Do the characters on your favorite Hulu video player appear
larger, sharper and clearer? Don’t rush to get your eyes tested. You have been witness
to the upgraded streaming video player from Hulu. And we are not talking about
a cosmetic change in the player’s appearance. With a 55% increase from its
original size; the upgraded video player appears bigger, sleeker and stylish. A
drop shadow layout, a new frame and a larger display screen, will make watching
the videos a pleasure! Instead of the white background on the previous version
of the player, the upgraded one has a dark grey matte background. And yes, this
is an upgrade. So, as a current subscriber, the next time you watch videos on
the Hulu player, you don’t have to switch to the full screen mode.
Remember ‘dim the lights’ functionality in the video player?
It was mainly used to give viewers the pleasure of darkening everything out
except the video they are watching. Well, Hulu has done away with ‘dim the
lights’. But as the video display screen itself has been increased this should
not be a problem. Additionally, the background color being darker than before,
watching videos will not strain your eyes.
With special attention given to the Face Match Feature,
users can get to learn more about the actor when they point their mouse on the
actor’s face. Information like the actor’s name, name of the character, a
concise actor bio and links to the actors Wikipedia, Facebook and Twitter pages
are given.
Didn’t catch the joke’s punch line? No problem, with the
10-second rewind option available you can quickly go back and listen to the
catchword as many times as you want. You’ll probably be using the 10-second
rewind button more often than you think. To know what’s coming up next on the
playlist without stopping the present video, the ‘Up Next’ feature lets you
browse through all the videos on the player.
One feature that doesn’t sit well with the customers is the
inability to turn off auto-play. So, you better not doze off in the middle of a
video. Before this puts you off the market for Hulu’s video player, word is out
that the company is planning to bring in the permanently turn off auto-play
option. Firefox users seem to have problems with Hulu’s new interface. Some
have complained of certain buttons being completely cut off from the display.
Pop out video button is another popular feature that unfortunately
is hidden from the main screen. Before you start searching frantically for the
pop out button, it is on the ‘more’ settings right next to ‘sharing options’ on
the new interface.
Even with flaws, such as the missing auto-play turn off
option, Hulu’s upgraded video player is worth it.