In the past, students across the country flocked to the Internet in search of their favorite TV shows and movies. And until recently, many had to resort to sites of questionable legitimacy, with videos that were often of poor quality. College students on a limited budget have been forced to look for a free solution in order to avoid shelling out the money for an iTunes purchase or to rent from Netflix. However, the newly launched site Hulu (hulu.com), provides just what they have been looking for.
Hulu is a streaming video site. It serves up movies and TV shows from some of the biggest names in the industry for free. The service has a couple of pretty powerful backers including NBC and News Corp., who have desperately been trying to get the best content for their online video site. They currently offer TV shows from 49 different content providers, including Fox, NBC, Bravo and USA, and movies from four major studios, including Lionsgate, Fox, Universal and MGM. Right now, that adds up to more than 300 TV shows and more than 80 full-length movies. As Hulu catches on and grows, as it surely will, you can expect that new content will consistently be added. For example, ABC.com already has all of their shows available for watching online, so they’d have good reason to jump onboard in the near future.
Even though some TV shows only have the most recent five episodes available for watching, Hulu is still a step in the right direction.
“Hulu is lacking in content, but it is a great start,” said sophomore David Paparelli. While that may be the case, Hulu is a great alternative or supplement to sites like the student favorite alluc.org, even in its current state.
The quality of video on Hulu is far better, it is much easier to use and, best of all, it’s legal! The only downside for some is that you have to sit through a couple of 30-second adverts, staggered throughout the content. Still, it’s not a bad deal for getting to see all of this for free.
The next time you’re craving a look at The Big Lebowski or trying to find a hilarious SNL skit, ditch the poor-quality illegal sites and give Hulu a shot.
Harrison Hoffman may be contacted at m.hoffman1@umiami.edu