A while back, Google announced that it was shutting down Assistant Reminders and going all in with Tasks. Though it’s been a little while since the last update, the company is now moving forward. Google has started the migration from Reminders to Tasks.
This is something that people have wanted for so long. Having Assistant Reminders and Tasks is very redundant. When you make Reminders and Tasks, they both appear on Google Calendar. Also, you can customize them in different ways. People have been pining after a more streamlined experience.
Also, each platform has a crucial feature that the other one lacks. We’re able to use your voice to create Reminders, but the interface is very non–intuitive. The interface is much better on Google Tasks, but you can’t set them with your voice. Combining these two will give us the best of both worlds.
The migration from Reminders to Tasks has begun
Google, thankfully, heard our prayers and started making some changes. The company has started migrating Assistant Reminders over to Tasks. This is going to happen in stages, as most Google Workspace rollouts do.
People using a Google Workspace account will see the change first starting today. The Reminders that they have saved with Google Assistant will be migrated over to Google Tasks. So, if you do have Reminders, and you log on to see that they’re gone, check the Google Tasks app (if you don’t have the app, click here to download it from the Play Store).
Later on during the month, people with personal Google accounts will start to see this happen. We’re not quite sure which day it will start, so just plan on your Reminders being moved over before the end of the month.
You just need to know that, if you are the admin for an organization, you will need to set the Task service to “On” for your organization. If not, then your Tasks will not be moved over, and they will be deleted starting June 22nd.
Instagram reels should no longer be called Instagram Reels; they should be called Meta Reels. Mark Zuckerberg has made a point to introduce Reels into just about every corner of Meta. He just announced that the company is going to introduce Reels for your Meta Quest device.
No need to wipe off your screen, you read that right. The company is planning on introducing the short portrait videos into the VR space, according to a video shared by The Meta Instagram Channel (via Engadget). In the video, we saw a Reel from Austin Sprinz’s Instagram account. It’s the one where we see the world’s largest pool.
How reels on the Meta Quest will look
Right now, Meta is merely testing this out. So, you won’t be able to start watching your favorite reels just yet. Also, anything can change with the interface between now and the launch.
Right now, all we have is a short video showing how it may look. We see a square window with the Reel right in the middle. Right off the bat, we see that Reels will look cleaner on the Quest than on the mobile app. We don’t see the like, comment, share, and three-dot menu buttons on the actual video. Instead, all we see is the creator’s profile picture and the video description.
The other options are nowhere to be found excluding the three-dot menu which can be found on the top right of the inner square. This may house the like, comment, and share buttons.
It’s clear that Mark Zuckerberg wants users to still have access to Reels even when they’re not using their phones. Reels/TikToks/YouTube Shorts all live comfortably on your phone. However, these short-form videos have been introduced to TV platforms. So, it’s not much of a stretch seeing them in the VR Space.
We’re not quite sure when Reels will make it to the Meta Quest devices. However, we can probably expect them to launch around or before the Meta Quest 3.
Do you like to keep your snapshots and even video recordings neatly organized and grouped together by their subject or location? Then you must be familiar with the powerful and incredibly helpful face grouping tool built into the hugely popular Google Photos service.
As the name suggests, this relies on facial recognition technology, either automatically adding a (previously created) label to a pic detected as featuring one of your close friends or family members or allowing you to manually do that when the app is not entirely sure of a person’s presence in a photograph.
But what if someone has their back turned on you in an image (or a dozen) saved in your Google Photos account? You’d probably expect, well, nothing to happen, and while that may have been true until recently, it appears that Big G has somehow improved the app’s face recognition capabilities and basically expanded them to also cover the back of one’s head.
The neat new (non-) facial recognition trick doesn’t work perfectly 100 percent of the time, but it still looks like it could save some users a little bit of hassle in trying to keep all artsy pics of loved ones grouped together. Of course, Google is well aware that the expanded feature can be wrong in its scans, letting you manually add face labels to photos recognized in this (relatively) new way rather than doing that automatically to avoid possible errors.
