308 Responses to “Beta testing begins for Hulu”

1. Michael Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 11:19 AM I live in San Francisco, but frequently travel, often internationally, for business. I love iTunes for two reasons, and only two reasons: 1) I can take my shows with me on long plane and train rides (and watch them on the beautiful screen of my iPhone), and 2) when I'm in a country with little American television (as I am now, in Seoul, South Korea), I can still keep up with my favorite shows, many of which WERE on NBC. Hulu fails in both of these areas. 30 Rock, The Office, and Heroes were literally my three favorite shows, and I discovered AND almost exclusively watched all of them on iTunes. I haven't seen a single episode of any of those 3 shows this season. Not only was I fan of these shows, but I was an evangelist. As Malcolm Gladwell would say, I was both a "maven" and a "connector" of these shows - that is to say I was one of the first viewers, and was the type to tell all my friends - by word, by blast e-mail or otherwise - that these were the shows to see. Well, in that same spirit, I think I'm going to be telling my friends that Hulu is a bust. It has a nice interface, or even an excellent interface, but under the futuristic color palettes and clean UI of web 2.0 sites lies the real reason some of them have caught on: they focus on their users. And you, I'm afraid, haven't done that. You look like a giant trying to do ballet. Somehow you squeezed on the tutu, but in your execution, thus far anyways, you look clumsy, heavyhanded, and ultimately out of your league. Truly embrace the spirit of new media (which is focusing on your users, even above designing sexy interfaces), or move out of the way... --- NOTE: the streaming video of Hulu doesn't work outside of the US
2. Rachit Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 01:24 PM Hey Hulu guys, I realize that outside the US, you have syndication deals with different broadcasters in different countries. And it's probably because of their demands that you can't make the shows available internatially. But understand this, the biggest reason piracy happens is because nobody in their right mind wants to wait six-eighteen months for their favourite shows to start showing up in their country. I think that NBC, Fox etc are making a huge jump by providing their shows available for free on their website. But the fundamental difference today, is that your audience is more than half international. Today, you're making these shows for the whole world! And until the broadcast networks can understand that, and they can start providing these shows online, globally ... you will keep losing to piracy. Just suck it up and believe it. One way or another, people around the world are going to be watching your shows within hours of the release in the US. If you're smart, you'll scrap the losing deals you have right now, and start monetizing international traffic with globally targeted ad campaigns. If you're idiots (like most broadcast networks are right now), you'll continue believing that creating more YouTube-clones with geographical protection for the US, will solve the problem. Just me smart. Start showing the shows internationally. Trust me, we'll actually watch your ads. best, Rachit (Just another technology commenter from Asia)
3. John pusinsky Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 01:40 PM Great idea ! Looking forward to something like this for a while. From the screen shots I saw you have a very good design. Maybe you could include some documentaries, I am sure that Newscorp has a huge library of them. Just a thought. Well, good luck !
4. Timothy Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 01:42 PM Great work! Kudos to the Hulu team. Keep up the good work guys.
5. STR Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 02:23 PM wow! I wont it NOW! nice interface!
6. Steve Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 02:38 PM Great product - now come on and open it up to the world like it should be, not just the US minority...
7. Richard Shupert Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 03:05 PM Awesome! What an incredible Idea !!!! Looking forward to hearing more!
8. Matt_ Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 03:13 PM Jason Im sure your painfully aware that Piracy is your biggest competitor but geo-retricting content is not the answer . HULU needs to be availble on a global basis and your content partners need to do deals with international distributors if they are going to combat piracy in a meaningful way .Today online viewers can get Foxtorrent and go to ShareTV.org and download and stream the same shows you have on HULU with no ads and no restrictions or they can downlad Toorent Episode downloader and it will search the RSS feeds and download the shows for me and use Peergardian so your Anti-Priacy contractors have a really hard time trying to find casual pirates. http://www.foxtorrent.com/ http://sharetv.org/ http://www.ted.nu/ Please make HULU easier to use than Torrent sites and you will have some very loyal viewers that will sit through the Targeted advertisng .Im sure International viewers could use a high speed proxy to get around your Geo Restrictions but why bother when the torrent is easier to get and possibly out of the reach of the US legal system. Some possitive things you alowed embeds HULU is browser based (this can also be limiting) and you have a distrubed content strategy. Also why isnt Joost a distribution partner I would rather find all my content in one place in full screen with mimimal ads and Joost does that for me . And where is my Invite ;)
9. Renato Mader Says:
   October 29th, 2007 at 03:53 PM Hello there! I was kind a happy about hulu's perspective, till read it that was restricted to US area. Shame, though it is such a good business model, and also broads the concept of entertainment around new boundaries, still lock at the most desireble aspect of the web: It's world, it's wide, it's web! Also waiting to see what happens after the whole world says the samething at your blog. (A very nice strategy to collect insights and inputs, must say. But now, show us that youy really read and hear what is said and written here). Best regards, Renato Mader
10. Pete Dooley Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 03:57 PM I said it all pretty much here: http://skyshoes.wordpress.com/ Congratulations on the quality of your delivery. Now all we need is some content. That Office episode was pretty good though. Go HULU
11. Paul Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 03:59 PM Relax guys they haven't even opened it up to everyone in the U.S. yet. The problem is how do you advertise effectively to the world. Good first step to what it might become. Any chance you will be showing "Party of Five"?
12. Fred @ Newest on the Net Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 04:35 PM I can't wait for Hulu. I think that this is a great start for the networks.
13. EJ Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 04:46 PM HULU in Chinese: I was surprised at the name of this largely American company, although my guess is this is another example of the oddly-named web generation babies. However, in Chinese, Hulu is 葫芦, meaning gourd, yes, the useful plant/vegatable that Chinese have long used for storage and bowling water. What's more interesting, in Chinese, there is the expression Bao Hulu, or 宝葫芦, meaning treasure gourd, a term of mystery and thrill. And there is the folk tale springing from the Stories of Bao Hulu, and blah blah blah. In any case, just some interesting thoughts, and Hulu will not even need head-scratching search for its Chinese translation when its debute in China :)
14. Matias Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 05:09 PM I am in Chile. Here in Chile it seems a lot of the good programming is NOT AVAILABLE. This happens also on ABC´s website, AOL Video´s site, JOUST AND MANY OTHERS. What is it about Chile that makes it soooo difficult to make the content available?
15. Rob Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 05:13 PM heres a thought, let then start with the US then grow. maybe make it useable with mobile phones :)
16. Randy Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 05:22 PM This seems to be a major step in something we all saw coming - the integration of TV and internet. Sure, there have been computers that could be hooked up to cable for a number of years, and Fox and some networks have offered full episodes of TV shows, even in HD quality, on their web sites... But this feels like the mainstream networks are finally fully embracing this changeover. I'm psyched! Can't wait to get my beta invitation!
17. Heather Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 05:32 PM I agree with the other posts - what is the point of this site if only people in the US can use it? I don't want to pirate TV shows, I really don't, but I have to if your legit site prevents me from using it because my computer isn't presently in the USA.
18. DM Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 05:37 PM Just signed up for the Beta and then started reading the comments. Found out I can't download and take with me on the plane or train. Thanks but no thanks Hulu, I'll delete the invite if I get it.
19. fluf Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 05:41 PM Just another US-only site :) And then you wonder and complain of the piracy in some countries - you just don't give us a chance. Whatever, the decision is yours :)
20. Marc Angos Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 05:45 PM The fact that this site is not available on internationally is a huge problem. If you take a look at other popular sites online, you will realize that these sites are not only limited to US residents. This site would of been a huge success if it were to bring US television shows for free to anyone on the internet, something that has never been done before. But unfortunately, it isn't the case and thus another win for piracy.
21. Guillaumedhy Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 06:10 PM Hi, I am french... do you mean I won't be abble to access hulu.com from France ? "It was too good to be true, I won't have my log on Hulu..." :-(
22. Martin Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 06:36 PM Let's hope a more worldwide version of this appears, i'm in canada, didn't receive an invite yet, I just read the comments, but come on... Canada and the US is basically the same thing (product wise, advertising shouldn't be too hard).
23. Laura Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 06:36 PM nice idea, but the fact that i am forced to watch on my computer is a minus. i want to be able to carry the shows with me - not find myself chained to my computer. on the one hand, the fact that the shows are available online in the first place is awesome because i am not restricted to trying to catch a show at a particular time. on the other hand, i'm now forced to watch on my computer and can't watch on the go, like during my daily 45min long commute to work as i was able to until the new season of heroes started. so this is a step backwards.
24. Denise Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 06:46 PM Hi Jason and Team: This is going to be the coolest thing. Will you develop original content too? Ohh I've got friends with lot's of stuff - good stuff that people will enjoy on Hulu - your cool easy format 24/7 is the best. Can't wait to see more. Love it. Denise
25. moonjuice Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 06:48 PM The thing about the internet is that it's theoretically accessible from everywhere in the world. I won't go into the technical aspect of it, but to paraphrase a famous non-computer scientist, it involves a series of tubes. By limiting something as big as this to just the US, you are breaking the internet paradigm: not the "web 2.0" paradigm - the INTERNET paradigm. You are working in such a narrow scope, I wish you good luck competing with YouTube. You will need it.
