Five Remotes and a Stapler

Two days ago my husband and I welcomed a bouncing Samsung blu-ray disc player into our lives - a BD-C6500.  A few months prior to this joyous event, we gave up hope of conceiving quality TV service outside of cable/satellite at anything resembling a sensible price. We only had satellite available in our semi-country setting, and EXTREMELY costly besides.  We opted to go commando with just Netflix and HuluPlus.  We were pretty happy for the last few months but missed the lazy remote control action from the sofa.  We had been using a dinosaur computer as our internet source and had to do gyrations to see the monitor image on the adjacent big screen TV screen - very distorted.  (Please contact my husband directly at his junk email account, buffoona@yahoo.com, or something like that, for further directions - sorry...)  We finally caved and bought a blu-ray, internet ready, wireless DVD player.

Samsung was the only brand that Hulu Plus recommended.  We searched for just the right model, not too expensive  but with features we needed.  We ordered it on a fabulous newegg.com sale last week.  We set the whole thing up, clicked on the Hulu icon just as we had on the Netflix icon, and...nothing.  This unit does not support Hulu, we learned.  Why?  Apparently the device manufacturers are not selling the 3-D versions of products as they predicted they would and in retaliation to customers, are only allowing services like Hulu Plus on the 3-D versions to boost their sales, or so I was told.  Do YOU and all of your family and guests want to watch TV with specialty glasses on?  What if you already wear glasses?  How many pair of 3-D glasses should a household buy?  I never thought 3-D TV  would be a hit but no one asked me.  Just saying.  I want my Hulu Plus, which I am paying for, to play on my internet-ready blu-ray disc player.  It is not too much to ask for!

So, while I sit surrounded by five remotes and a stapler that momentarily looked like a remote, I wonder why we have these issues with things as simple as TV and internet.  I know the cable and satellite companies don't want to lose business, but they have.  I heard on financial talk radio that this is the first year that there has not been an increase in demand for their services.  Please correct me if I am wrong.  Greed is killing these industries; I don't think they see it yet.  There is still time for them to save themselves if they do a total overhaul of their business practices, like reducing prices by about 2/3.  Right now, those of us doing it ourselves through the means noted above are the ones "suffering" but I know I am happy to save over $70 dollars a month by ditching satellite nonetheless.  I'll have to watch some shows on the laptop that is tethered to me anyway but I want it to be easier, more comfortable, and with surround sound through my blu-ray and TV - Hulu, please help!  Goodbye satellite/cable, the internet is here to stay.  Too early to say RIP?  Maybe, but I will when that day comes.