如今， Netflix(Netflix)、Hulu和Amazon Prime几乎比有线电视更流行。事实上，2017 年底的一则新闻报道(news story)显示，Netflix的客户数量几乎(nearly as many customers)与传统有线电视服务一样多。
从那时起，这项服务才开始增长。流媒体服务之所以胜出，是因为它们以比有线电视服务更低的价格提供更多的点播选择。
当Netflix是唯一真正的流媒体选项(streaming option)时，选择很容易。但是有这么多服务可供选择，很难确定三大服务中的哪一个是更好的选择。普通人可能会拥有Netflix，因为它有大量的原创作品，然后是Hulu 或 Prime(Hulu or Prime)的一两个节目。
扔掉《权力(Thrones)的游戏(Game)》中的HBO，以及很快所有不幸取消的漫威节目的(Marvel)迪士尼流媒体(Disney streaming)服务，你看到的是相当于有线电视的账单(cable bill)。
一个月只有这么多小时可以看电视。没必要花那么多钱。以下是每项服务的细分，可帮助您做出最具成本效益的决定。
4K 与非 4K
如果您是真正的影迷（或者您只是喜欢以最佳质量观看内容），那么 4K 分辨率是必须的。值得庆幸的是，它几乎(almost)可以在
每个平台上使用。问题在于，2018 年初，Hulu取消了所有 4K 内容，并从所有平台上删除了该选项。
甚至网站上的 4K 页面现在也没有了。Hulu表示 4K 对他们来说从来都不是一个重要的点，甚至在他们关闭更高质量流的可用性之前，它们只在两个地方可用：PlayStation 4 Pro和Xbox One X。Hulu有很多用途它，但缺乏 4K 是一个很大的障碍，尤其是随着越来越多的 4K 内容的出现。
Amazon Prime Video确实有 4K 支持，尽管它受到内容的限制。Netflix属于同一类别。只有有限的节目支持 4K，但那些看起来很棒的节目。缺点是与较低分辨率相比，它需要更高的支付等级才能以 4K 流式传输。
这个缺点的好处是，当
Netflix检测到支持 4K 的智能电视时，它会自动为您提供升级选项。几乎(Almost)每个Netflix Original都有 4K 选项，还有许多皮克斯(Pixar)电影。
原创节目
点播电视(On-demand television)是任何流媒体服务的主要吸引力之一，但随着时间的推移以及Netflix、Hulu和Amazon Prime发展自己的忠实粉丝群，这些服务开始制作任何其他平台都无法提供的原创节目。其中许多节目远远超过了传统电视上的任何节目。
Netflix在原创节目方面处于领先地位，仅在 2018 年就增加了大约 700 部新节目、电影和纪录片。您可能见过的其中一些包括The Blacklist、Black Mirror 和 Sense8。(The Blacklist, Black Mirror, and Sense8. )在众多
Netflix原创作品之外，您还会发现《老友记(Friends)》和《实习医生格蕾》等粉丝的最爱。(Grey’s Anatomy. )
Hulu拥有 50 个原创系列，其中多个曾获奖。其中包括《使女的故事》、《城堡石》和《妓女》。(The
Handmaid’s Tale, Castle Rock, and Harlots. )Hulu还获得了心爱的情景喜剧的版权，例如《老爸老妈(How I Met Your
Mother)的浪漫史》 。虽然不是原创，但拥有庞大粉丝群的情景喜剧为平台带来了很多观众。
亚马逊 Prime Video(Amazon Prime Video)也有相当多的原创作品。虽然我们找不到具体的数字，但他们有 150 到 200 部原创节目，2019 年还会有更多。其中一些最好的节目包括非常受欢迎的Marvelous Mrs. Maisel、Sneaky Pete和警察剧Bosch。
如果我们必须仅根据数字来判断一个平台，Netflix将是明显的赢家。另一方面，Hulu有很多制作精良的原创作品。这是一种质量超过数量的情况(quantity situation)。在这两个中间是亚马逊Prime(Amazon Prime)。它有一些成功，也有一些失败，但总的来说，该平台的原创作品值得一试。
价钱
最能影响人们的一个因素是价格。因为有很多不同的定价层，我们将它们分解成一个表格以便于理解。
|
Streaming
Service
|
Service
Plan Price Per Month
|
|
Netflix
|
Standard Definition, Single Screen: $9
|
High Definition, Two Screens: $13
|
4K UHD, Four Screens: $16
|
|
Hulu
|
With Ads, $7.99
|
Without Ads, $11.99
|
Hulu + Live TV With Ads: $39.99
|
|
Amazon
Prime
|
Amazon Prime Video is included with
Amazon Prime, a service that costs $119 per year. There are no other pricing
tiers.
