Hulu - A Very Impressive Free Video Service

Posted by Michael Garrett on November 19th, 2007

The wait is over (at least for me), and now I have finally received a chance to test out Hulu, the recently launched video service that had me scratching my head just a few short months ago.

Early on in the development process of Hulu, there seemed to be no clear focus on what exactly the service would provide or even what name it would assume upon launch, which left more than a few journalists and bloggers wary of what NBC Universal and News Corp. might deliver after multiple delays.

Now, I must admit that although I didn't see much chance for this service to survive after it was announced earlier this year, it appears to have been well worth the wait and fully capable of quieting the negative talk into watchful eyes.

Immediately upon my first look at the service, after registering and logging in, I was able to tell that Hulu would be more appealing that originally expected. The layout is very plain (not really having any color or style other than the hulu logo), yet elegant and easy to browse. The lack of sidebars, which now seem to be present at nearly every online video service, also helps to make for more white space.

The video database has been very well stocked with all kinds of video including television programming currently on the air (The Office, Heroes, Family Guy), classic programming (Cops, Miami Vice, Kojak), and even the full-length version of Bulworth (starring Warren Beatty), although the persistent beeps and pauses in audio over foul words and cursing is annoying and seems like overkill.

My favorite aspect of Hulu is the custom video player and its stylish interface which offer several options to video watchers in an innovative display format. When the mouse is moved over the video, icons appear to the left and the right, providing quick access to features such as full screen video, share/embed tools, and 'Lower Lights' which dims everything surrounding the video in the browser window. Additionally, the video player can be popped out into its own windows and resized or repositioned.

Amazingly, possibly for the first time ever, I have used a service that plays video smoothly and with pauses or interruptions in playback. Slow load times have plagued my experiences with VeohTV, Joost, and even on the episode player in use on NBC's website. I don't know how they did it, but watching a television show on Hulu was almost as close as watching it on television, except for the shorter commercial break of 30 seconds on Hulu, which is an advantage over traditional TV.

The selection of content available to viewers can be browsed by On Air status, Network/Station, alphabetical order, and by popularity, leaving users with plenty of ways to organize what is available. Each user is given a profile, which displays the usual descriptive information and keeps track of a user's playlists and video history (both of which have an easily accessible RSS feed, unlike YouTube.

Hulu has definitely made a lot of progress since March and, despite delays, has introduced a great, new service to the growing crowd of online television viewers. Other networks should be able to learn a thing or two about offering programming online, because the demand is there. To Hulu execs, I say get rid of the private beta and make Hulu a public service already. If my experience shows anything, it is that this service is far less buggy than just about any other video service I have tried, which is quite a few.

Now, maybe some of those Hollywood bigwigs should pay attention to the writers strike (possibly expected to continue into 2008), before they run out of new shows to add to Hulu and force America onto a strictly reality television diet.

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