26. Abraham Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 07:01 PM Cool, nice idea. By offering something free you will see a much bigger return. This is something the recording industry is learning the hard way. I wish you well in your project though you could use some help with the name.
27. Jason Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 07:37 PM HDTV or 1080P offering? Please please outgun them by delivering HDTV. Use collaborative networks to speed up delivery.
28. Colin Gillis Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 07:40 PM Despite all the gripes above, its worth pointing out 1) The quality of the video is very respectable and 2)It's among the most interesting of the ad supported video sites. It will get more of my time than YouTube --Colin
29. Tom Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 07:42 PM After reading several of your post and seeing what you are going to do with this site I am deeply disappoint in what you are doing! I was hoping to buy my show like on iTunes a watch them on my TV and enjoy the show without being tied to the Internet! If this is the way you wish to run this site than I will not be a very happy camper! I have tried watching shows off the NBC site and keep getting booted or a buffering error. Well hope you come to realize that this is not the way to go. PS. Hey to everyone outside the US I live here in the states and feel for you and hope that they do a better job with this site and come to there senses!
30. 99%CSPAN&PBS Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 07:47 PM Great site design! The custom clip UI when email'ing is awesome idea. (Please add a subject line field to edit, so it doesn't get flagged as spam.) Please add an mp4 video link for iPhone/Touch users like me, also!! I noticed all the intl users groaning. Please get ads/attorney staff on that ASAP...not making this worldwide is shooting yourself in the foot, and will ensure less buzz and revenue. Do you realize how many captive and bored laptop/iPhone/Touch users there are in overseas hotels and waiting in airports that will catch a couple, quick episodes??
31. Sebastian Bassi Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 08:23 PM For US only?. I will propose in my country (Argentina) to be annexed bu the US, so I could watch this site. The problem is that most people here hate Americans so my plan will not work :(
32. JoeM Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 08:26 PM 1- This should be allowed to be connected in the Internet TV in Media Center. 2- I should be able to carry these shows on my Zune, Great device for watching Videos.
33. Tom Townsend Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 08:29 PM Very interesting. Just this AM I received an email and link from Akami touting their new web TV/HD platform. When I attempted to play the Video I also was delivered a message about bandwidth issues. I am pleased to report that I had no problems with your Office Local Ad session. I am impressed. I run a small Video Production business out of Tampa Florida and would be interested in your larger Beta test when you roll it out. Thanks
34. Jeff Knouse Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 08:38 PM I tried to watch the sample Office video and got an error message that it is not available in my country or region. I am in Los Angeles CA USA. I wonder where it is available.
35. Tyler Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 08:45 PM Whatever font you're publishing all this in, it's unreadable. Redesign this blog and maybe I'll try to read it.
36. Alie Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 09:47 PM I agree with Mario. It's a huge shame that you limit your services to those only within the United States. Living in Canada I get pretty much all American stations and only watch American television shows. We all live in North America and my money is just as good to you if I buy your videos on iTunes or on DVD format so why should I be excluded from using Hulu simply because I'm Canadian? I really hope you can resolve this.
37. Drew Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 10:02 PM Why do people immediately get this sense of entitlement? The entertainment industry is first and foremost a business. I think a lot of the people complaining here probably download music for free because they think musicians "make too much money as it is." I have news for you, if you don't like something or its cost, don't buy it. I don't walk out of a restaurant without paying for my meal because I think they made enough money that night, or drive a new car of the lot without paying because surely the dealer sold enough cars to justify me not paying. In the case of the rest of the world getting access to American content, let the distributors figure it out. You have spoken, they have heard. There are many issues associated with this kind of thing. There are considerable distribution agreements in place that are very tricky and can't simply be broken or disregarded. Think of what providing free content to your country will do for YOUR economy. You won't be generating any local advertising revenue (which don't kid yourself is why anyone makes television shows). SOMEONE is paying to make these shows available on the web. Why would an American advertiser want to foot the bill for the bandwith to support worldwide users? Seriously, quit thinking you are ENTITLED to free things. You aren't, especially if you aren't here helping to support getting these things made.
38. digit Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 10:14 PM im a perfect candidate for this beta test. i use an loathe all the major network video players. if you get these points right you are off to a good start. 1. audio normalization - commercials should not be 3 times as loud as the video im watching. (abc,nbc) 2. i should not have to get up and click after a commercial to get back to the video (abc) 3. i should not have to watch the same damn commercial over and over and over (all of them). its called rotation. let me in, i will not hesitate to tell you why/how your player fails/suceeds.
39. Mike Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 11:05 PM I just watched the clip available in the blog. The quality is wonderful and the streaming seemed very fast. The only thing I was dissatisfied with is the clip creator. I wanted to grab a small clip from the middle of the episode, and the only way I could do this was by trial and error. There should be some sort of timer to make clips easier to create. thanks, I'll be back.
40. Dave Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 11:22 PM Looking forward to trying it out! And my god...enough with the whining people! All your international folks whining about US only....look in your own backyard. If I go to the ITV site for the UK...can I watch anything? Nope. This is a GREAT first step. ROME wasn't watched/built in a day.
41. MaloEh Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 11:35 PM *sigh* Why do the corporations insist on blocking these videos outside oof the US. Yes, I understand that there are issues with not being able to get local advertising, distibution agreements, blah blah blah. I currently have satellite, and get all the US shows with US ADVERTISING, why aren't the local companies here in Canada up in arms? Oh right, because there is still a large number of people watching the local ads on cable or OTA broadcasts. You really think that having a few thousand people watching this stuff on the internet is going to hurt your revenues? Somebody please explain why things are the way they are... Way to help justify piracy! Keep up the good work!!
42. Joe Bua Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 11:44 PM I would just like my invite. BTW, you can watch more than The Office in the embed above. Click any of the little images below when you hit menu and there are some other shows, including Family Guy, American Dad, Heroes, etc.
43. Robert Kouchiyama Says:
    October 29th, 2007 at 11:49 PM Nat Worden at TheStreet.com made some nice comments regarding Hulu today. It appears that the media giants have finally discovered a way to rival YouTube. In the future as viewers become more comfortable with programs via the internet, they can in all probability begin to charge for premium content in addition to their "free shows" paid for by advertisers. http://www.thestreet.com/s/hulu-to-hurt-cable-not-google/newsanalysis/mediaentertainment/10387093.html?puc=_tscs
44. Blake Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 12:15 AM Why in the world would Hulu allow the world to watch their shows (which are incredibly costly to produce/stream/etc.) if there aren't foreign advertisers on board (yet) to pay for it. This modern sense of entitlement is misguided and baffling to say the least. People actually think that YouTube is "winning" because the world can use it... never mind that they bleed buckets of money every month because they haven't figured out a way to monetize their content yet. Guess what world... I'm in New York and haven't been invited yet. Relax. As soon as somebody in your country gets their act together and sells local advertising against the content, you will get what you seek. Until then, it's much cheaper for Hulu to let you pirate the content.
45. Vedran Cindric Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 12:25 AM So i love this service, firsth of all it has the capaticy to rule every other site...because of one thing...it is the firsth one that has content...great work to all of you. I am really disapointed because it is not avaiable in Croatia, i whis this could change,i hope this can happen, do we need to start a pettion :) thank you for this service just hope me and my friends will be able to use it
46. Sylvia Ellefsen Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 12:48 AM This is the best I have seen yet.i have not had time to explore it all. But would to be part of it. What more can I tell you.i would to be part of it.
47. Paul Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 12:52 AM Great, another lame site to watch shows - I work on my computer all day, I don't want to sit in front of it to watch your shows!! iTunes is great, because I can put the content on either my iPhone or Apple TV and watch without sitting at my desk or with a computer in my lap. Zucker and NBC are idiots, this is going to flop and everyone is going to forget about this lame service within a few months. I was happy paying for your content when I knew I could enjoy the shows at my convenience.
48. Hans Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 12:52 AM not available in your region...
49. Clesio Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 12:55 AM I'm from Brazil. I wish much success to the Hulu!
50. iTunes Fan Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:10 AM I'm so sick of seeing and hearing about new sites offering episodes of television shows for free online. The iTunes Store is the best way to download and watch your favorite TV shows. The $1.99 price tag per episode is well worth the price as you can watch it in decent quality on your computer or put it on your iPod. NBC, I can't begin to tell you how upset I am with your decision to no longer sell your programming on iTunes. Are you just plain stupid? The episodes of your shows were the some of the most downloaded and watched on iTunes. Do you realize that iTunes saved The Office and is responsible for its popularity? It's just frustrating NBC.. You pull your programming off of iTunes and then offer it on Amazon's service (Which sucks and nobody uses, not to mention it's not compatible with Mac users) for the same price that you offered it on iTunes? You could be rolling in the dough right now. If your programming was still offered I would probably buy 4-5 season passes and I know a lot of other people would too. So in conclusion, iTunes is the way to go.. even if you have to pay a small price for each episode.