By no means magical (even though it might seem that way at first glance), the Google Photos face grouping tool most likely associates similar pictures showing the same person from the front and back. That’s definitely not rocket science or the search giant’s most advanced machine learning capability by a mile, but it makes for an undeniably cool end result.
Researchers caught a sneaky adware campaign targeting Android users for months. This campaign used several fake Android apps mimicking different utilities like pdf readers, weather apps, VPNs, game cracks, streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube, etc.
Fake Android Apps Deployed Adware
According to a recent report from Bitdefender, they detected 60,000 fake Android apps stealthily running adware campaign since (at least) October 2022.
The researchers caught the malware following the alerts from the anomaly detection technology in the Bitdefender Mobile Security.
Briefly, unlike most adware campaigns exhibiting intrusive behavior, this campaign spread organically. The malicious apps would appear to a target user upon searching for certain apps, such as mod games, free VPNs, etc. Then, owing to their apparent legitimacy, the app ads would lure users into downloading the malicious app.
After reaching the device, the malware relies on the default strategy for Android app installation, requiring user input. Then, once the user taps the “Open” button to launch the newly installed app, the malware executes in the background.
However, on the screen, an error message appears to trick the user into believing that the app failed to install. Yet, the lack of an app icon makes it difficult for the victim to uninstall it.
Upon gaining persistence on the device, the malware remains dormant for some time. Then, after receiving the relevant commands from its servers, the malware starts displaying ads on the device when the user unlocks the phone.
Bitdefender caught this campaign because the malware used the device’s browser to show the malicious ad, which their Mobile Security tool efficiently detected. Similarly, the malware also displays full-screen web view of ads.
The researchers have shared the following demonstration of the malware in action.
As always, to repel such threats, users must avoid interacting with apps or links from unknown sources. Likewise, equipping their devices with robust antimalware solutions is the key to preventing most malware attacks.
Dish could be in some financial trouble, as its deadline to cover 70% of the US with 5G comes up next month. The company is expected to meet that deadline, however, the company is going to need to spend billions more to cover 75% of America by 2025. And that’s billions that Dish does not have right now.
That brings us to Dish and DIRECTV potentially merging. The two have been posturing and position around a merger publicly for a few years. They are the two largest satellite TV providers in the US, and with cord cutting accelerating, a merger is likely inevitable. But now, the talks have stalled, reportedly.
Both Dish and DIRECTV have entered into the streaming world
Both of these satellite TV companies have their own Streaming TV service. With Dish having Sling TV, and DIRECTV having DIRECTV Stream and DIRECTV via Internet, which are basically the same service. Clearly both companies know that streaming is the future, and it would make sense for the two of them to finally merge.
This would be a similar merger to Sirius and XM satellite radio merging 14 years ago, to form SiriusXM. If Dish and DIRECTV did merge, they could end up being a viable competitor to AT&T. With DIRECTV’s satellite and streaming TV service, and Dish’s services along with its internet business.
Now the other big question is, even if they do come to an agreement, would the regulators allow this deal to go through? Since they are the only satellite TV providers in the market right now, there’s likely going to be some pushback. Then again, satellite TV is dying, and this merger would be more about Internet and streaming TV, so it could be allowed to happen.
We’ll likely see a lot more about this potential deal in the coming weeks, especially if this while thing is one side trying to pressure the other into meeting their demands.
Samsung has reportedly begun the development of its own ChatGPT-like AI tool. The company plans to introduce the new LLM (Large Language Model) solution as early as the end of July 2023. The in-development product doesn’t yet have a name.
According to the Korean media, Samsung Research is leading this project. It has devoted substantial resources and manpower to the project to ensure swift development. The firm has even restricted or limited other business units from using GPU resources between June and July. Since training LLMs require a massive amount of GPU power, it doesn’t want any additional burden on its GPUs during the development of its AI tool.
