Website Review: Hulu.com Offers Ad-Supported Streaming Video Content
Published March 18, 2008
A great feature revealed itself when I moved arrow over the clip title and a little thumbnail box appeared showing a small picture and a description. That feature is extremely useful when pouring through hundreds of clips that haven’t been seen by a viewer in years. Warning though, for anyone that has a popup blocker on their IE browser, turn it off for this site, otherwise you’ll be inundated with popup warning messages and won’t get the full use of the site’s functionality like the above-mentioned thumbnail feature. I learned the hard way.
After messing with the sloppy sort and popup blocker issues, I found a delightful clip from season one, clicked on it, and an ad loaded instantly. I could praise them for the speed of the ad loading, but an ad before and after every two or three minute clip instantly tainted the experience for me. I know there is a price for free online content, but they need to scale back the ads with clips at least. After enduring that fifteen second annoyance, the video I wanted loaded quickly, and I was joyfully reliving the brilliant comedy that once existed on this show.
Once my clip was done, I went back to my list to check out more, only to find my sort was lost and I had to go through that tedious process again of sorting by season:episode, having it come up in reverse order in 10 seconds, and waiting 20 more seconds, uncertain if the ascending sort was working before it finally did. I played another clip, got another ad, saw the two minute video, got another ad, lost my sort, and wondered how long I could endure this process, considering I had 32 seasons to go through. I gave up before hitting season two, and just went through the list selection without playing any clips.
Through no fault of Hulu, video quality for these early shows is terrible. I guess networks weren’t taping in HD back then. When I picked a clip from a few weeks ago, the full screen quality was actually good, and small screen viewing was fantastic. Of course, the jumpy feeds that I got with the movies happened while viewing clips as well, and that became obvious in full screen. Another annoyance, on top of the many ads, every once in a while an ad logo appeared in the lower right hand corner. While this is irritating during a regular TV show, on a small screen online, it’s even more noticeable.
- Website Review: Hulu.com Offers Ad-Supported Streaming Video Content
- Published: March 18, 2008
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Culture: Advertising and Marketing, Sci/Tech: Internet, Video: Film and TV Business, Video: Television
- Writer: Alice Jester
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Snowcrous - Thanks for letting me know you are loving the site. It does have many wonderful features and I'm glad see someone out there is getting the benefit.
It's good you're getting decent video streaming on a cable modem. I think that's the trouble with these online streaming sites, they're catering to the highest speed connections possible and pushing the bandwidth. My DSL line is slower than cable, but there are many DSL users out there that want to check out this site. Also, I heavily use wireless, and the experience is worse through a wireless connection. Many people will also be accessing the same way, and might end up disappointed.
Hopefully I'll come back in the near future and many of the issues will have been ironed out.
I am disappointed by online video, so far. (Full disclosure: I was associated with an online video site, Reeltime.com, for the last two years) The selections are thin, and poorly presented. On Hulu, the TV shows are limited to a mere pick of a few episodes, then some clips. I saw House on Hulu for the first time, and I really liked it. But I was only able to find two episodes, and those were the last two, at that. I like to view shows from the oldest to the latest, and that is impossible on Hulu. I would really like to see the last four seasons, and then the first ten from season 5. That would be a better incentive to get me to watch on television than two episodes were.
Online video has a long way to go. They all need to get better at search, or stocking the shelves of their video store. And they need WAY more selection. Once they do that, online video will change the way we view entertainment, no doubt.
Hello MG,
I remember you from when you were at ReelTime. We exchanged e-mails a number of times. I am sorry you are no longer with the company, but I understand your reasons. I am still invested there. I should have sold about the time that Ro came on board. But who was to know that they wouldn't get their act together. You know what I think will make it work. I know you see the same problems I do, not only for ReelTime, but for the industry as a whole. I have exchanged e-mails with JD and talked to him on the phone. He says he agrees, but nothing seems to happen. I don't know why the process is so slow. They need to do something to be competititve, and people will pay for the service. Wish you the best in whatever you are doing now.
Gonzalo
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I have been watching movies/TV shows from hulu.com for a while . I love Hulu!!! What it offers is awesome. The user interface is simple, elegant and so easy to use. There are plenty of full length episodes and movies. But I have never experienced choppy viewing as you describe here. By the way, I am using internet connection via the cable company.