When it comes to Hulu.com, students seem to have a strong consensus – they love it.
Hulu is a Web site that allows users to watch episodes of popular TV shows. Hulu also offers current shows, as well as shows that are no longer on the air. According to their Web site, they offer more than 1,700 current primetime shows from nearly 190 content companies.
What Hulu offers varies by show. They range from short clips to full series. They also offer movies and specials.
Senior Farrah Amato said she is a big fan of the Web site and uses it watch ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.’
‘I love it,’ she said. ‘I don’t have cable. I probably use it four times a week.’
Senior Emily Broeg also said that she loves it. She said she uses it to keep up with TV shows on her own time. She uses it for ‘The Office’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and said it is popular amongst her friends.
‘I don’t really have enough time to watch TV, so Hulu is great,’ she said. ‘I definitely know a lot of people who use everything on there.’
Instructor Raymond Schuck has used the Web site for his classes. He has used it both as an educational tool and to lighten the mood of his classes. He has shown ‘Global Voices,’ a PBS series, and ‘The Office’ during class, and sometimes plays ‘The Office’ and ‘Family Guy’ for students before classes start. He even based a final exam question on episodes of ‘The Office’ for an online class.
Hulu is owned by News Corp and NBC Universal. It is currently free, although it may not be for long. Hulu is currently discussing the possibility of adding subscription fees as early as 2010.
Schuck said that he would stop using the Web site if this happened, but until then, he sees it as a useful educational tool.
‘Hulu has a bunch of stuff I don’t have,’ he said. ‘It gives me access to examples I don’t have and it gives students access too.’
Schuck also said he may use it more in the future.
I think there’s a definite possibility [of using it more in the future],’ he said. ‘It’s just a matter of what’s available and when it’s available.”