Samsung will use this AI tool for internal business purposes
Rumors of Samsung working on a ChatGPT-like AI tool first emerged in May. The company was said to be in talks with domestic tech firm Naver to jointly develop the tool. The report suggested the initial version of the new AI solution may debut in October this year.
However, a new report coming out of South Korea says Samsung plans to complete the development of the first-gen model in just two months. Moreover, there’s no mention of it co-developing the AI tool with Naver. The company reportedly decided to go solo after a recent high-level management meeting attended by Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong. Potential collaborations with Open AI, Microsoft, and Google were also discussed before deciding to develop an in-house solution as soon as possible.
Unlike the AI tools from these companies, Samsung’s solution won’t be available to the public. At least not the initial version. The company plans to use it for internal business purposes. It sees AI helping boost or speed up various business processes. The Korean behemoth wants to leverage AI in software development, document summarization, translation, and other internal operations. It believes “AI could drastically shorten the period of software development and semiconductor design,” Chosun.com reports.
Samsung tried using external AI tools for these purposes earlier. In March, it gave some employees in the semiconductor division access to ChatGPT in hopes of speeding up business processes. However, the OpenAI-made tool ended up leaking confidential company information, forcing the company to ban the use of all such external tools. It is now hurrying to come up with an in-house solution that doesn’t pose such risks.
Given the current AI landscape, Samsung may eventually release a public version of its AI tool, but the initial development appears to be intended for internal use. If the rumored launch timeline of “July end” is accurate, we may hear the company talk about AI during its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 27 where it will launch new foldables, tablets, and smartwatches.
South Florida is the current focus of the sports world. The Florida Panthers hockey team barely made the playoffs, shocked the record-setting Boston Bruins in the first round, defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, and swept the Carolina Hurricanes to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Miami Heat also took a similar route to the NBA Finals by upsetting the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, beating the New York Knicks in the second round, and stunning the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It feels like LeBron taking his talents to South Beach all over again
The Miami Marlins are also showing some life and are battling the Atlanta Braves for the National East title in Major League Baseball and if the season ended today, the team would be one of the three wild card squads to make the playoffs in the NL. That’s pretty heady stuff for South Florida sports fans, but on the international stage, nothing tops the decision made by soccer (excuse me, football) star Lionel Messi to join MLS team InterMiami. It feels like LeBron taking his talents to South Beach all over again.
Apple offers MLS Season Pass through Apple TV+
While we are not a sports publication, let me just add that we have seen this story before when Pele joined the New York Cosmos in 1975 and put soccer on the map in New York where the Cosmos would sell out Giants Stadium and 75,000 attended Pele’s last professional game. But outside of New York, NASL (North American Soccer League) attendance was poor and once Pele retired, attendance declined even though the Cosmos had other international stars including Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer. The league disbanded not too long after Pele hung up his spikes.
But this time, things could be different as Apple will play a big part in selling Messi, InterMiami, MLS (Major League Soccer), and soccer to the U.S. Per The Verge, Apple has the streaming rights to MLS for the next 10 years. This technology was not available during the Cosmos’ heyday. Messi, who just won a World Cup with Argentina, is the type of superstar that Apple can exploit to whip up demand for MLS Season Pass subscriptions which it offers through Apple TV+.
And kicking off Messimania in the U.S., Apple will show a four-part documentary on the star which will stream over Apple TV+. Speaking of Messi and Apple TV+, reportedly the forward will get a piece of Apple’s partnership with MLS.
How to subscribe to MLS Season Pass via Apple TV+
If you are a soccer/football fan or are interested in becoming one, the MLS Season Pass does offer every MLS and League Cup game. You can sign up for MLS Season Pass without having an Apple TV+ subscription for $14.99 per month or $49 for the rest of this season. If you pay the $6.99 per month for Apple TV+ (after a seven-day free trial), you can get an MLS Season Pass subscription for a discounted $12.99 per month or $39 for the remainder of this season.
