Blog #6: Hulu vs. YouTube

I typically use these two sites for very different purposes. If I want to watch an entire episode of a television show that has recently (of course not the day before, cause that requires a subscription) aired then I go on HULU. If I am in the mood to watch music videos, interviews, fandom videos, parts of television shows or even someone recording a television show then I go to YOUTUBE. These two sites are very similar in some ways and extremely different in others. For this blog post I decided to watch clips from Michael Phelps' stint as host of Saturday Night Live on both of the sites.

Similarities:

YouTube and Hulu provide videos (both clips and even sometimes full episodes) on the internet, and for the most part they are all free of charge. On Hulu when I clicked on the video, a short advertisement came up. For the full episodes, the advertisements are longer and come more frequently during the viewing.

This is the same for Youtube, typically on the popular videos there is an advertisement that comes up before the video begins. Another similar feature these sites share is that they provide links to other videos that they think you would like based on the video you are currently watching. YouTube places them on the side and are direct links to other YouTube videos.

Hulu, has them on the bottom of the site, but are just links to other show they think you would be interested in. For Hulu, the links to other clips is completely restricted to the show in which the clip is from.

Differences:

One major difference that is present when watching videos from these two sites is the quality. On Hulu, it feels as if you are watching it straight from the television set. They are buffering the site continuously as you are watching it and it really feels like the television set has been transported to your computer screen. YouTube, although sometimes is high quality (when its music videos or a sponsored page) is typically someone filming their television and uploading it onto the site. This severely decreases the quality of the video and has the tendency to turn people off from watching legitimate episodes (if they are even there) or clips on YouTube.

Video of a video-->

<-- Direct video feed






Another huge difference is that on YouTube the only time it is required of you to make an account is if you want to upload your own personal videos. However, on Hulu if you want to watch a recent episode of a show sometimes you have to sign up for Hulu+, which costs a monthly rate. This is a new feature of Hulu, and for those that are truly devoted to the site will probably pay it, I am not part of that group and choose to find free versions elsewhere.

These two sites are integral parts of the world wide web today, and each provides their own unique services to the public. Both sites are helpful if you know how to use them...as long as you don't mind waiting until the advertisement ends.