51. Kaleesa Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:15 AM Hulu is amazing! If people have a problem with Hulu not being availble outside the US, then they should not blame Hulu because they did not write international the international laws that forbid it. Thank you, -Kaleesa p.s. Please send out the invitations today (at least for the people who signed up before noon).
52. orcmid Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:19 AM Oh my, I may have to get a remote for my Media Center PC after all. I'm not sure I am into "The Office" (don't have a TV or cable in the household), but I can see getting hooked on this thing when I should be working at my desk. I know, I'll watch it from inside Second Life! I like what you are doing so far. I imagine the international situation will sort itself out.
53. Howard Vallerie Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:20 AM I am within the US and can't wait to try it out (awaiting my invite). I highly encourage putting shows on the web as I've recently hooked up a media center computer to my 50" plasma. I truly enjoy what some sites have to offer, such as full broadcast of old 70's shows on videos.aol.com, TV shows from Fox on Fox.com, and the beta version of Joost which allows me to watch great music videos. So far, Joost seems to get the point better than others. Their commercials are 5-second spots, not 30 seconds. I don't mind seeing small logos rather than interruptions for full commercials. Joost allows full screen viewing, while fox uses a browser. The problem is that the borders of the browser (address bar, etc.) can burn into a plasma screen. The bad part of Joost is the quality is poor on videos. AOL offers better quality videos, but they charge $1.99 for some shows. Personally, I will never pay for a TV show. By the way, I would rather wait 5-10 minutes for a video to buffer and get HD (or close to) quality rather than an instant replay with poor video quality. I can't wait to try your site! Please hurry with the invite :-)
54. Howard Vallerie Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:24 AM I will never watch or buy a video from itunes. It's a ripp-off. And if anyone thinks itunes offers video quality, you need to have your eyes examined. I have seen their shows and I consider it very poor quality. AOL has 70's videos for free that look much better.
55. TalGreywolf Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:34 AM From looking at the site, I certainly won't be throwing any of my hard earned cash in this soon-to-be-another-money-losing venture. NBC/Universal doesn't understand that people pay to OWN music and video, not rent it, and certainly won't accept the restrictions on the product. iTunes was perhaps the best offering that was out there, but this is a disaster in the making. Instead, NBC/Universal will discover that like Rhapsody, Napster, Google Video, and other previous attempts their offering will be avoided like the plague, and that the public will either a) record it off the air, b) find a way to remove the Digital Restrictions MisManagement from the product, or c) simply download it from a torrent site. So while the site may look cool, the offerings and the service most definitely reek of wrong-headedness and a stubborn desire to maintain a broken distribution system.
56. Andreas Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:36 AM I know that big corporate america might not care about our opinions. I mean clearly that's the case here. But I'm gonna try to make a difference anyway because in the end you are providing a service for us so we hold the power. and we dont want this. Back on itunes or back to piracy. I will never use this site and I will convince all my friends not to use it and convince them to convince their friends. iTunes is by far the largest distributor of legal content out there and by saying no to itunes is to tell us to go back to illigeal downloads again. and you claim that this is a free service. BUT IT*S NOT!! I'm paying for the service by wathcing the commercials. I'm wathcing those commercials on my time and on my internet connection witch by the way I'm already paying for. now I'm fine with paying for the episodes on itunes. I dont care if it cost monay. I dont have to watch the commercials and the file is actually mine. So most people are fine with you charging them money for your work. that's just fair. But dont say it's free if it's really not.
57. CTD Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:43 AM That custom time line embed is a nice feature. Also the quality looks pretty decent. Good luck with this. I'm always open to more competition when it comes to getting more TV content on the internet.
58. Andreas Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 01:51 AM respond to Kaleesa I love all of these shows and I donwloaded and payed for them in iTunes. Now I cant because I live outside the US. I am citizen of the european union witch is a much larger market if you concider people with internet and high speed internet connections. Saying this is because of international law is just wrong and truly makes truth of the american stereotype. There is no international law. There is no international police. that would go againt the idea of sovereign nations. Now there is international agreements made by the UN. But I dont think they have so much to say about NBC's Heroes.
59. sid Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 02:07 AM what are the system requirements to view the shows?
60. kal Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 02:18 AM much cleaner and sleeker UI than You Tube. Looking forward to exploring. For those who are griping that you have don't have access outside the US, quit your crying and stick with You Tube
61. QK Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 02:57 AM I can't wait to enjoy your service to watch my favorite shows on or offline...oh, wait. Only online. Well, at least I can load up my Apple TV with product to watch with my family...oh, wait. Can't go to any device. Oh! I have an idea. I'll get all your shows off of BitTorrent and do what I want with them. By the way, I have subscribed to Heroes, Battlestar Galactica and The Office via iTunes in the past. You guys are pretty stupid.
62. Paul Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 03:04 AM Quality is good, but if I have to watch it in a tiny window within my web browser, it isn't worth bothering. I would like to see a full screen option.
63. charmedavril999 Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 03:30 AM This is pretty good. I'm all about watching full-episodes online, so I don't need to record them. So this is definitely a great site. You may not exactly get a big turn out because this is not open to people in other countries. You guys should really try to fix that. But the player looks and streams pretty well. It's a job well done!
64. bill Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 03:34 AM Dave, COnsider yourself fortunate that you cant watch anything itv makes...Sites like this though promise delivery of shows though the web and then dont. If I live in the US i would just turn on the Tv to watch the shows. From outside the US is where the real benefit is. The owners of the rights need to get their act together listens to their potential customers and create a new business model not just based on selling to foriegn tv companies but one that allows true global sharing across the web funded by advertising, which could be region targeted. The first to do that will make billions. Just look at the responses here to see the demand from the rest of the world.
65. philippe Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 03:43 AM this is just another post about "outsiders" who are not able to sign up for the service... really, what's going on? i know there are tons of legal issues involved but hey... there will always be a kind soul willing to rip the content and publish somewhere else... that's it
66. Steve Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 04:09 AM Can't take it with me on my portable media player? Then I guess this is about as useful as an 8-trac... Put your stuff back on iTunes and get up-to-speed on what CONSUMERS want, not greedy executives.
67. abdi Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 04:17 AM WOW am loving Hulu. very clear video.to be honest i was thinking about ways to get direct satalite on ma Labtop... but noe Am i learned that am gonna get more and more then i neeeded. Thnks guys
68. paige!!! Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 04:20 AM this site idea is very clever even i myself would sit and wonder... i wonderif there is such a site that would play full length videos that i use to get the chance to watch... but to come to find out that you tube and google's videos are far from full length and are what i want to watch i was easlily dispointed... but wonderfully this evening i decided to watch the news and figure out that other people had the same idea... oh the joy... right away i went to see if it was really true and was really free... but i am still waiting for an "invite" from who ever it is that will reply... hopefully soon i will be able to taste test this site... and see how really wonderful it is... i guess what i am saying is... when exactly will i be ble to sign in?... --Paige!!!
69. Sumit Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 04:33 AM I love the video quality of the video but the sad part is that it loads a bit slower than you tube on my 1Mbit/s connection. Is there any way that you guys could link the streaming work to the akamai group? Linking with the akamai group will make your video streaming process much fast that this slow one.
70. Nixon Arauz Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 04:53 AM this is a out standong dite i love it
71. J-Man Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 05:03 AM Actually NBC dropping their content from iTunes should help the torrent sites as more peers will be available for downloading its content. I guess we owe them a word of thanks for that. I am hopeful we can get the download speeds for Heroes up to iTunes quality. As for this initiative I wish them the same success with Hulu as their subscription based music plan--none...
72. jjudge Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 05:23 AM good work - i can't wait to see season 3 of arrested development. hopefully my beta invite will come soon.
73. Thunk Different. Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 06:03 AM I looking to see if Mountain View is gonna take their gloves off for this one. You tube really has a long way to go, and i don't mean a streamlined look in their player, the .flv based files are pittily compared to some other sites, i'm looking for an in for this fo' sure. "While most are dreaming of success, winners wake-up and work hard to achieve it." -someone sometime.
74. BENJAMIN SANCHEZ Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 06:15 AM sound like is going to be very interesting, specialy after works hours, work breaks, lunch, retirees well i am just waiting, i have plenty of time to see it. good luck
75. Bri Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 06:16 AM Hopefully, your Saturday Night Live videos will be way better to access than the current NBC SNL site debacle.
76. Brad Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 06:23 AM Good interface. Play back is a bit jerky (on 3MB connection). Seek feature appears to "lock up", though this in on the blog video post of the Office so it is understood if it is a preview w/ limited bandwidth. Name of site/concept has very little retention pay back. A poor choice IMO, but I am no expert (thought google was dumb as well). Interesting concept. I hope it works out.
77. Rechelle Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 07:15 AM Hi Guys! this is a really a blast idea! i love it! i am from Dubai and just saw the news in the news paper and i immidiately check it on the net...can't wait to watch all those movies!!! very good idea! you must be proud guys......^_^ i will tell all my friends...hee hee
78. Mac and PC user Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 07:33 AM Since everyone who has a cellphone uses a Tivo, I was wondering who would watch tv shows with commercials. After 5 years of never seeing a commercial change is good. I think marketing is living in a cave somewhere.
