Because I am being a nerd (staying in tonight to try to wrap one more project before heading to Connecticut tomorrow) I thought I would take a break from design to secure my ranking on the nerd-scale… A while ago I was sent an invitation to try Hulu (Beta = nerd perk) but until now have not had time to really activate/try it. From what I understand it is attempting to integrate the technology of television with computers (much like iTunes once did/still does) on a much more user-friendly scale.
Surprisingly, the strongest features are not the actual shows and movies (though the selection is pretty good) but the interface design and the details they took into consideration (letting you dim the rest of the screen when you do not opt to use the full-screen option, etc.). It takes a matter of seconds to master using it. Having watched one episode of Arrested Development and one of The Office I can definitely say that the commercials are also not too frequent or painful in length (which, given my impatience, is impressive). I’d venture to guess it has about 10% of the amount/length of commercials found on regular network television. My only criticism is that the full-size quality is somewhat grainy (in comparison to iTunes) but the fact that it is offered in wide-screen dimensions when smaller more than makes up for it in my (large screened) opinion.
Right now the access to Americans is limited but if you visit the Hulu website your email will be added to a list which they eventually plan to send invitations to (how long that will take or if you will have to wait until it leaves the Beta version I have no idea). Regardless, big thank you to Hulu for including me during their inception!
