Issue streaming Hulu Plus w/ Panasonic Viera (1 Viewer)

[Judochop]

Hi. I am the proud owner of a new Panasonic P55UT50 smart plasma. Lovin' it. Except, I appear to be having some serious troubles with certain shows that I try to stream from Hulu Plus. Two shows that my kids love to watch (and that I don't mind them watching) are "Dinosaur Train" and "Wild Kratts". But these shows will not stream correctly. The image quality is spectacular, but the video freezes and restarts playing every 3 seconds or so. And sometimes while intermittently playing, the sound is not synched with the video.

The facts of the case:

[*]My ISP is ATT U-Verse rated @ 6 mb/s and I'm going direct w/ ethernet into my TV.
[*]I can stream 'adult' shows like "Smash" and "The Office" using the TV's Hulu Plus app with no issues.
[*]I can stream "Wild Kratts" (one of the troubled shows cited above) on my wife's Nook HD tablet using the Hulu Plus app with no issues.
[*]I also subscribe to Netflix streaming and have had no issues streaming shows or movies with the TV app there.
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So, I do not think it is a case of my internet speed. It seems to be something with the Viera Hulu app itself. I'm wondering if anyone else who has my same model has found issues with Hulu Plus? (And what they were able to do about it, of course.)

Help very much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[schan1269]

Viera cast Hulu/plus issues are legendary. Step in line.

 

[Judochop]

Well, that's not encouraging. Is it a Panasonic issue, or a Hulu issue? Or an issue still unknown?

The livechat guy at Panasonic is telling me to reboot my tv. Haven't been home to try it yet. We'll see.

 

[schan1269]

The headache of "smart TV"(Panasonic is hardly the only one) is why Roku/PopcornHour/Western Digital...etc...still sell in droves.

 

[Judochop]

The headache of "smart TV"(Panasonic is hardly the only one) is why Roku/PopcornHour/Western Digital...etc...still sell in droves.

Do you know anything about the possibility of future fixes? Is it something that Panasonic or Hulu can fix and then update, like any other app with bugs?

Or am I closer to buying a new HDMI-ready AVR and a Roku than I thought?

FWIW - I just tripled my internet speed. Maybe that will resolve some of the Hulu issue? (I'm guessing not.)

 

[Vic_T]

I use a Roku, and the only service I have issues with are Hulu Plus. Not sure what the deal is, but it does seem to be their service that's got the streaming problems, not the actual devices.

 

[Judochop]

Hi. It’s me again. The OP.

So, I’m still having issues intermittently with my Panasonic Plamsa’s HULU PLUS app and apparently I’m not the only one. Image quality is great, but picture and sound freeze and start, freeze and start… rendering shows unwatchable.

However, the same program will stream just fine on my iPhone, and on my wife’s NOOK. So I’m settled on it: it’s not our internet, it’s not my HULU account… it’s the TV’s app.

Which leads me to my new question: To what device(s) can I turn to find a reliable HULU PLUS app? With the intention of eventually playing around with 3D, I’ve had my eye on the Panasonic DMP-BD220 Blu ray player. The device got great reviews on cnet, but I know they don’t always test the products over the long haul, so this kind of issue mightn’t show up in their review. Vic_T here says even the ROKU sputters. Does anyone have any opinions on the BD220 in terms of how it works with HULU streaming, or on any other devices that are reliable in getting HULU to a TV?

Thanks as always!

 

[schan1269]

Acer Revo.

 

[Judochop]

Acer Revo.

Hmmm. A rather expensive solution, esp. considering the objective. I already know my Nook streams Hulu Plus perfectly well, so if an Acer is my only option, I think I'll just buy the $40 HDMI adapter.

 

[schan1269]

My point was...Nothing beats a computer.

 

[Judochop]

My point was...Nothing beats a computer.

I can appreciate that fact. But I'm sure you can understand that I'm also faced with practical limitations.

I can't imagine that Hulu Plus would be as popular as it is now if there wasn't a both reliable and economical method for getting it to work on a TV. I accept the possibility that my TV's Hulu Plus app has issues, and ones that may never be resolved. But surely some Blu Ray player or Roku-type device out there offers a Hulu Plus app that functions??