79. Srikanth Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 07:42 AM I love the quality of the videos. You have the content and you will win.
80. sidelines Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 07:54 AM For those of you (us) outside of the US, just use a proxy service to access this site (or any other damn site trying to block you because of where you're from) if/when you get your invite. Google "proxy" to find a proxy site (easy peasy). Once at the proxy site, you'll be able to enter the web address you want, and, ta-dah!, you're in. Big corporations trying to control the internet... *sticking my tongue out* You don't get it.
81. blake Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 07:57 AM It's actually funny watching all of you miserable idiots bash on Hulu. This is beta people! They wouldn't need to launch a beta testing if every detail was ironed out perfectly today. The notion that they should have stayed with iTunes... even though they weren't given control of the pricing for their own content, is insane. They OWN the content, come to their site to watch it, or break the law. In the online environment, they don't care at all. If you haven't noticed, and judging by your reactions thus far, network executive don't WANT to encourage online consumption of their shows yet. They're making way too much money offline with their ancient distribution model where advertising metrics can't be accurately tracked and they can still charge whatever they want. They have to effectively monetize their content online before they start actually fixing your complaints and promoting online consumption.
82. Laughing Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 07:58 AM Windows only... USofA only... DRM infested... Yeah, sure, way to go. You may end regretting those $15M you sneered at. Time to short GE and buy some AAPL and GOOG.
83. GI Joe Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 08:38 AM I applaud your effort to provide current show on the net. However, I am very disappointed that you have chosen to deny access to U.S. Service Members serving overseas. We would love to get some recent U.S. TV shows but services like your's continue to deny us access based on our location.
84. Ryan M Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 08:53 AM I don't mean to be rude, but this is more useful to me on iTunes. At least the video could escape the browser. But in any case, I'm in NZ, so I don't have ANY legal alternative. I shall bittorrent whatever I want, until I see the content become available locally, conveniently, and affordably, and hopefully DRM-free. Laterz NBCtards
85. mike chambers Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 08:53 AM Can we get an option for fullscreen? Flash supports this. mike
86. Dave Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 08:58 AM Please don't release this outside the US! I'm totally fine with continuing to BitTorrent all the TV shows that I couldn't even pay for if I wanted to. You're just making it easy to sleep at night.
87. Martin Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 09:11 AM Please give up already and put the content back to iTunes. Frankly, this is nothing short of embarrassing.
88. Martin Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 09:19 AM Funny. iTunes and torrented TV-Shows never had to be "sorry for the inconvenience".
89. R. Brown Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 09:23 AM Oh my god, I'm watching a full episode of Airwolf. A man is playing a cello on a dock by a lake. We hear an eagle's cry as it swoops through the frame. A woman in a sweater has been watching the majestic scene unfold, and she claps. "That was lovely," she says to the man. It is revealed that the man is training the eagle. Somewhere, a synthesizer plays.
90. Yong Hwee Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 09:29 AM Wow, this is good news! I hope to be part of the beta.
91. Bryce Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 09:33 AM I want to watch The Office from Australia without having to stay up late, please fix that problem.
92. Tim Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 09:42 AM The Internet is global, why on earth would you even consider making an embedable video player widget that only works if you're in the states?! Legal reasons aren't an excuse, it's your content, you can licence it as you like.
93. G. Gleinig Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 09:48 AM I only watched Heroes and Lost from NBC but haven't bothered since the new seasons are not available on iTunes. I refuse to watch commercials and will never pay more than what iTunes pricing had for lower quality than DVD.
94. aboutrilo Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 10:00 AM It seems so backward for a service like hulu to restrict not only international US Citizens from accessing content merely because they are offshore, but also to restrict the service to a purely web-based format. Has it occurred to anyone at hulu that a pay-subscription based service is already fighting a losing battle? The simplicity of iTunes makes it an accessible service and offers a simplistic and cost effective service - both for Apple and the consumer. Convergence across devices is what's driving our world at the moment. Adapting both content and adding accessibility is what is making the media world thrive. Take that away, and the world will find something else to do.
95. Gaz Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 10:04 AM It's very easy to understand why these shows are not available outside the U.S. At the moment, the U.S. government has a policy that all non U.S. citizens need to be fingerprinted before entering the country. Now the big worry here is because the internet is a series of Tubes then people are going to be able to squeeze themselves down these Tubes, and create terrorist havoc. The probable exception is Saudi Arabia rather than Canada. To piss off Canadians.
96. Joseph Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 10:19 AM "Why in the world would Hulu allow the world to watch their shows (which are incredibly costly to produce/stream/etc.) if there aren't foreign advertisers on board (yet) to pay for it." How about because most of the advertisers are global companies and advertise globally anyway. There also happen to be more than 5 million Americans living abroad. But if you really want to put up virtual borders around your website, at least have the sense to put up a disclaimer. Or else don't act surprised when people are angry or dissappointed.
97. Joshua Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 10:27 AM Another + for iTunes here... this hulu shit is the dumbest thing I've seen. Good luck on getting the masses over here. I love how in your recent comment you mentioned that Apple has been selling hardware off the back of your content... that's not quite the case... You've been selling content (or Rather Apple has been selling your content) on the back of its hardware, that is to say, People buy the hardware because they love it... they buy your shit because it works on their hardware and they love it... I'm too busy to try to make your ignorant asses understand this, not that you ever will, I'm off to BitTorrent to download my shows that I used to be able to just buy on iTunes...
98. James Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 10:40 AM There are 2 places I watch television shows: 1) On my television 2) On my iPod/iPhone while I'm on the go. Notice something missing there? Notice how I didn't say "on my computer"? Watching the Office is cool and all but I'm not going huddle around my work desk with my friends and family: we would like to watch things on a television. And I can't really stream your shows to a computer as I ride the bus: my iPhone is much better for that. So seriously, how the hell do you propose I watch these shows? Here's your answer: make them downloadable and playable on iPods/iPhones/Zunes/whatever. Put ads all over them if that's what you really need to do, but this streaming on a computer only thing is just going to drive people to piracy if you don't start offering alternatives. That said, the quality and interface seem pretty good. Build on that.
99. Andrew Says:
    October 30th, 2007 at 10:53 AM Yet another major player makes a decent stab at providing online content to the masses and fails in almost every major respect. The world has changed whether you like it or not. The consumer is in command (as they have always been) and have regained the power they originally had before the technology forced them out of the equation by not allowing them to choose when and where to watch their favourite content. The worm has turned and technology is now flowing against the business model that has worked so well for you up until this point. Advertising revenue earned by charging vendors for peak times and popular shows has been undermined. Many consumers never really cared for the machinations of the advertising companies and given the choice they will mute, fast forward, edit out, skip, and walk away from advertisements during their favourite shows. The new business model charges for the show itself and gives the media to the customer so they can watch it when, where, and in the manner they like. In order for this consumer utopia to occur you need to change your entire business model and the industry that has matured around it. Attempts like this will only further push people (especially those who live overseas like me) to obtain their entertainment via other avenues. This leads to fewer viewers watching your networks, fewer advertising dollars, and ever shrinking margins. Before the entire thing collapses there will be a white knight, but it may not be you.
100. Jonathan Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 10:54 AM Please just come back to iTunes. I was happy paying for shows I could watch on my computer and I'm not going to muck about with this crap.
101. Zap Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 10:57 AM Site looks pretty sweet, waiting for an invitation now to test this out :) Keep up the good work Hulu people.
102. John G Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 11:15 AM It is clear from reading other comments here that there is HUGE demand for Hulu to be an international platform. The challenge that entertainment companies have is that they have distribution agreements which prevent this. However, I was working with IBM on their website strategy ten years ago when they faced a similar dilemma. IBM didn't want to sell computers directly online because it would conflict with their channel partners. However, as we have seen, it is inevitable that businesses accept this customer demand. Once IBM started selling directly online they realized great sales and none of their distribution partners bailed on them. We have lived with the Internet long enough to realize that the best business models start with a global model. That is truly missing here. Often entertainment companies think that the English language websites are only of interest to the US market. This is far from the truth, though. When I was working with DreamWorks Animation on their website, we discovered that a full 40% of visitors to their website were from outside of the US. That is a market share that one can't ignore. What Hulu needs to do is to use an ad insertion technology that allows them to target the ads in the shows towards the local markets, but to not restrict viewing by geography. It would be great for them to also be able to sell ad space across geographies. If they want to share revenue in local markets with their distribution partners, then that is up to them. Additionally, it is not a huge issue to embed multiple audio tracks. This would allows anyone in any market to listen to any voiceover that they want to. A British family Italy could hear the English version and a Chinese family in Kentucky could here the Chinese version (if available.). However, I know that many markets would be very glad to get just the English version. If Hulu were to make this leap I am certain that they would revolutionize the media market! However, their is an incredible amount of fear in this industry. They are afraid of losing what they used to have. Rather than making bold steps and adopting the new possiblities they act more in a protective manner. Hulu is interesting, but there isn't anything here that couldn't have been done 20 years ago. Unless they change their business model, they will never really become significant. It will be relevant for a small market, but it will never change the industry for the betterment of the industry and the customers.