Will Messi and Apple be able to finish the job that Pele and the Cosmos started in the mid to late 70s? Messi is a name that U.S. sports fans are familiar with and the original Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso has been very popular. In fact, Apple has started selling Ted Lasso merchandise. The show is about a U.S. college football coach who is hired to coach a professional soccer club in England. The cross-promotional opportunities for Apple here are tremendous. Messi’s former manager made a guest appearance on Ted Lasso last season.
If there is a fourth season of Ted Lasso, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Lionel Messi show up in at least one episode. Lionel Messi’s move to MLS should make soccer more popular in the U.S. and with Apple’s help, the sport could take a huge step forward in America. And Apple will also profit (of course) from the increased attention on MLS in the states.
CurseForge, a gaming platform that offers a wide range of video game modifications and add-ons, has released a tool to detect infected Minecraft mods.
Did you know that Minecraft has been declared the most malware-infected game? This should not come as a surprise, as Minecraft players have been urged to refrain from downloading any new mods or plugins until cybersecurity experts can uncover a remedy for the rapidly spreading malware that is wreaking havoc within the game.
Dubbed “Fracturizer,” this insidious worm virus has been discovered deeply embedded within popular Minecraft modpacks. These modpacks amalgamate various game themes, allowing players to effortlessly switch between multiple mods, expanding their gaming experience. However, the convenience comes at a cost, as the malware exploits this mechanism to rapidly propagate itself.
Researchers delving into the Fracturizer GitHub repository have classified this malware as “extraordinarily perilous.” Furthermore, they caution that any device infected by this virus should be deemed entirely compromised by the malicious threat actors responsible for its creation.
Intriguingly, GitHub contributors stumbled upon malicious files dating back several months, with some even tracing back to the ancient era of 1999, a peculiar aspect observed within the CurseForge platform.
CurseForge is a gaming platform that offers a wide range of video game modifications and add-ons for popular titles such as World of Warcraft, Minecraft, and StarCraft.
Attempting to alleviate the concerns of its user base, CurseForge issued a statement on June 7th, 2023, emphasizing that the platform itself remains uncompromised. The platform has also released a tool to detect infected mods and taken immediate action by suspending accounts associated with the malware, while simultaneously assuring its community that a resolution is actively being pursued.
We are looking into an incident where a malicious user uploaded projects to the platform. This is relevant only to Minecraft users and we have banned all accounts involved.
CurseForge itself is not compromised in any way! Please follow the thread below for more information 👇
In a positive development, GitHub disclosed that a command-and-control server linked to Fracturizer has been successfully suspended by its hosting provider, significantly impeding the malware’s ability to communicate with compromised systems.
For Minecraft mod enthusiasts seeking reassurance, GitHub has published a comprehensive set of instructions to identify potential exposure to Fracturizer. These instructions guide users on detecting indicators of compromise and implementing mitigation measures promptly.
“Our understanding of the full extent and purpose of this malware is currently limited. Therefore, utmost caution must be exercised until we discover a foolproof method to eradicate any symptoms,” urged the researchers behind the Fracturizer GitHub project. “The information provided is solely based on our current knowledge. We strongly advise staying vigilant and monitoring the team’s communications for any critical updates.”
As the Minecraft community anxiously awaits a comprehensive solution to this menacing malware, players are advised to remain cautious and refrain from engaging with suspicious modpacks or plugins. This ordeal serves as a stern reminder of the ever-present threats lurking within the digital realm and the importance of maintaining robust cybersecurity practices.
Android 14 is materializing more as time goes on, and we’re getting wind of what this platform will offer when it officially launches. If you’re using a stylus with your Android 14 device, then there’s some good news. Google could make Android 14 a great platform for those using a stylus.
There are several Android devices on the market that utilize a stylus to boost the experience. While these all use Google’s software, the stylus support is mostly handled by the OEM. It’s just something that the company adds on top of Android. However, that could change.
