Hulu

I hate TV. No, not the shows on TV, just the waste of time TVs are.

I hate it that shows are locked in there place, and the only way out of that is by using a TiVo or buying it online. I hate it that shows always have stupid and long commercials in between. I hate it that I can't share it with my friends.

Share the same hatred? Join me in my quest for the perfect internet TV experience...

The very first thing that I tried was Joost. What is Joost? Joost is a desktop application using P2P technology to distribute video fast and efficiently. In basic terms, it's a really nice version of Youtube with awesome channels and kickbutt features. Here's a few screen shots (I should edit the blog to incorporate a longer width...):

Watching CSI:NY

Browsing through the NBA channel

Then, I stopped using Joost because all their channels are getting old. CSI and friends gets old really, really fast. Then sometimes later, I found a Techcrunch (?) post on Hulu.com. At that time, it was invite only and after two weeks of waiting, I finally got an account.

Getting an account at Hulu now is quite easy, there's a "sign up" link at the top of the page. All you need is an email address, your name and a quick survey. (Note: After you create your account, you should edit your profile as your email address is displayed on default.)

Now you can browse through the shows and the limited amounts of movies on Hulu. Here's an list of some of the shows on Hulu as of June 12th.

• 24
• The Simpson's (my favorite)
• Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader
• Battlestar Galactica
• Deal or No Deal
• Dirt
• Friday Night Lights
• Family Guy
• Monk
• My Name is Earl
• Studio 60 f the Sunset Strip
• Super Bowl XLII Ads (I know its not a show but...)
• Top Chef

As an additional bonus, some HD content are available though all are only excerpts.

There are a few downsides to Hulu though. Sometimes, the shows are mysteriously "Not Available," there are also very short commercials throughout all the shows and movies, but they are well placed and extremely short (average of 20 seconds for every 20 to 30 minutes). The full screen mode is a bit blurry and the sound is pretty bland. Still, it is marvelous, free and, best of all, available everywhere where there's an connection.

I have to admit, there are a lot more choices for TV online, including Bittorrent and the networks' own websites. But Hulu is the cleanest and the one with the most choices.

In order to entice you, October Sky.



-runiteking1

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