103. Mariano Kamp Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 11:21 AM Guys, please, don't forget the international viewers once again. Don't let us wait for the episodes to cool off and get dubbed. That sucks. Let's just pretend this is the internet and we all can xs content on equal terms. Oh and btw. get your act together and get back to iTunes.
104. shelly Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 11:37 AM Good job guys, you just made your content less accessible for legitimate customers and have driven everyone outside of the States back to pirating your shows. We are happy to pay the money for this content - either figure out what the hell you're doing or give it back to iTunes who _do_ know what they're doing.
105. sambeau Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 11:42 AM *sigh* Greedy, greedy media corporation dinosaurs... *sigh* Things were moving in the right direction - iTunes was the first great step in a gentle revolution. *sigh* You can't beat torrents with draconian, unilateral, impersonal stream-based services. People want to be able to watch things at their leisure. *sigh* You are just going to send your fans back to the torrents! :shame: If I was Apple I would start to make content. Steve Jobs has already has an amazing, proven track record with Pixar and Disney. I await your sad demise when he does...
106. Monkeyson Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 11:49 AM Here's why Hulu doesn't "get it": 1. The internet is a global phenomenom. People all around the world receive the same promotional material and hype for a new TV show, movie, or game. Of course they want to see it, but despite the marketing being global, the distribution isn't. Stop teasing and frustrating your potential international customers. They *want* your content. Let them have it at the same time as the US. 2. Streaming is fine for short clips, but for whole TV shows it is a bad idea unless you offer a downloadable version. Otherwise, users need a computer and a decent internet connection to watch it without buffering, and it's impossible to watch it in comfort on the main television, or whilst commuting with an iPod. People are used to doing this and they like it, and if you won't provide the means to do so, they'll find another way. 3. Long video commercials don't work. If I have to wait a long time (more than 5 seconds is a long time for the fickle web surfer) to see the content I wanted - which I do if video commercials *and* buffering is involved, I'll go find it somewhere else. Streaming isn't scheduled broadcast television - it's "on demand".
107. Jon Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 11:53 AM A nice start, but you can't really enter into competition with Apple by aiming lower. They've set the bar for international availibility (for US travellers at least), portability on the most popular playback device, ease-of-purchase, selection and increasingly, image quality. You should attempt to beat them in most of these, otherwise you'll just get crushed by piracy. The strategy of through-website distribution might work for portability in the near future, but as of now, neither the iPhone nor the worlds largest mobile platform, Nokia phones, are capable of showing your content on-the-go. This, I think, is a huge oversight from your part, if not a critical mistake. Figure out portability and the rest might just follow.
108. Joe Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 11:54 AM @David P: I like the way you've destroyed their carefully-crafted site. Obviously their programmers have not heard of the overflow property. Hulu: Seriously? You expect your audience to watch TV shows from within a web browser? This isn't YouTube, where most videos are 3-5 minutes long. And what's with limiting your international audience? Oink may have fallen, but there are tonnes of other BitTorrent sites, and I can assure you that your shows are being pirated as I type, and that will continue at the present level unless you address the concerns raised in the comments above.
109. Michael Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 12:03 PM This seems like a step backwards for media. I have gotten so used to watching the TV shows I like anytime and with whatever device I have around me that even at no charge this service seems overpriced. Streaming will never be convenient while most of my time is spent without or on slower than ideal internet connections. Embedded video players will never have the ability to play on my TV or iPod. I guess the assumption is that, since Youtube is successful with a web-tied distribution model, all other video content should be distributed similarly. This logic neglects the fact that Youtube videos and television shows are not enjoyed in the same manner. Youtube is popular for short clips of low quality that are often used to take short breaks from everyday drudgery while television shows are used to wind down once we have broken away from that drudgery. So, no thanks. This "service" just hinders my enjoyment of television by getting in the way of more convenient and user-conscious alternatives.
110. kL Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 12:21 PM UK Mac user vs US-only video infested with Windows-only DRM. NBC - thanks for supporting PirateBay!
111. Roland Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 12:29 PM I want to buy the shows and see them on my iPhone. Is piracy the only solution you are suggesting?
112. Jay in Kuwait Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 12:34 PM I agree with the first poster. If you won't release this to the world then I will continue to use iTunes with my iPod. The quality is there (not the crappy YouTube quality) even though I do have to pay for my favorite episodes. But I'm willing to pay as long as it's there and the quality is the same as my TV. The only other alternative is CTV. www.ctv.com
113. Adam Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 01:03 PM This almost makes me think that you really do want me to pirate NBC/Universal television shows. Web only? No iPod? No download? Easily was worth the $1.99 through iTunes. I watched 3 NBC shows last season (The Office, Heroes, 30 Rock) and one Universal show (House). Now I watch none. That's well over $100 in downloads you've lost. Keep in mind that your marquee draw--The Office--would have been cancelled after the first season if it wasn't for iTunes availability. Good luck with your obsolescence--you're doing a bang up job.
114. Kay Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 01:03 PM Talk about a step backwards. Rather than liberating content, enabling greater choice and tapping additional revenue streams, this is an attempt to put the genie back in the bottle. iTMS was a step forward. Hulu is an attempt to rewind to a time when networks held a strangle-hold on markets. Oh well, iTMS and Bittorrent it is, I guess.
115. oomu Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 01:25 PM no no no, it's not the good way ! streaming is too much intensive on network. we need INTERNATIONAL ACCESS, DOWNLOAD and to remove DRM itunes was a good step and it's the best software to access media. the easiest. how can't you understand people in the world have no reason to support you when subtitles, downloads, and copies are _everywhere_ with HD quality and available the NEXT day of the american broadcast. you cannot forget that, you cannot suppress that, you HAVE to follow ! -- for me, from France, I can live without yours productions. books, musics and videogames are far enough. accept internet and GLOBAL market world !
116. zylogz80 Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 01:28 PM Can't get it on my iPhone? PSP? Xbox 360? iPod? Laptop? Ahhh, I'm gonna have to go go ahead and say thanks but no thanks. It's either DRM Free H.264, iTunes, or Torrents. Y'all fvcked up!
117. Dan Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 01:31 PM Will these shows be downloadable and viewable from my iPhone or MacBook without an Internet connection? The appeal to watching these shows on smaller devices is from watching them on the go, without Internet connections, at our leisure. Hopefully you are working on a way to get these shows to work while off-line on the millions and millions of iPods/iPhones out there.
118. Eric Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:05 PM Me? I paid for subscriptions through iTunes. Hulu, however, is horribly inflexible, doesn't compete with iTunes (let alone torrents) in quality OR convenience. I am willing to pay to get my shows online. I am not willing to buy into a locked system that lets you tell me how and when I get to view the content I pay for. Here's a suggestion to NBC and Jeff Zucker specifically: If you're going to back out of iTunes (not in and of itself a bad idea), REPLACE IT WITH SOME BETER IN EVERY WAY, not WORSE in every way. Only some clueless out-of-touch CEO would ever think to tie his ship exclusively to this dock.
119. Capitain Birth Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:06 PM This site just gives me pleasure. It is super-fun to watch a whole industry self-destruct and implode in denial. Start your countdown to bankrupcy... and by the way, NBC? Instead of restricting content, you would do well creating _decent_ content first...
120. Ben Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:08 PM I too just provided my email address to sign up for the beta, without realising it was US residents only affair. I suggest you add a note on the front page that states that fact. I find it sad that big media still don't understand the internet medium. I want to watch tv shows in English, no matter where I live. I'm even quite prepared to pay for it, but no company is brave enough to set a reasonable price and embrace the new paradigm shift. Sad, very sad.
121. Rich Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:08 PM So...let me get this straight. You're going to pull content off iTunes because you don't like Apple's pricing, and you're going to give it away free in a more restricted format where you get paid NOTHING? Wow. You people are freakin' GENIUSES!
122. Jay Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:20 PM One Word - iTUNES! We want to be able to easily download and video video on our iPods, on our TV, and on media other than our computer. We want to do it all in the same interface as our music AND we are willing to pay for that ability - so BRING IT BACK TO ITUNES. I have no interest in watching for or paying for video on the web only.
123. Michael Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:31 PM I signed up for the beta, but I was sorry to hear that the service is not available outside of the U.S. *sigh* That leaves me out. We are STILL waiting for the Canadian iTunes store to offer the same T.V. and movie content that the U.S. store does. We are willing and ready to give you our MONEY! And now I learn that your pulling out of the U.S. iTunes store? Stupid move NBC. It's sad, just too damn sad. Pull it together and get back on iTunes FAST!
124. iTunes Fan Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:32 PM After reading most of the comments on this page I think it's pretty clear that people want NBC programming on iTunes again. NBC - your just being stupid.. iTunes all the way!
