Hulu private beta launches

by Brad Linder Oct 29th 2007

Hulu has finally launched. And odds are you don't have access to it yet. The online video distribution service is a joint venture between NBC and News Corp, and as of today, it's open to anyone with an invitation. Hulu execs say for now, that just means a few thousand people.

We have to admit, we were a bit dubious when the companies announced they would be launching an online video portal. Why not just distribute their videos through an existing service like YouTube or Veoh? And can't you already watch most of these programs at NBC.com or Fox.com?

The truth of the matter is, Hulu is both a web site and a distribution platform. You can watch ad-supported videos at Hulu.com. The videos load in a Flash player, so you probably won't need to install any new software on your computer. And you can embed clips and full-length videos on your own site. Since the advertising stays intact, Hulu makes money no matter where people are watching the videos. Some of the ads will be overlays, while longer videos will likely have a limited number of interstitials, or what we like to think of as your classic commercial that comes on between TV episode segments.

Hulu will also be distributing videos through other portals like MSN Video and AOL Video. In fact, you can already find a handful of full-length TV shows from Hulu at AOL's site.

While you might think the service's 2 company pedigree means you can only watch a handful of videos like Prison Break, 24, Heroes, and Bionic Woman, those two companies produce a lot of video that wind up on other channels. For example, you can find Battlestar Galactica, Monk, Psych, and other shows that air on NBC-owned channels. And there's also a library of programming from the vault, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lost in Space, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There's also a limited number of movies available. You can check out complete lists of content from TechCrunch or NewTeeVee (PDF Link).

New episodes will probably stay on the site for about 5 weeks. It's not clear how long episodes of classic TV shows will be online. But that's what distinguishes Hulu from a good PVR or DVD player. It's more like video on demand, in that you're at the mercy of the programmers. If you decide you want to start watching a series from episode 1, by the time you get to episode 6, the first season may have been pulled off the site, forcing you to buy your downloads from iTunes, Amazon, or the DVD store.

Update: Thanks to Silicon Alley Insider, we got us some embed code. And it looks like once you embed the video on your site, you can access all kinds of other videos through the menu system. Check it out after the jump.

Update 2: And Hulu content is live on MSN Video.

[via TechCrunch]

Tags: advertising, Fox, Hulu, NBC, News Corp, NewsCorp, online-video

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sam said 11:10AM on 10-29-2007

ok this Hulu and the VoD by the mercy of the programmers just has to be the DUMBEST thing I have ever heard. embedded ads? I mean, don't these distributors know anything about the prevalence of Youtube and why that model worked?
If not, let me spell it out for ya: its ad-free, and a place where every video is collected. Why do content providers have this urge to create their "own" service, not even showing it in HD or with any sort of special features that give it intrinsic value. Stick with Youtube and try to have them create a custom player for your needs with an available HD option for people who have broadband. Most people aren't going to go to this, and the ones that do eventually buy the DVD b/c they like the series so much. Whatever. These companies love horrible business models, and its only when they've unloaded multiple rounds of of lead into their feet do they realize the mistake they made and then brush it off with a slick press release saying their "pursuing new and exciting ways to better implement our awesome material for our fans. We love our customers."
BS.

kingkool68 said 12:00PM on 10-29-2007

Props to Hulu for listening to the feedback and delivering something the people actually want. The video quality trumps YouTube, there is seeking, embedding, and the usual controls, No DRM or major constraints... it's just what is needed for re-purposed TV content.

Sure there is ads, but they aren't irritiating and annoying any more than regular TV ads. I'm so glad they didn't go with blatantly distracting video overlays like on YouTube which will ultimately fail -> http://www.russellheimlich.com/blog/why-youtube-video-ads-will-ultimately-fail/

Full length streaming shows are great and most regular users will eat them up. My girlfriend catches up on her favorite tv shows thanks to full streaming episodes on line because it simply works. No techie downloading of torrent files or crappy youtube quality. This is only the begininng and so far Hulu is on to a great thing.

James said 1:30PM on 10-29-2007

I just started using RSS Feed Scanner for Azureus to get "regular" torrents of shows I follow. I feel a *tiny* bit bad about the fact that the content providers get no money out of the deal, but if Hulu had chosen a decent video standard (this isn't the h264 version of Flash, is it?), I'd have gone that route instead. If anybody is listening, here is what I want: high-quality video that will play on a PC or (preferably) Xbox 360. I don't care if it's DRM'd, as long as it works. I don't care if it has ads, as long as they're not twice as loud as the program content (like several of my local cable channels). I don't care if it's embedded in the browser, though I'd prefer it to be player-agnostic -- and it absolutely must be full-screen-able on my secondary display. My two must-haves are that it be free to me (as I said, ad-supported is A-OK), and that it look a hell of a lot better than YouTube -- SD broadcast quality at bare, bare minimum.

Is this really so hard to do?

DJ said 1:52PM on 10-29-2007

Oh, and if you could make your content available to more than just the U.S., that would be appreciated. In Canada we get "Unfortunately this video is not currently available in your country or region."

Wow, DVD region encoding in streaming video. What will they think of next?

Chris Gilmer said 2:02PM on 10-29-2007

ya, too bad the videos are blocked in certain regions and countries. good luck hulu.

Todd said 2:54PM on 10-29-2007

I have it on good authority that Hulu ( A.K.A. "Clown Co." ) have a bunch of people trolling all the big sites writing fake comments to build hype.

Digg, Gizmondo, Engadet and apparently our beloved DLS all have these "glowing reviews" of a product that is not out, all written by "sk8terKidd" and "ImKool2" - very lame gentlemen and it ain't gonna save Clown Co either.

Mr. Linder, please cross reference the "glowing" reviews' IP addresses with NBC/Fox marketing departments IPs.

james 42 said 3:24PM on 10-29-2007

Not a bad first step.

I'm pretty much with your there James. And it's not because of the name, honest. Like you say, full screen, at least SD, and get it to my TV.

michael said 5:26PM on 10-29-2007

MSN Video > YouTube.

Seriously, if you're talking about the site's technology, MSN Video beats YouTube by all.

Unfortunately, most people are still tethered to YouTube because the wide variety of user content uploaded for all these years.

Hulu sounds awesome. Can't wait to try it!

PaulFehr said 11:10PM on 10-29-2007

Tip:

I know, if you signed up for the beta in the past (I did roughly a week ago), but you didn't get into the beta, do this to get in:

Go to hulu.com click on "Forgot Password?", type in your email address, check your email, you should have a password to login to hulu with.

Enjoy :)

Brad Linder said 11:10PM on 10-29-2007

PaulFehr: Awesome tip. Worked like charm for me.

z.beauvais said 8:01AM on 10-30-2007

Unfortunately, the HULU embed doesn't work 'in my region' at this time. I live in the UK, and, having moved from the US four years ago, am often frustrated by the limitations. Why, with the global nature of the internet, would content be restricted to particular areas?

j4k3 said 4:22PM on 11-08-2007

Looks like they disabled the "Forgot Password?" link.

petrescu said 12:32PM on 11-20-2007

There are possibilities for non-US users?
thanks!

Brian said 6:44AM on 11-30-2007

What if going through a US proxy, will the content get blocked too?

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