Sunday, April 27, 2008

My Hulu experience: better TV, without the TV

I watch about zero TV. But last night I wanted a quick entertainment hit, so I clicked over to Hulu and watched a couple episodes of The Office. The experience was phenomenally better than watching TV on the old way. Why?:

  • My schedule, not theirs. I watched two episodes, back-to-back, on a Saturday, instead of the only broadcast option, Thursdays at 9. No need to put my life on hold for the networks.
  • Great interface. Hulu offers a clean, user-friendly interface, with easy rewinds and fast-forwards. The only thing missing is an "always keep window on top" option so you can multitask without toggling between applications.
  • Limited commercial interruptions. Yes, I work in advertising. But that doesn't mean I think the interruption model is the only way. Hulu gave me more evidence that fewer commercials is better for everyone. Because of the limited clutter, I saw spots for only one brand: Healthy Choice. And I never would have remembered seeing their spots if I were watching TV the old way.
  • 43 minutes, not 60. Maybe the biggest benefit of all is that I gained back 17 minutes of my life. Limited commercials mean less time spent in front of the monitor, giving me more time to do important, high-level stuff like blogging about watching TV.
What did I miss about watching TV on my TV? Nothing. And that's why we're seeing a shift in viewing habits that promises to transform the medium.

2 comments:

Justin Clupper said...

Hulu has saved my lunch hour...what is interesting is that a FOX program will have better quality on Hulu. than on Fox.com's new On Demand.

Erik Deckers said...

This just made me join Hulu. Thanks for the great post.