Hulu is a brand new web site that hopes to become the way that you watch TV on the internet. Forget downloading from iTunes; forget signing up for a Netflix account—Hulu brings you free movies and tv shows from most major networks and studios.
Hulu offers full-length movies and tv shows, sports events and short video clips. The site even offers HD programming. You can watch current programs, like the latest episode of The Simpsons, or go back and find old classics like Starsky and Hutch or the Bob Newhart Show.
Videos automatically play in a smallish player (approx 6 x 4 inches), but you have the option of enlarging it to full screen. You can also play the video on a pop out screen, or “dim the lights” and obscure everything in the background on the Hulu page.
On Hulu you can browse by title, popularity, genre or studio. Hulu also offers video “collections” where you can find groups of videos like pilot episodes, or SNL skits. You’ll need a high-speed internet connection and Flash player installed on your computer to watch Hulu videos.
Hulu is free. Most programs are presented with “limited commercial interruptions” meaning that every 10 minutes or you’ll have to watch a 30 second advertisement.
You can email Hulu videos to friends, share them on sites like Digg and del.icio.us, or embed them on your own web site. You can also use Hulu to set up a video queue and show subscriptions. By doing this, you’ll be able to save programs that you want to see, and you’ll automatically know when new episodes of your favorite shows are added to the site.
In 2007, NBC and NewsCorp decided it was time to take on YouTube. Their creation, Hulu, has debuted to the public and it may just change the way we think about TV and internet video. Through partnerships with more than 50 content creators (such as Fox, NBC, MGM, Warner Bros. And many more), Hulu offers premium content for free. The site brings together professionally produced shows on one easy-to-navigate web site, so users can easily find and watch their favorite programs.
