More rumblings about paid subscriptions for Hulu are surfacing: Reuters is repeating the rumor that the streaming video service could be coming to the Xbox 360 and the iPad within the next couple of months.

Quoting sources with “knowledge of the matter” (well, I’d hope so), Reuters reports that a subscription offering for Hulu will be “rolled out on multiple devices in the next month or two.”

One of those devices is expected to be the Xbox, Reuters says — a claim that mirrors a report last week claiming that Hulu for the Xbox 360 would be unveiled this month at the E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles. The other device: the iPad, says Reuters, a possibility that was floated by the New York Times back in April.

What kind of subscription plan are we talking about? The Los Angeles Times said back in April that Hulu wants to keep offering newer TV episodes (for such network shows as “The Office,” “30 Rock,” “House” and “Glee”) for free, while charging a monthly fee — say, $10 — for older shows and movies. The new Reuters report pretty much hews to that line.

One detail that’s missing: Reuters says it’s “not clear” whether a for-pay Hulu would arrive on devices like the Xbox and the iPad before it debuts for Hulu.com viewers. My guess is that a subscription service would be rolled out on the Web and on Hulu-enabled devices simultaneously.

Personally, I’m ready for Hulu to go ahead and rip the bandage off. Hulu execs have been torturing us with the possibility of subscription fees for more than a year now.

And if it does turn out that Hulu charges us only for older TV shows … would that be so bad? When I’m stuck in an airport terminal with my iPad and want to watch a little free network TV, I’d rather watch the latest episode of “30 Rock” than a show from the second season (which you can watch on the free Netflix app anyway). So if the ultimate “free” (albeit ad-supported) version of Hulu offers only new shows, similar to the excellent ABC streaming app for the iPad, well, I’d be find with that.

Of course, there’s another possibility: that a “premium” $10-a-month Hulu subscription would be required for streaming shows on your Xbox or iPad (assuming Hulu goes ahead and offers such a feature). Now that would suck — and no, I wouldn’t pay for it.

What do you think? Would you still use Hulu if the site charged a subscription fee for access to older shows? What if subscription fees are required for streaming Hulu on, say, the Xbox or the iPad?

• Reuters: Hulu plans to charge, expand to devices, sources say
• Los Angeles Times: Hulu pushes forward with $9.95 subscription service

— Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

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