125. Tito Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:34 PM How can I be invited for the Hulu Beta version? Tks, Tito
126. Gedeon Maheux Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 02:38 PM So $15 Million dollars wasn't enough for you guys from iTunes last year huh? What was the amount you were making for your shows online before iTunes came along? Oh yeah, right. Zero. Your vision is shortsighted, greedy and anti-customer. If I can't view your shows on my iPod or iPhone, can only see the last 5 episodes of something, can't watch them outside the US, have to watch ads and need flash, then I'd say this grand experiment is a massive failure. Too bad too because I like your content, but I'll never buy another NBC/U DVD. Ever.
127. Corey Marion Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:01 PM I agree with all of the iTunes comments. I purchased seasons 1-3 of the Office and season 1 of Heroes. I was planning to do the same this year as well as adding the next season of Battlestar Galactica. I was very disappointed when I read the news that NBC did not renew their contract. I have already sent an email to NBC U with no response. I tried watching the ebedded video and it does looks pretty good, until you click off of the browser window to actually do something (like work) and it gets very choppy. Sorry but this proves NBC is not looking to the future of content delivery. Bring your shows back to iTunes please!
128. clifyt Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:02 PM This is just plain effn pathetic. I have a life, I don't have time for television and refuse to pay $50 a month to get two programs I can't get over the air and tivo them (and because I got rid of cable, the Tivo wasn't really paying for, so it sits in a box). Luckily, I had iTunes. It meant I could pick up seasons of the 6 shows I watch and get them delivered weekly and watch them on my schedule. I'm almost never near an internet connection when I'm watching, and if I were, I'd probably be doing something productive. Now this effn Hulu. Won't work for my Mac. Forced commercials. Forced to be stuck at an internet connection while I'm watching. You know what? I'm not even going to bother checking this out. I bought the iTunes versions and then the DVD sets so that I can loan them to my friends (i.e., iTunes limits you to your computers only...no dvd burning...it isn't without faults). Half the series I've bought were from NBC/Universal... Guess what? As much as I hate Torrents, I'm seriously considering them again. No...I won't do that. I'll just stop watching. Maybe pick up the crap in the bargain bin in 5 years if I still care. It is a shame, years ago I was under contract with another large media company. I pissed and moaned about their lack of foresight and went back to the 'real world'. The former CEO sounds like the jack*** that Zucker is...feeling entitled to anything and everything. It doesn't matter that he was making a fair profit and his take home salary was enough to feed a small nation, he felt cheated. What a dick. Luckily, I see the new CEO of my old company understanding the future and actually trying to make changes (albiet slowly). Zucker needs to be fired. Glad to see Fox, however, looking at multiple ways of getting their product into people's hands...both through this site and through iTunes. I hope that there is a Mac version of this soon. Lots of problems, but so long as there are multiple ways of getting to the programs, I'm happy I can still get what I need (I'll retract that the minute I can't get 24 downloaded in a quick and unobtrusive manner the day after it airs).
129. David Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:04 PM Here's the problem. With iTunes I downloaded the shows I missed for one reason or another and put them on my computer and/or iPod. Then I could watch them whenever I wanted wherever I wanted. Having a long commute, catching up on the bus with my iPod was great. Over lunch I caught up on a half season of Heroes. Hulu (which really sounds like what my former mates did after too much drinking on the weekend) I'm stuck watching only from my computer and only when I'm connected. Since my workplace blocks all entertainment sites that will include Hulu. With iTunes I had one stop shopping, now NBC is trying to lead the networks down a path where I'll be running from site to site to catch up. No - that won't happen. Here's what will happen. Next year if NBC has a break out hit that I wind up missing from the start one of three things will happen: 1) I just won't bother. NBC looses. 2) I'll use BitTorrents. NBC looses. 3) I'll watch on DVD by renting from NetFlicks - NBC mostly looses. In short - with me - NBC gains nothing from Hulu and I doubt that I am in the minority.
130. Jerry Barnes Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:06 PM Great idea! I can watch decent quality shows on my computer... not on my iPod or my TV. You know, where I might actually want to watch them. I quit cable for iTunes and now I can't get the few NBC shows I watched. So I have to decide, do I not watch them or do I BitTorrent them? Tough call. I can't believe NBC pulled its shows. They were too expensive to begin with. They cost as much as a DVD without the quality and extras because the networks are so damn greedy. People won't keep paying you to watch the same shows over and over again. I'm with Gedeon Maheux, no more DVDs from NBC/U.
131. mark Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:10 PM I think I'm willing to watch a few commercials instead of paying $1.99, so hulu, you have an opportunity. But I don't particularly like to watch on my computer. Are you going to make me buy a separate hardware device to take it to my TV or on the go? If you do, then forget it. Will you work with Apple to make your shows streamable to my AppleTV and my iPhone (or iPod touch), like YouTube does? Or is your Mr. Zucker going to keep shooting off his mouth and burn that bridge? Or have you already burnt that bridge, and that explains why your Mr. Zucker keeps shooting off his mouth? Please tell him to grow up, and make it possible.
132. tdous Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:12 PM This is disappointing for UK viewers such as myself. Someone further up argued that we should not feel a sense of entitlement to American content. I would suggest that these global entertainment corporations are producing worldwide entertainment (in America mostly of course) and that it's simply the accompanying delivery content, the advertising that pays for this, that is truly local to American. So hey.. idea.. why not build localised advertising deals?! And before you think "well maybe they will, this is early days", I still can't buy TV shows/movies through iTunes even now, and countless official media corp sites still prevent me from viewing their content. They are losing out by no catering to this market as well as the US with properly supported local advertising. Surely this is fundamentally obvious?
133. Mike Rich Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:12 PM The only reason I watched NBC shows was because I could throw them on my iPod and watch them when I travel, or hook it up to my TV and watch it there. Now I have to have a broadband connection to see lower quality video. Use your heads.
134. yet another steve Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:13 PM I can't believe that just as every model of the leading portable movie player (I think its name begins with an 'i') with a screen now supports video--you guys are trying to get us tied to our browsers and stuck with just streaming. It's a huge step backwards. Over the last few years I have learned just how superior a commerical free experience is thanks to DVDs. This attempts to put the revolution started by Tivo, DVDs and, yes, that i-thing you hate so much back in the bottle. Not going to happen. You guys have some good shows. But guess what? There are a LOT of good shows these days. Far more content than time, really. You're not as special as you think you are.
135. Albert Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:16 PM I used to buy episodes of NBC programmes on iTunes because I thought the pricing was fair. I also enjoyed watching the shows on my iPod while I commute to work everyday. As such, Hulu does not make sense for me. Further, I do not like the concept of proprietary formats. Based on these 2 reasons alone I see little reason for me to support your pathetic video distribution site. I agree with the comments from several of the above users: - "Truly embrace the spirit of new media...which is focusing on your users..." - "All beggars eventually are forced to steal..." For now, I have resort to buying pirated DVDs or downloading Torrent files since the NBC shows I like are no longer offered on iTunes.
136. Chris Coleman Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:20 PM Wow, this is so groundbreaking! I am truly thrilled by such great NBC original programming! Just FYI, it's strikingly obvious which comments are planted by NBC. Don't you have anything better for your interns to spend their time doing?
137. Harry Wyckoff Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:21 PM Hmmm.... I can only watch these shows while chained to a browser, and in the country the shows air in anyway. Effectively, the only advantage is that I can watch the when I want. As long as I am in front of my computer at the time, and as long as I don't mind a tiny window. Why is this better than recording the shows on a PVR and watching that whenever I want? On a bigger screen? With the ability to skip commercials? With my family? There appears to be no benefit to this whatsoever. If I can't carry it away on an external device, it is actually a step backwards from the TV. The only benefit I can see is if I am overseas and want to keep up on shows. But of course that doesn't work, does it. What is this about?
138. johnny66ch Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:21 PM By the time your shows are shown in Europe, I've already seen them through a torrent. Your business distribution model is dead. And now you're trying to perpetuate this model online as well? This is a different world. Take serious breath of fresh air (perfumed with the delightful smell of Apples).
139. Steven Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:22 PM I want to be able to embed your player on my veoh page and have your permission to place and share content there.
140. tamu schwoeffermann Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:25 PM Any chance you will have functionality with the miro player? Perhaps providing an rss feed for each series so we can subscribe to it. You know sort of like podcasts do it today. That and i can't wait to get a beta account. Thanks! You rock! Great service!
141. Arny Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:26 PM After What I read On Cnet news.com, I hope you fail miserably. Not availble outside the US, can't watch on anything else than your your computer screen. Well forget anything from NBC cause i'm moving back to You Tube
142. Jonathan LaCour Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:27 PM The video quality looks okay, I guess. But, I can't download it, watch it on my iPhone or iPod, or watch it on my computer when I'm on the road, since its streaming. Why can't I just download episodes of my favorite NBC shows on iTunes? I am willing to pay, but I am not going to watch ads, I want to be able to watch the show on my iPod and iPhone, and I don't want the show to get deleted after any period of time. Seriously, NBC, its time to realize that you are just upsetting your customers, and losing money in the process. I love 30 Rock and The Office, and plan on still watching them on my iPhone while I work out, but now, instead of paying you for it, I'll probably have to resort to alternative methods, which will be inconvenient for me, and will give you no additional revenue.
