Hulu app has been going dim after watching one episode, which was initially believed to be a device related issue, but it was confirmed to be the app.
In recent years, the landscape of film and television has irrevocably changed due to the popularity of paid subscription video-on-demand platforms. This was intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, as these platforms became key in film distributions.
One of the most popular of these video-on-demand platforms is Hulu. With an extensive library of films and television shows, along with its affordable packages, Hulu is one of the leading paid-subscription platforms.
However, the platform did start to face criticism when it was discovered that the device screen would start dimming after an ad or at the end of an episode.
What is Hulu?
Hulu was launched in October 2007 as a subscription-based video-on-demand streaming service owned by The Walt Disney Company.
NBCUniversal is also a minority stakeholder in the business, and as such, the platform offers an on-demand film and television streaming library from Disney.
NBCUniversal networks, on the other hand, include channels like ABC, National Geographic, FX, FXX, and more recent Hulu original content like The Handmaid’s Tale and Castle Rock.
The platform has two payment options, namely, the $6.99 monthly package or the $69.99 annual package, which saves you an estimated $14.99 yearly.
| Start your free trial on Hulu here. |
Why does Hulu go dim after one episode?
Like with most paid subscription, video-on-demand platforms, there is bound to be technical glitches.
One of the recurrent and continually highlighted technical issues of Hulu is the screen dimming after an episode, and sometimes mid-episode if an ad is played.
The issue is believed to have dated back to as early as 2020. The issues seemingly did not stop there, because in 2021, more Hulu subscribers experienced the problem.
Initially, the issue was believed to be with the devices or platforms that the subscribers were using to watch Hulu. However, as the issue persisted, it was later discovered that the problem is with the app and not the secondary platform.
During this time, Hulu users began sharing hacks to resolve the issue, however, they are temporary and do not completely or permanently resolve the issue.
It is also worth noting that using the hacks means disabling automatic responses like auto-play in order to avoid the issue. Below are three of these commonly used hacks.
1. Changing the mode
One of the hacks to ensure that your Hulu app does maintain its dimness is addressed when the dimness occurs after an advertisement has aired during an episode. In order to bring the brightness up after the advertisement, you will need to:
- Press the “*” after the advertisement
- Scroll down to Picture Mode
- Choose “Normal Mode”
The process will take a few seconds, thereafter, the matter will be temporarily resolved until the next advertisement interrupts viewing again.
2. Disabling the auto-play option
Most commonly, the dimming will occur as the app prepares to launch the next episode if the user has enabled the auto-play option. Therefore, the hack to avoiding your screen dimming is disabling the auto-play option.
While this ensures that your screen will not dim at the end of an episode, it does make for laborious work as you will need to manually move to the next episode every time.
Furthermore, it was highlighted that you cannot disable the auto-play option while already watching. You will need to exit the show and then disable the auto-play, before watching the show in order to prevent the dimming.
3. Pausing the show for a few seconds
The last hack is contentious, maybe it is due to the fact that it is unlike the previous hacks that take you away from the story as you are required to manually put in inputs to resolve the dimness.
This hack requires patience as you stare at the frozen image in front of you. This is as the third hack involves pausing the show for a few seconds, before pressing play again, which should resolve the issue.
This is arguably more of an exercise of patience, as you will need to just wait and hope that when you press the play button after pausing for a while, the matter is resolved.
Final thoughts
Hulu is one of the leading and most commonly used paid subscription video-on-demand platforms in the United States. Although, that does not mean that the platform is without its technical glitches.
Believed to have stemmed from one of its 2020 updates, the app tends to go dim after an ad or when it is preparing to auto-play the next episode.
In the time that Hulu has spent attempting to resolve the matter, subscribers have shared hacks that, though potentially inconvenient, will temporarily address the issue.