Hulu emerges as one of the best video sites on the web
By Mark Ziemer
At first glance, Hulu.com doesn’t seem like anything special. Aside from continuing the recent trend of awkwardly-named Web sites like Twitter and Skreemr, Hulu is a video streaming site cooked up by two of the biggest entertainment conglomerates, NBC and Fox, with ad-supported video in
the age of Tivo and Torrent files. But after spending countless hours logged onto the site this summer, I can readily recommend Hulu for your entertainment pleasure. It’s a solid alternative.
When I first visited Hulu back in March after it went public, there wasn’t much to see. A limited selection of TV shows and movies from decades past existed in full, but the latest episodes of hit NBC and Fox shows like “Heroes” and “24” were few, if they were even available. Frustrated, I chalked the site up as a good idea with nice presentation, but too limited to be a viable alternative to YouTube.
Fast forward a few months and it’s surprising to see how far the site has come. The depth and variety of content is staggering. Those old TV staples like ”The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Miami Vice” are there, but an ever-growing list of modern shows is there too. Full episodes of NBC and Fox-owned shows from broadcast and cable are cataloged for your viewing pleasure. Want to watch the latest “Heroes” or “Terminator” episodes? Once the fall season premieres, there you go. How about those cancelled critical darlings “Studio 60” and “Arrested Development?” “Firefly” is on there too, as is creator Joss Whedon’s new web release “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog,” in its entirety. Fans of cable will be happy to be able to watch the latest “Daily Show” episodes or “Battlestar Galactica” (the current show or even the old 1970‘s version). If you favor animated fare, go ahead and watch “Family Guy,” or “The Simpsons,” or even the entire season of the classic “Speed Racer” cartoon. It’s all on there, for free, without the questionable legality of watching shows on some Chinese streaming video site or shelling out money. Take that, iTunes!
Movies are growing in number on Hulu, too. Major studios such as 20th Century Fox and MGM have a variety of films for viewing, as do some lesser-known studios. Movies are more hit-or-miss than TV here, however. Half the listed films only show clips, and the entire catalog isn’t exactly up-to-date. Don’t expect to be seeing “Juno,” or even “Casino Royale,” anytime soon.
All of this viewable content is backed up by ads that play at intervals during the video you watch. The good news is that such ads are only 30 seconds long, and only play once approximately every ten minutes. Far more bearable than watching chunks of ads on real-life TV. During TV shows, the spacing is reasonable (and usually ties in with commercial breaks), but during movies I found the insertion of ads random and disrupting to viewing sometimes, though you get used to it after your fifth or sixth movie on the site.
The sum of legitimate content and bearable ads would already be enough to recommend Hulu, but there are some nice touches that lend to improving the usability of the site. Content is nicely organized by format (TV or movie), and is easily accessible in a variety of categories. Knowing how much of a pain it is to find content on those other sites, this is a refreshing bit of clarity. Additionally, the viewing interface is simple, clean, and offers some nice options. Full-screen viewing, optional HD feeds, pop-out windows and the ability to share or embed video in blogs/Web sites are all cool options.
So despite it’s few negatives, and the limit of content to just that owned by NBC Universal, Fox, and their surrogates, Hulu.com is the fast-rising quality destination for free video content on the Internet. YouTube may still rule online video, but Hulu is definitely worth a look. I’ve lost 40-plus hours of my summer to attest to that.
