It’s Not All That Bad
Hulu does have its pluses. One major bonus of this test is that I did love seeing all those old SNL clips again. It took me back to the glory days of the show, you know, when it was fresh, exciting, and funny. The selection is very spotty though, especially in the Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler, and Will Ferrell years. How could they not have the clip of Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze auditioning for Chippendales? Or not including the infamous “More cowbell!” cry during the mock Behind The Music for Blue Oyster Cult? However, the site gets huge bonus points from me for including my all time favorite sketch, Eddie Murphy’s brilliant profile of Buckwheat’s assassin, John David Stutts. Damn you, Hulu, for making me laugh so hard again that I nearly suffered intense physical peril!
I was also impressed by the video quality in recent shows I came across on the site. These shows were displayed in widescreen HD (or at least high quality digital), and the picture was almost as good as if I watched on my widescreen TV. Hulu also did a great job in accomplishing one of its main purposes, providing easy-to-use buttons allowing users to link videos via email, social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook or Digg, and embedding links to personal websites or blogs. Of course the clips link back to Hulu, which then plays ads before each one. I do wonder if YouTube would have been as successful if their links played ads before each clip. I also question if that will force some users to think twice about linking clips to Hulu. Of course, they will likely put up with the ads if that’s the only place the content can be found, and the advertisers know that.
I liked how movies with an R rating weren’t allowed to be played unless the user created an account and logged in. From my understanding, some films had the bad parts edited anyway, but at least they were aware of streaming content to sensitive eyes.
I found the site most useful though when I discovered a recent Simpsons episode on my TiVo didn’t record because NASCAR ran late (a recurring problem for FOX on Sundays with football, too). It was nice to go to Hulu and easily play the show. The picture was still jumpy here and there, but the bright colors and sharp video from this animated program did stand out nicely on the site.
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Article comments
1 - snowcrous
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.
2 - Alice Jester
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.
3 - MGersh
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.
4 - ReelTimeKing
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