Toward the end of last summer, NBC informed Apple that it would not be renewing its contract to have episodes of its TV shows available on the iTunes Store, resulting in a decent amount of mudslinging between the two parties. Fans of The Office lamented, but NBC made good on filling its Web site with streaming, ad-supported content. While this didn't fill the void for those who wanted to save the episodes or put them on their iPods, it was a fair alternative, and a free one at that. Similar Web sites had been available from ABC and Fox, allowing viewers to keep up with shows on demand without having to shell out a penny. Both of these companies have thus far kept their programming on iTunes, despite the widespread belief that the loss of NBC would cause other networks to follow suit.
While the Internet offers a variety of free solutions for watching television, ranging from legal ones like the aforementioned to the frowned-upon alternatives such as BitTorrent, it can be a daunting task to scour the Web whenever you forget to set your DVR. As of its launch back on March 12, Hulu aims to change this.
A joint venture between Fox and NBC, Hulu looks to provide one-stop shopping in terms of Internet video on demand, as well as be an intentional thorn in iTunes' side. While the content is expectedly dominated by Fox and NBC programming for the time being, representatives swear that the two founding networks will not take precedence once the site expands. Other networks currently featured on the site include USA, Bravo, FX, and Sci Fi.
After just two weeks, the site already contains an impressive amount of shows and appears destined to help increase procrastination worldwide. The company has already struck a deal with the NBA, so an infusion of sports content is also to be expected. While the quality isn't quite as high as available on regular television, it remains leaps and bounds above the likes of YouTube.
In addition to the rapidly expanding TV selection, Hulu also offers a wide variety of full-feature films. Currently, the movies available may leave a bit to be desired, but there are already plenty of diamonds in the rough including The Usual Suspects, The Big Lebowski, and Requiem For A Dream.
Certainly, it's worth checking out before paying a couple bucks for an iTunes movie rental or trudging your way to the O'Neill Media Center. Hulu also offers high-definition movie trailers, proving the new venture to be both versatile and on the bleeding edge of modern technology. A major aspect of Hulu's appeal is its ease of use, as there are no download times, no installations, and no credit cards required to fire up your favorite show in mere seconds.
Registration for Hulu is not required, but registered users can access social networking features like posting clips from Hulu onto message boards or blogs.
While Hulu already has a lot to offer the casual viewer even in its early stages, iTunes remains the digital media giant and certainly will remain so for the near future.
Also looking to chip away at the industry leader, Amazon has quietly ascended to No. 2 in digital sales, according to an article published on Tuesday in USA Today. After all, it was Amazon's pricing of $0.99 for a DRM-free song that caused Apple to lower its own price of $1.29, showing that iTunes isn't without some healthy competition.
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