Hulu Kicks Ass. There, I said it.
So yes, I've talked my share of trash about Hulu, which was once coined ClownCo by the crew over at Google, and seemingly for good reason after NBC pulled their clips from YouTube. We were alll waiting for some sort of ugly, myspace monstrosity from the join venture between NBC and Fox Interactive. Just about every sign pointed to suck.
But it's awesome.
Past some small navigational issues and a need for a bit better search capabilities, the thing is nearly flawless. The proof will come in about a year or so after more and more advertisers clamor to be involved, but so far, the ads have been largely unobtrusive. Outside of the longer episode, spots have only played for me after I'm done watching the clip. It's not really a post-roll, but plays while offering suggestions of other clips and episodes I might like. There was one mildly annoying banner that popped up at the bottom of one video, but it's not really so obtrusive considering the zen-like web 2.0 design and comfortable amounts of white space.
Full screen transitions are flawless, you can embed clips or any piece of a clip you choose, the platform also includes movies, and frankly works well as a separate entity from youtube. The separation actually makes it easier to find exactly what I'm looking for rather than hoping to find the right clip from digging through the packed YT library. Each has its own place.
And here's a couple screen shots of something that blew me away more than just about everything. Search for Lost, Ugly Betty, or whatever from ABC, or Survivor and any CBS show, and you get links to their video offerings as well. Someone at Hulu actually figured at that by making it easier to find other networks' shows it actually became a much better starting place that allows me to get to any network content rather than just the stuff they own.
So a couple weeks into my beta experience, and I'm sold. I'm a fan. Very nicely done, boys. With the recall rates of online video soaring above traditional television, now is probably the time to move in the direction if you have the cash and inclination to do so.