.S. market, particularly in that you can stream from your gaming consoles, but Voddler might be something to keep in mind when your subscription runs out.
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