Android 14 could bring great stylus support
This is something that we see all the time; individual OEMs bring forth a feature that Google eventually implements into Android. After that, everyone can use the feature. A good example is split-screen apps.
According to Mishaal Rahman (via 9To5Google), Google is planning on adding improved stylus support to Android 14. Right now, there aren’t many useful tools to customize your stylus experience. However, in Android 14, it looks like Google is going to really focus on improving the stylus experience across all devices.
Rahman posted a tweet showing how this feature is going to look. For starters, he posted a picture of the settings page for a stylus device. We see the option to ignore all stylus input. Also, you’ll have the option to choose the default notetaking app when you’re using it.
The rabbit hole goes deeper than that. In a tweet, Rahman also found some keycode constants in the software. These point to the software having support for four stylus buttons. There are codes for a Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary button along with a button on the tail.
The tail button seems like it would be used as the eraser, but that might not be the case based on the code. It looks like it will be used to open the default notetaking app.
This will be a great move on Google’s part. Tons of people use styluses on tablets. Since Google has been making Android more tablet-friendly, this could have a positive impact on the Android tablet market.
Hulu has been around for many years, but what’s new is the + Live TV portion of the service. Hulu + Live TV is the company’s streaming Live TV service, it offers over 65 channels for only $69.99 per month.
Much like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV was designed as a way for users to cut the cord from traditional cable companies, but still be able to watch their favorite shows on cable TV. The Live TV streaming service is in addition to the Hulu library, which has grown to be quite large over the last decade or so. Which arguably makes it one of the better options out there for streaming TV.
Table of Contents
What is Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is exactly what it sounds. It’s Hulu, along with the streaming Live TV service that we all want.
The service was announced in May 2016. Launching in Beta on May 3, 2017, originally called “Hulu with Live TV” then changed to “Hulu + Live TV”. At launch, it came with 50 channels for users to stream, and included five OTA channels – ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW – for most markets.
Initially it was priced at $39.99, making it very competitive with YouTube TV at the time, which was $35. In December 2019, Hulu upped the price to $54.99 per month. This was after it continued to add more channels. Hulu raised prices in December 2020 to $64.99 per month. And again in December 2021 to $69.99. This latest price increase was to bundle in Disney+ and ESPN+. Making it a really good option, and technically a price decrease.
Hulu + Live TV has just under three million subscribers, according to the latest estimates. Which puts it at the second-biggest streaming Live TV service in the country.
Hulu + Live TV costs you $69.99 per month currently, for the base subscription. This comes with all of the channels listed below (current count is around 75). It also includes the entire Hulu on-demand library, which has over 10,000 titles. Mostly from networks owned by Disney, NBCUniversal and some from ViacomCBS. Essentially, you get the ad-supported version of Hulu included with the Live TV service.
For that price, you are also getting the full Disney bundle. So for $70/month, you’re getting Hulu, Hulu + Live TV, Disney+ and ESPN+.
Add-ons
What Add-ons are available?
There are some add-ons available for Hulu + Live TV as well. You can add STARZ for $8.99 per month, Cinemax for $9.99 per month, Showtime for $10.99 per month and HBO MAX for $14.99 per month.
Additionally, you can upgrade your cloud DVR service from only 50 hours to 200 hours for $10 per month. And you can upgrade to unlimited simultaneous screens for $10 per month. Or you can bundle the enhanced cloud DVR and unlimited screens together for $15 per month.
There’s also a new sports add-on which will cost you $10 per month. It includes Redzone, MAVTV Motorsports Network, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, TVG and TVG2.
Finally, there are two more add-ons that are available. There’s an Entertainment Add-On and an Espanol Add-on that will bring you additional channels. The Entertainment Add-on brings American Heroes Channel, CNBC World, Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, DIY Network, FYI, LMN, and Science for $7.99 per month. Hulu added five ViacomCBS channels to this add-on in April 2021: BETher, MTV2, NickToons, TeenNick and MTV Classic. While the Espanol Add-on brings you content from CNN en Español, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, ESPN Deportes, History Channel en Español, and Universo for $4.99 per month.