143. Valerie Sugyiama Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:28 PM I'm not even a Mac user, but I do use iTunes a LOT. I also don't have cable service in my dorm, so every TV show I watch is on my computer. My roommate and I have iTunes season passes to a number of series. Here's my big problem: Our dorm is in the stone-age technology wise, and there is no WiFi or broadband in our rooms. So, I go to a Hotspot, download the iTunes TV shows, and we watch them on friday nights. It has been a lifesaver for us, we'd go crazy without any TV shows. So a service like Hulu won't work at all for us, or the many other people in our building that do exactly this same thing. We used to (still do until our iTunes season pass expires I guess?) have 2 favorite NBC shows - Heroes and The Office. We'd also watch most of the 3 Law & Order series. We were happy to pay a reasonable price of under $2.00 an episode, over that and we would have probably thought twice. Sorry, a TV show just isn't like a movie - I don't ever watch TV shows more than once, and would not be able to justify spending over $2.00 per episode. Which is why iTunes worked for us PERFECTLY. With all of NBC's shows off of iTunes, you lost 2 happy and loyal viewers that would have spent plenty of money buying your shows throughout our college years and probably after that as well. No iTunes, no way that we can watch any NBC or other network shows that aren't on it. I admit that it really sucks, because I especially loved Heroes. But there's no way we can pay much more than we are/were, or stream shows. I see lots of similar posts on here and thought I'd share my experience as well. I also hope and wish that NBC would reconsider and at least provide shows back on iTunes as well...I mean, what could it possibly *hurt*? It seems like a lot to loose for them, and nothing to gain. Oh well, guess we'll all see.
144. scott lewis Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:32 PM $1.99 an episode with iTunes was great. I could watch it on any authorized device, and it was encrypted in a way that I couldn't pirate it if I wanted to. Seemed fair. Now I can watch it on NO device I want to (no Apple TV, no iPod, no iPhone), and you don't get my $1.99 an episode. Do your advertisors really pay THAT much? I would think that the $35-$45 a year PER SHOW I was spending in iTunes was worth more than the nickel or two an advertisor would pay for me to not watch ads, since we all switch to another window while an ad is playing anyway. Hey - here's a brilliant idea. DO BOTH. Put your stuff on iTunes, Amazon, and Hulu. Let us pay or watch ads - our choice. I travel extensively, in fact, I'm only home every OTHER weekend. Hotel internet connections are too slow for live streaming. It's always a pain. It was worth the $2 an episode to know that it would download overnight, and sync to my iPod. Something about the video hiccups and annoyingly uncomfortable hotel chairs and small desks just isn't as attractive as my iPod. At least admit it... it's ego, stubborness and to a lessor extent greed. You'd rather GIVE it away for free streaming, making pennies on the ads then let US buy it cheap, if it means letting Apple control some of the cost structure. We weren't complaining. Nobody cared if the price went down, and NOBODY was going to pay more. $1.99 was working, but unfortunately, your panties got in a bunch. Heads up: You now make less money.
145. Gabe Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:36 PM Why would I pay for this if I can't watch it at my convenience -- on my iPod, or on my TV?
146. TVMitch Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:38 PM Just an awful idea, front to back, from people who have not a clue about what consumers want in November 2007. I can only imagine the Hulu pre-launch meetings. "Well, Apple screwed us over, so let's make our own video site with a catchy name! There's a hula hoop in the corner, let's name it Hulu. People don't want to be able to take video with them so we'll tie them to a tiny little video player and hire some people who can do CSS. It'll be Web 2.0-riffic, and we'll make lots of money!" Truth is, this is a dud from the start, and we won't fall for it. Torrents, here we come. (Of note: the early comments on this post, the fake "OMG Hulu is the r0x0rz!!1!" stuff: beyond pathetic. Like staging your own press conference. Only fools would think this Hulu a step in the right direction.)
147. mark Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:41 PM hulu: you've got to end the "last 5 shows" limit. one key to Internet distribution is time-shifting, and that limit kills it. and decouple the ads from the show so you can show me a few new, timely ads for older shows. even better, you can more or less know my zip code, so use those demographics to show me ads for the things I'd likely be interested in. please remember that your NBC and Fox TV content is essentially free to me, and that the benefit of hulu is that I don't have to spend the effort to record and digitize it myself (which by the way is getting really easy to do). But in exchange for that convenience, I'm more than willing to watch a few up-to-date and tailored ads.
148. Anders Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:42 PM Geographic restriction seems to be the number one issue with Hulu. After that is fixed, you need to create a non-streaming solution that can play on portable players. Until then, you force your customers to go back to pirating. Of course the easy way to get there is to just go back where your customers already are on iTunes. In the meantime I won't be watching NBC.
149. Louie Mantia Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:49 PM I'm sorry to say NBC/U, but iTunes is the best way for most people to purchase content. I don't see how starting your own site is going to help me get this content on my iPod/iPhone. You're limiting viewers. iTunes will have a bigger user base than Hulu can over hope to achieve. I won't be buying any more NBC/U DVDs as well. Get your head out of wherever it is and get with the program. You are backtracking and being idiots. Act rational, and start caring about the consumer instead of your profits. You were making enough on iTunes. End of story. Hulu seems really restricting. iTunes is worldwide.
150. Zach Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:50 PM This is the second day since you've posted this and you haven't posted a response to all the negative comments yet. This shows that you can imitate all you like, but you do not (and probably will never) get this whole internet thing. Go read the cluetrain manifesto. If you think it doesn't apply anymore read it again because you're wrong. The technology has changed but what you need to do with that technology has not.
151. Brendon Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:50 PM I used to watch the Office all the time, when it was on iTunes. Now that it's gone so am I. How about you quit wasting your money and our time and give us our freedom of choice back. Thanks.
152. Phil Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 03:58 PM I wonder if prior to this internets thing happening if NBC was getting portions of the sale of each TV, like you seem to want to do with the sale of each iPod. I'm pretty sure there are millions more televisions than there are iPods. What if instead of being called iPods they were just considered small televisions? I did sign up for an invite but after some further consideration I realize I won't use Hulu anyway. I prefer to watch anything longer than a few minutes on my TV. I don't even like to watch YouTube on my computer, the AppleTV works nice for that though. See I like watching tv shows with my wife and as romantic as an evening sitting in the office in two separate chairs sounds, or on the couch with a laptop, I don't think we'll be doing it. Everything that should be said has been by others. Go back to iTunes or make content downloadable via Hulu in a format that works for everybody. You guys really don't get it at all do you? Fire the guys in the suits, go down to the mailroom and promote some of the young kids with wires leading to their ears, have them help you out.
153. Leslie Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:01 PM I must say I agree with the comments. I really want to watch shows legally but NBC, you've made it almost impossible now for mac people. This is how stupid the situation is. I buy Heroes and the Office through Amazon's Unbox service but actually download the shows from a torrent site to view because I don't have a Windows machine. And yes, you can buy through Amazon Unbox on a Mac, but not watch'em. Guess how I did it last year? The answer starts with "i" and ends with "Tunes" and I was 100% legal. sigh.
154. Steven Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:02 PM And if you do charge for some features can I be an assosiate?
155. William Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:05 PM It's been said already many times here, so I'll just reiterate: your media needs to be portable. Let people do what they want with your content or they'll just find different content. Good luck. You're gonna need it.
156. Tug Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:09 PM I work on a boat with marginal interenet availability so streaming video is rarely watchable. I have a slingbox attached to DirecTv and it works great when I am at the Airport or a WiFi hotspot but poorly via cell modems. If HULU is for streaming only it won't be much use to the traveler or others who need entertainement offline. It obviously won't work on a plane or halfway across the ocean. If I can download at home, where I have High speed DSL, and take it with me to watch on my Zune or Laptop then I will be a very happy man. I am more than willing to watch the Adds if they are what is footing the bill. I don't want to watch them over and over or keep them for ever. NBC has been allowing me to take it with me for some time but the selection was infantesimal. Conan and a few epasodes of this or that. We'll see what the final verdict is on HULU after I get my invite.........
157. jay c Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:19 PM To get people to use any commercial programming off the internet, it has to be: 1. convenient 2. cheap 3. watchable on an iPod or iPhone Otherwise no one's interested and they'll get your shows elsewhere and probably not by legal means. Stop playing games and cut a new deal with Apple. They know what they're doing and you don't. And asking for a cut of iPod sales is like gas companies demanding a portion of automobile sales or a software manufacturer wanting a cut of computer sales: idiotic.
158. Pete Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:23 PM So you're not happy w/ Apple and you want to make your own service to compete with them. Do you get the idea that people buy the media they sell so that they can play it on their iPod or iPhone? All you are doing is disconnecting yourself from those customers. They are not going to want to carry around their laptop instead of their iPod so that they can watch your programs. Plus we can already watch your shows w/o paying on TV.... for free! The fact we were willing to pay and watch them is a plus for you. But the reason we were willing to pay was because we could throw them on our iPod and take them w/ us! Love The Office, love My Name is Earl, and some of the other shows. Too bad. Oh well, ABC just got another customer for their season of Lost. Don't think you were doing Apple a favor by giving them the content. This was a case of them doing you a favor by having it available for their massive iPod customer base.
