Hulu
Posted on June 28th, 2008 in Hulu | 1 Comment »
We stopped subscribing to satellite/cable TV when we moved into the new house almost a year ago. Since then, we have been running on over-the-air HD only. Needless to say, this leaves us with a greatly diminished selection of programming. Also, it messed up my beautiful MythTV setup (I don’t have an HD tuner for that box), so we have less programming AND we have to watch shows when they air <gasp>.
All of the major TV networks have been experimenting with distributing their shows online. I have sampled the offerings from the big three on various occasions. CBS really stinks. Their innertube service is poor quality, and locks up several times during each show (each lock up requires about 5 minutes of reconnecting and watching the commercials you’ve already seen again). ABC has a decent service, but not much selection. NBC’s Hulu is my favorite. It really hits the sweet spot for me: no fee (most important feature), limited commercials, easy to navigate, massive selection, easy to share. They have all their current shows (including cable programming like Battlestar Galactica) and a huge back catalog (can you say Airwolf?) that even includes a lot of edited for TV movies they have the rights to. Of course, it is not without it’s drawbacks. They are pulling some annoying stuff on some of the newer and more popular shows. For example, they only have the last 3 episodes of Battlestar Galactica (wish I new this before I missed about 6 in a row).
This show alone will keep my TV watching needs satisfied for months –