|
您应该注意，这些并不是每个服务的全部选项。虽然Netflix 和亚马逊(Netflix and Amazon)的定价相当简单，但Hulu有许多定制选项——包括HBO、Cinemax、Showtime和Starz的能力，以适应任何不同的每月额外费用计划。您还可以选择将增强型云 DVR 和无限屏幕添加到直播电视(Live TV)计划中。
其他服务和注意事项
这三个“主要”流媒体(” streaming)
服务很可能总是位居榜首，哪怕只是因为它们提供的节目种类繁多。另一方面，HBO拥有很多粉丝，因为它是唯一可以观看《权力的游戏》的(Game of Thrones)地方。
Disney+有望成为主要竞争者，因为它将拥有如此多的原创节目，以及人们在Netflix上喜爱的许多漫威(Marvel)节目。
由于动漫的日益普及，
Crunchyroll等服务也受到更多小众受众的欢迎，尽管Netflix、Hulu和Amazon Prime在其剧目中都有相当一部分日本动画。
而上述服务甚至没有考虑到为独立运动套餐付费的人。这一切都是为了指出竞争有多大，做出选择有多么困难。
只选一个
事实是，您可能拥有不止一项流媒体服务。这就是它在当今时代(day and age)的运作方式。也就是说，如果您只能选择这三个中的一个，那么来自Netflix的 4K、四屏套餐是您的最佳选择。
它不仅允许您一次在多达四个不同的屏幕上进行流式传输，而且您还可以访问包含 700 多个原创节目和数百个深受喜爱的经典重播的资料库——并且您可以以最高清晰度访问它此时可能。
从好的方面来说，大多数人还拥有
仅用于在线购物的Amazon Prime，因此如果您这样做，您可以随时查看他们的视频产品，无需额外费用。
Netflix vs Hulu vs Prime – The Best Streaming Service in 2019
Netflix, Hulυ, and Αmazon Prime arе almost more prеvаlent than cable these days. In fact, a news story from latе 2017 showed that Netflix had nearly as many customers as traditional cable services did.
The service has only grown since then. Streaming services win out because they offer more on-demand options at a lower price than cable services do.
When Netflix was the only real streaming option, the choice was easy. But with so many services to pick from, it can be hard to narrow down which one of the major three is the better option. The average person might have Netflix because of its vast span of originals, then either Hulu or Prime for a single show or two.
Toss on HBO from Game of Thrones, and soon the Disney streaming service for all of the tragically canceled Marvel shows, and you’re looking at the equivalent of a cable bill.
There are only so many hours in a month to
watch television with. There’s no need to spend that much. Here is a breakdown
of what each service offers to help you make the most cost-effective decision.
4K Versus No 4K
If you’re a true cinephile (or you just
like watching content in the best possible quality), then 4K resolution is a
must. And thankfully, it’s available on almost
every platform. The problem is that early in 2018, Hulu killed all of its 4K
content and removed the option from all platforms.
Even the 4K page on the website is now
gone. Hulu said that 4K was never a huge point for them, and even before they
shut down availability of the higher-quality streams, they were only available
in two places: the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X. Hulu has a lot going
for it, but the lack of 4K is a big mark against it, especially as more and
more 4K content emerges.