159. Mike Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:24 PM Guys, When Hulu does become fully available to the US and you are outside of the US, just use a web based proxy to view the videos. PS: Bring The Office back to the iTunes Store!
160. tug Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:28 PM Jason Kilar, Home, 60" Toshiba HD TV, DirecTV HD, Dolby Surround,DSL streaming works great but don't need your content. On the road, Toshiba laptop with 15.4" screen or Zune, cell modem. Steaming bad or not at all, would like to have your content. Get it?
161. Jon Hancock Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:28 PM Nice try, decent quality except for occasional stutters, but you know, compared to buying your shows on iTunes, which I did a LOT of last season, this just won't work for me. Part of why iTunes is such a joy is that I can watch the shows wherever and whenever I have to be on business- (travel 2-3 weeks most months), and iTunes is my replacement for cable TV, which is pretty useless. Well, non-resizable video that's only available streaming online and in the US of A is pretty useless to me when I'm in a Sinagpore hotel room, or on a 747 between SFO and Frankfurt. I was willing to pay good money for that, but now you guys thing a rate equivalent to DVD TV pricing is too low.... what a disappointment. Well, there are many other networks on iTunes, and believe me, I'm enjoying them and discovering new shows every week it seems. I think you folks are going to miss the boat on this one.... ~Jon
162. james k Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:32 PM Hulu looks great but it looks like it won't work for me. Here's why: 1. When I'm at home with broadband, I prefer to watch on a TV, not on my computer. So hulu has to get your content to my TV, but it doesn't. FAIL. 2. When I'm not at home, I most likely don't have access to free broadband (or wifi), i.e., in the car, bus, subway, plane, station, airport. So hulu has to make its content portable so I can watch on my computer or my iPod/iPhone, but it doesn't. FAIL. 3. So of what use is Hulu to me? What this says to me is that you're launching into beta without even thinking hard about what the user wants. Instead of launching, you should go back and add some more useful features so that your whole concept and brand doesn't get totally dissed and dumped in the toilet. Your launch is analogous to launching a new broadcast TV network today with just black and white TV shows and no sound. Lame. Also, you need to fix the commenting so it preserves paragraph breaks. That's also lame.
163. Todd Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:32 PM This is a big step in the wrong direction. I want to watch Heroes on my iPod/TV just like last year. Bought every episode on iTunes. Now I'm forced to find it elsewhere for free... and it's not nearly as convenient. NBC, come back to iTunes, for the love of GAWD!
164. Hugh Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:36 PM There is no reason I would be interested in watching NBC's shows from a streaming website. I'll just keep them programmed on my DVR. Unfortunately I can't fit my DVR (or my computer) in my pocket. Please return to iTunes (and my iPod).
165. Barles Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:38 PM I don't get it. This Hulu is terrible. I don't want to be locked to my computer, locked to my webbrowser. I want to put videos on my iPod and watch them on the subway when I go to work. Hulu is a nice site, but lame. The entire concept is awful. Maybe it sounds great for the TV moguls, but I think, if I can't put it on my iPod and go, then I'll check out other shows from other networks. Maybe some people are addicted to their television shows, but not me. Such a backward mentality. Get with the future, NBC.
166. Michael Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:47 PM Go back to iTunes. It was much more convenient to the user. I will not be using your site as I have to have my shows on my iPhone or iPod or Apple TV. That is where the beauty of the iTunes system is. Buy in there and play it anywhere (within the limits of the DRM). Which really was fine. I don't have cable so I will not be watching Top Chef, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica or The Office as you have removed them from iTunes. This is why you are in last place and will be staying there! Good luck. P.S. Your contact forms on your NBC Universal site are terrible. How can you connect with your customers if your forms and email links don't work?
167. Jay Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:55 PM I think this site rocks !! All those stupid iPod jerks can say all they want. Imagine watching a show on 2-inch screens !!! How pathetic can these iPod freaks get?? For all you iPod morons, all I can say is GET A LIFE !!
168. Joshua Emmons Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 04:58 PM I was happily paying $2.00 an episode to watch your shows how I wanted on iTunes. Now all I have is OTA and Hulu delivery, and it's so restrictive that I'm not willing to watch them FOR FREE. I think maybe you're doing it wrong.
169. mark Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:06 PM Hey, someone just deleted some postings. A Jay just wrote that iPod users were morons for watching on a 2" screen and should get a life. That but in nastier words. And I was going to respond but it's now gone. I was going to say that I sure hope Jay's attitude wasn't the one that Hulu or Zucker has of iPod users. But then again, maybe it is and that's why NBCU has chosen this as its only solution.
170. Frank Reiff Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:15 PM +1 for everyone who complaints about your stupid DRM and US only policy There's a killing to be made with online media (yes money, lots of it, mind boggingly huge stacks of EURO bills!): You just need to let people buy it off you.
171. Gary C Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:18 PM About you... "Hulu's ambitious and never-ending mission is to help you find and enjoy the world's premium content when, WHERE and how you want it." ...I'm in the UK, so WHERE am I?
172. Julian Bennett Holmes Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:18 PM I guess now I'll just have to bittorrent them instead of getting them off iTunes....
173. HASSAN' Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:19 PM please invite me for Hulu
174. John Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:22 PM requested beta invite, read Terms no mention of US only -I'm in Germany. Probably missed it. I skim through above comments only to become quickly and painfully aware that it is US only. This seems idiotic. What is it about the media industry, so full of imaginative creative people, to become so fenced in in their thinking when it comes to the extraordinary global commercial opportunities for possible with the internet? Of course it is possible to come up with advertising models that will allow global distribution of your products. You will have to because others will see and grab these fantastic opportunities, and they will sweep by you and grab that market, and NBC, Fox, the BBC etc and the record companies and all the other "mainstream media" organisations will become just memories.
175. Bill C Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:24 PM So.....your plan is to re-invent iTunes but without all the....ummm....capability, good-looks and functionality? Spending wads of cash to build something that already exists in a form that will blow-away anything you could even dream about building is such a waste of time, energy and money. Save your R&D dollars. Tail between your legs....ask Jobs for forgiveness...get your cut of $1.99 per and roll naked in the positive cashflow. One more thing....concentrate on more scenes of Sarah Chalke in her underware and leave the technology to those who have demonstrated success. Repeat over and over until it sinks in...Networks are for content. Networks are for content. Networks are for content.
176. Kelly M. Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:27 PM Wow. Why NBC/U thinks I want to watch T.V. on my computer is beyond me. I realize that you need to focus on squeezing every ounce of profit from your productions - but this makes no sense. Watching short videos via YouTube makes sense (enough sense that people are willing to "endure" lousy encodes), but watching T.V. on your computer screen *and* being forced to sit through commercials (the same ones mind you - over and over and over) is definitely a sign that you're not thinking this all the way through. It seems to me, that if you want to make money, then you sell something people want. In this case, you're giving it away (for now), and selling the ad space to your advertisers. But what good is your ad space when the vast majority of people will not use your service? It's very obvious that you burned your iTunes bridge in a bad way - but to burn it for this? Someone is seriously mistaken. I subscribed to 4 separate shows on iTunes - even though I could get the shows for free (watching it on cable or Tivo) simply because it worked and I could watch what I want with no annoying ads and take the content with me. Hulu offers me none of that. I don't care that it's "free" (for now) - it doesn't let me watch it in my living room, or my iPod and I am forced to sit through commercials (which I could at least skip with Tivo). It is apparent that your only attempting to create a single distribution channel which you conveniently control - so that in the end, you can stipulate whatever price you want. That's what the music industry did, and that's why the music industry nearly *destroyed* itself. If you were smart, you would be interested in getting your content on as many outlets as possible - not ripping it from a major outlet (like iTunes) for this.
177. Les Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:33 PM NBC, I mean this in the gentlest way possible. The internet is a force larger than yourself. Swim with the current, not against it. The sooner you learn this, the easier it will be for you in the long run.
178. Bill Woody Says:
     October 30th, 2007 at 05:35 PM My use model is simple: in the evening my wife and I sit down and watch an hour of television during dinner, and in the evening we watch a second hour before going to bed. Right now we have a ReplayTV which we use to record TV shows so we can watch it in the evening. On occasion we'll also watch the commercials if it is an ad for a new movie we haven't seen or for a product that looks interesting. (I purchased a Sears CompuCarve based on a TV commercial watched on ReplayTV.) What I use iTunes for is to purchase programming that for some reason I was unable to record over the air, and to see the sequence of episodes for more episodic series so we watch the recorded shows in proper order. If we had a service which we could purchase a wider variety of programming in order, I'd cancel my cable in a heartbeat: for the convenience of watching episodic television on demand I'd happily pay $2/show. The problem I see with Hulu is that while it does satisify the time shifting aspect, it doesn't satisfy my ability to sit down in front of the big scre