There are plenty of options available with Hulu + Live TV, and plenty of ways to add more content to your Hulu subscription. But it can get expensive pretty quick.
Can I bundle it with Disney+
Disney used to allow you to bundle Disney+ and ESPN+ with Hulu + Live TV. But as of December 21, 2021, they are automatically bundled in Hulu + Live TV for $70 per month.
This move was done in a way to streamline the different plans that Disney has for its different streaming services. Remember that Disney has a majority-ownership in Hulu. Comcast owns a small sliver of the service, along with a few other companies. Disney owns around 60% of Hulu.
There is another bundle available for $82.99 per month, which gives you Hulu and Disney+ without ads. Along with ESPN+ (with ads).
As of December 2021, Hulu + Live TV has 75 channels available in its base subscription plan. They are listed below.
ABC
ABC News Live
CBS
CBSN
Fox
NBC
A&E
Animal Planet
BET
Big Ten Network (BTN)
Boomerang
Bravo
Cartoon Network
CBS Sports Network
Cheddar Business
CMT
CNBC
CNN
CNN International
Comedy Central
Cozi TV
CW
Discovery Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Junior
Disney XD
E!
ESPN
ESPN 2
ESPN News
ESPN U
ESPN College Extra
ESPN Bases Loaded
ESPN Goal Line
Food Network
Fox Business
Fox News
FS1
FS2
FreeForm
FX
FXM
FXX
FYI
NBC Golf
HGTV
History Channel
HLN
Investigation Discovery
Lifetime
MSNBC
MotorTrend
MTV
National Geographic
Nat Geo Wild
NBCSN
NFL Network (Added July 29, 2021)
Nickelodeon
Nick Jr.
Olympic Channel
Oxygen
Paramount
Pop
ESPN SEC Network
SyFy Channel
TBS
Turner Classic Movies (TMC)
Telemundo
TLC
TNT
Travel Channel
Tru TV
TV Land
Universal Kids
USA
Viceland
VH1
What premium channels are available?
Hulu + Live TV does allow you to subscribe to a few premium channels within your subscription as well. These include STARZ, SHOWTIME, Cinemax and HBO MAX. These can also be subscribed to independently, but subscribing through Hulu, makes it easier to pause or unsubscribe completely. These also work with TV logins. Just look for the option to login with Hulu Live TV in each of these premium network apps, and you’ll be good to go.
Supported Devices
What devices are supported?
Hulu + Live TV can be watched in the browser on your laptop or desktop computer. As well as on most devices that have regular Hulu available.
These include Amazon Echo, Echo Show, Fire TV, Fire Tablets, Android, Android TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, iOS, NVIDIA SHIELD, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Roku, as well as the following smart TV brands: Hisense, Samsung, Sony and VIZIO.
Currently, you can watch Hulu + Live TV on Chromecast with Google TV, but it does integrate with the “Live” tab on Google TV yet. That is reserved for YouTube TV only right now.
So it is available on virtually every platform that you can think of. Allowing you to watch TV virtually anywhere.
Hulu + Live TV is not quite as feature-rich as some of the other streaming Live TV services on the market. But it does have a few features that help to set it apart. Of course, that is likely why it is cheaper than a lot of its competitors. These features include Cloud DVR, multiple users, unlimited simultaneous screens, enhanced playback and much more.
Enhanced Cloud DVR
Like most other streaming Live TV services, Hulu also has its own cloud DVR.
Included with the base plan for $55/month, you will be able to record 50 hours of content. Hulu does have an upgrade available that will get you 20 hours of storage for $9.99/month. That’s pretty much the industry standard, and not the exception (YouTube TV is the exception).
The 50 hours that everyone gets, may not seem like a lot. But keep in mind that you do also have access to Hulu’s massive on-demand library. So you likely won’t be recording as much content as you would on FuboTV or YouTube TV.
