Review of Hulu

Hulu's Super Bowl Ad featuring Alec Baldwin thrust them into the national consciousness. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed their AD. I found Alec Baldwin, as an alien, entertaining on many levels. It might have been better if they had showed him as an invading Mexican (or from any other country), since he often states he does not like this one. Anyway, the ad caused me to visit Hulu.com.

Since its invention during the 1950's television has become increasingly popular. So popular that some even blame televisions for society's problems. Hulu's founders are complete geniuses. They saw the success of other video websites and took the next logical step...showing new televisions shows.

My work keeps me very busy. I often travel for work or am working at home and miss my favorite shows. Hulu.com allows me to watch the newest episodes of my favorite shows with only an internet connection. Before I found Hulu, I was considering buying a Slingbox. Hulu has completely eliminated this need and saved me almost $200.

Some would expect Hulu's selection to be limited. While it is true that they do not have every current TV show. Hulu.com does have a very large selection. Hulu's website does not state exactly how many TV shows they have, however, I did a search for "House," and 105 different episodes came up. The search results were a mix of the show "House, M.D.," and "House Hunters." Hulu also has such popular shows as Knight Rider, Family Guy, Saturday Night Live, Medium, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

If they have such a large number of shows and you can watch them free then how do they make money? It is a very sensible question, after all, they spent a large amount of money on a Super Bowl Ad, and they are expecting money. Hulu makes money by showing ads during the videos. The same concept as commercials on Cable TV. I do not mind the commercials at all. Hulu shows about two to three commercials per video and they are shorter than Cable TV commercials. Hulu even added an option that allows you to watch a longer video (about 1 minute and 30 seconds). In return, you will not see any more commercials during the video.

Hulu is a great way for busy professionals to keep up on their favorite programs. Like any business, Hulu is not doing this free. Hulu makes money by viewers watching short commercials. These commercials are less obtrusive than the ones shown on Cable TV. Overall, I highly recommend Hulu.