Amazon Prime Video does have 4K support,
although it is limited based on the content. Netflix falls into the same
category. Only limited shows have 4K support, but the ones that do look fantastic.
The downside is that it requires a higher payment tier to stream in 4K than at
lower resolutions.
The upside to this downside is that, when
Netflix detects a 4K-capable smart television, it automatically offers you the
option to upgrade. Almost every Netflix Original has a 4K option, as well as
many Pixar movies.
Original Programming
On-demand television is one of the primary
appeals for any streaming service, but as time has gone on and Netflix, Hulu,
and Amazon Prime grew their own dedicated fanbases, the services started to
produce original shows not available on any other platform. And many of those
shows far exceed anything available on traditional television.
Netflix leads the race in original
programming, with around 700 new shows, movies, and documentaries added in 2018
alone. Some of the ones you might have seen include The Blacklist, Black Mirror, and Sense8. Outside of the bevy of
Netflix originals, you’ll find fan favorites like Friends and Grey’s Anatomy.
Hulu has 50 original series, several of
which have won awards. Among these are The
Handmaid’s Tale, Castle Rock, and Harlots. Hulu also nabbed the rights to
beloved sitcoms like How I Met Your
Mother. Although not an original, sitcoms with big fan bases bring a lot of
viewers to the platform.
Amazon Prime Video also has its fair share
of originals. Although we could find no specific numbers, they have somewhere
between 150 and 200 original shows, with more to come in 2019. Some of the best
ones include the incredibly popular Marvelous
Mrs. Maisel, Sneaky Pete, and the police drama Bosch.
If we had to judge a platform based on
numbers alone, Netflix would be the clear winner. On the other hand, Hulu has a
lot of well-produced originals. It’s a sort of quality over quantity situation.
In the middle of these two lies Amazon Prime. It has a few hits, a few misses,
but overall, the platform’s originals are worth checking out.
Pricing
The one factor that sways more people than
anything else is price. Because there are so many different pricing tiers,
we’ve broken them down into a table to make it easy to understand.
|
Streaming
Service
|
Service
Plan Price Per Month
|
|
Netflix
|
Standard Definition, Single Screen: $9
|
High Definition, Two Screens: $13
|
4K UHD, Four Screens: $16
|
|
Hulu
|
With Ads, $7.99
|
Without Ads, $11.99
|
Hulu + Live TV With Ads: $39.99
|
|
Amazon
Prime
|
Amazon Prime Video is included with
Amazon Prime, a service that costs $119 per year. There are no other pricing
tiers.
|
You should note that these are not all of
the options for each service. While Netflix and Amazon are rather
straightforward in pricing, Hulu has a number of customization
options—including the ability to HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz to any plan
for varying extra monthly costs. You can also choose to have Enhanced Cloud DVR
and Unlimited Screens to the Live TV plan.
Other Services and Considerations
These three “primary” streaming
services will probably always be at the top, if only for the variety of programming
they offer. On the other hand, HBO has a lot of fans because it’s the only
place to watch Game of Thrones.
Disney+ promises to be a major contender because it will have so much original
programming, as well as many of the Marvel shows people loved on Netflix.
Services like Crunchyroll are also popular
for more niche audiences due to the growing popularity of anime, although
Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime all have a fair share of Japanese animation in
their repertoires.
And the above services don’t even take into
account the people that pay for independent sports packages. All this is to
point out how much competition there is, and how difficult it can be to make a
choice.
Choosing Only One
The fact is, you’ll probably have more than one streaming service. That’s just how it works in this day and age. That said, if you had to pick just one of these three, the 4K, four-screen package from Netflix is your best bet.
Not only does it allow you to stream on up to four different screens at one time, but you gain access to a library of more than 700 original shows and hundreds of classic, much-loved reruns—and you can access it in the highest definition possible at this time.
On the bright side, most people also have
Amazon Prime just for online shopping, so if you do you can always check in on
what their video offerings are for no additional cost.