You will be able to access everything that you have recorded by going to “My Stuff” within the Hulu app. This is also where you’ll find anything that you have bookmarked or saved to watch later on.
Keep in mind that what you record will be able to fast-forward and rewind. But things that are available on-demand or live TV, you won’t be able to fast-forward or rewind.
Unlimited Screens
One of the features of live TV services that most people don’t talk about, is the simultaneous streams. Most of them are capped at around two or three streams, including Hulu + Live TV.
Hulu only allows two simultaneous streams for watching Live TV. However, you can upgrade it to unlimited. But, the “Unlimited screens” upgrade does have a big asterisk next to it. For $9.99/month, you can upgrade to unlimited screens and that allows for unlimited TVs, but you are still limited to three mobile devices. Those mobile devices include tablets and smartphones.
For most people, the two screens should be plenty, but having the option to upgrade to unlimited is a really nice feature to have. Even if you do need to pay $10/month for it.
Multiple users
Much like any other streaming service, Hulu also allows for up to six users per account. Now, these do not work like YouTube TV, where each user has their own login. You’d be using the same login, and you click on your profile.
Each profile has their content tailored to their preferences and interests, as expected. There are some unique parental controls available too. Where subscribers can create profiles that will restrict viewing to specific content, and they can block certain types of programs. There is also an option to limit searches to only return viewing options that meet their specific requirements.
It’s better than nothing, but offering up the ability for each user to have their own login would be better, and more secure. As you’re not sharing passwords.
Enhanced Playback
Hulu has some enhanced playback features available too. Viewers are able to rewind most live channels to the beginning of the show or movie currently running. This is in contrast with other services that only allow you to rewind to when you started, or fast-forward til you are live. Unless it is a show that you have recorded or are recording.
Additionally Hulu ad-free subscribers have the ability to download movies and shows to watch while on the go. Even if you don’t have mobile data or WiFi available. This is not available for Live TV because, well it needs to connect to something to get the Live content.
Yes, unlike most cable companies, Hulu does allow you to continue to watch Live TV when you are not at home.
So if you’re going to be gone when the Super Bowl is on, you can watch it on your phone, on your laptop, or anywhere else, even if it is not at your home.
If you are outside of your market – say for example you live in Chicago and are visiting family in Atlanta – you will still be able to watch Live TV. The only caveat is that you won’t get your locals. You will get the locals for the channels in the market you are currently in.
Is it available in 4K?
Hulu as well as its Live TV counter-part, streams in 720p, 1080p and 4K UHD. Unfortunately, most streaming live TV channels do not broadcast in 4K. But you will get either 720p or 1080p depending on the channel. Most channels do 1080p now, so you’ll get a really good looking stream here.
As far as non-live TV content, the majority of the newer content is filmed in 4K and there is even support for Dolby Vision on a lot of these titles.
Is there a free trial available?
No.
Hulu used to offer a free trial for its Live TV product. But as of December 21, 2021, that free trial no longer exists. However, it does still have a free trial for regular Hulu, just not for its Live TV product.
Is Hulu + Live TV worth it?
Hulu + Live TV is perhaps the best value for streaming Live TV. And that is largely due to its vast on-demand library that it has been building up for over a decade. Most of its competitors have only a fraction of the content that Hulu does. So even if you don’t opt for the Live TV option, you can get Hulu and have plenty of content to watch, with new episodes landing daily and weekly.
At $54.99 per month, Hulu + Live TV is also far cheaper than some of the other services out there. FuboTV, YouTube TV and AT&T TV NOW are all priced at $64.99 per month now. Sure they have more channels, but not that many more. And they also don’t have that vast Hulu library of on-demand content available. That makes Hulu + Live TV a pretty impressive option. And it’ll continue to add more channels in the coming months. However, fingers crossed that it doesn’t see as many price increases as other services have recently.
You can sign up for Hulu + Live TV by clicking the link below.
