openhulu posts

Filed under: Internet, Video, Web services

Move over OPENhulu, here comes TVparadise

by Brad Linder Dec 17th 2007

It looks like the folks at OPENhulu aren't the only ones taking advantage of the Hulu's embed-friendliness to create a clone of the NBC/FOX online video site. While OPENhulu continues to add Hulu videos to its site, TV Paradise seems to host pretty much every Hulu video available. There are a couple of other things that make TV Paradise more attractive than OPEhulu at the moment:

You can watch videos in full screen mode without opening a pop-up ad first
The embed code for each video is listed right below the video (although you can also grab the code by clicking the menu button inside the video window)
So far there are no ads at all on TV Paradise (we kind of expect that to change)

TV Paradise is new enough that the site doesn't even have a logo, let alone a business model. The site looks slightly more Hulu-like than OPENhulu does, except for a short disclaimer at the bottom of the page which points out that the site is not affiliated in any way with Hulu.

The biggest problem with both of these sites is that they're both going to become useless the moment Hulu sheds its invitation-only beta status and opens its doors to the public. There's no reason to go to a Hulu-clone when you could just go to Hulu.

Tags: hulu, openhulu, tv-paradise

Filed under: Internet, Video

OPENhulu rips off Hulu and passes the savings on to you

by Brad Linder Dec 11th 2007

Take a close look at the images above. Notice any differences? On the left you have Hulu, the invitation-only online video site from NBC Universal and News Corp. On the right you have OPENhulu, a ripoff site that looks a lot like Hulu, features much of the same video content, and doesn't require an invitation.

OPENhulu is the brain child of Matt Schlicht, and the concept is pretty simple. Since Hulu lets registered users embed videos on their own web sites, he figured he might as well grab all the content he could from Hulu (not every video sports an embed code) and post it on a Hulu clone site, then throw up some advertising to see if he could make a few bucks.

Technically, Hulu doesn't stand to lose anything beside brand loyalty and name recognition. Each video includes advertisements, which you'll see whether you watch at Hulu or OPENhulu. But somehow we still figure it's just a matter of time before Schlicht finds a cease and desist letter in his inbox.

[via last100]

Tags: Hulu, online-video, OPENhulu

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters