It is no secret to those of us who enjoy streaming movies that the folks at Netflix and Hulu don't exactly love one another. The streaming business only has room for so many players and with Amazon and Apple pushing hard for world domination, you knew that the shoe, or katana was going to drop at some point. Netflix users need to brace themselves for some really bad news; Criterion Collection is going to disappear as a streaming option on Netflix by the end of 2011. Netflix will still ship you the physical films on DVD or Blu-ray, but no more Kurosawa in your instant viewing queue. Bummer. Hulu Plus customers should be jumping for joy because for only $7.99/month, you will be able to enjoy Criterion Collection's outstanding films in HD via that streaming service.
Hulu is advertising that 150 films are already available, with that number expected to grow to almost 800 (that's a lot) in "the coming months". Whatever that means. Hulu is also promising to make available "rare" films from Criterion's collection that may be difficult to find on physical media.
One thing we know for sure is that Hulu's version of HD does not mean Blu-ray quality, so do not expect to see Seven Samurai or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in high bitrate HD 1080p with lossless surround. It should look at least as good as DVD though, with a bit of extra detail and this may be good enough for most people.
One great feature of the new service is that Hulu and Criterion Collection have agreed to include all of the bonus content, including deleted footage and commentaries with the films. Take that, Netflix!
Real Criterion fans will continue to pony up for the Blu-ray releases that come in those fabulous indestructible cases. And current Netflix users better start watching those Criterion titles because the clock is ticking.
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Read our reviews of some great Blu-ray releases from Criterion Collection:
