Hulu Launches Desktop App

Even with a 17-inch laptop screen, being able to use a remote control to navigate Hulu still doesn't necessarily make it a lean-back experience.  To enjoy shows on Hulu, most viewers still need to sit close enough to their computer screens that they may as well use a mouse instead of a computer remote control. 

I've been messing around with the Hulu desktop app today.

Annnnnnnddddd ..... what do you think?

Well I like the design and it has a pretty easy to use UI. I also like how it shrinks when you're currently watching by sticking it in the upper left corner of the screen so you can browse around some more

while a desktop app by Hulu might make sense in these early days (boxee is in alpha), in the long run  I don't know why a user would select a "Hulu closed app" and just have access to Hulu programming  when they could select an app to give you Hulu + the world...

People want choice.

People want choice, but people also want convenience. If 90 percent of what a user watches online can be found on Hulu, then the value of running boxee -- or really, any third-party app -- for that remaining 10% isn't very high.

Come on Ryan,

you've been drinking that Hulu kool aid a bit too much lately.  I love Hulu and while it's a great short solution now and certainly has led us through the maze and shown us a successful model, they are an aggregator.  and in the long run, ABC (or pick another network) is not going to give up a big chunk of their revenue to Hulu so customers can have the "convenience" of going to another site versus abc.com to watch their prime shows.  It suddenly is not a "internet experiment" and will cut into their core operating revenue. 

look in your crystal ball when 50% of consumers have internet connected televisions. Are they really going to go to Hulu to wach Lost?

One closed commercial site (Hulu) cannot deliver 90% of all users content needs.  And I'm shocked that you really think believe this.

The long term solution is going to be open and a "shell" that will easily allow people to discover and watch programming on their television.  I just don't see this with a closed/ commercial solution.

I'm not drinking the Hulu kool-aid, I just think it will be incredibly difficult for a company like boxee to get in on the action when there are multiple large, established players with their own business interests to protect.

When 50% of users have Internet-connected televisions, I don't think it's going to be a startup third-party that will offer access to the content that people want -- I think it will be the same media companies and service providers that already serve that content, just using different technology.

A good example of what I'm talking about is what happened with TiVo and the DVR. TiVo may have revolutionized the technology, but time-shifted viewing didn't really go mainstream until it became a standard option from your cable provider. People started using it when the capability got built into the set-top and they didn't need to buy or support another device.

I think the same thing will happen with Internet video -- when the cable operators figure out a way to get OTT video delivered through the set-top (and figure out the corresponding business rules or whatever), you won't need a Roku, boxee, Vudu box, etc. It'll just be there, through your existing connection, through your existing service provider. Which is why I don't think the end 'solution' is an open one.

Yeah, as of yet, I have not heard one Boxee reference by my crazy uncle/Internet geek/neighborhood kid network, which are usually my leading indicators. How does a tiny company like this gain critical mass in what is a MASS MASS market?

And as you point out Ryan, if the technology is really that interesting, Cable/satellite/iNternet companies could just copy, steal, or invent their own form of it. They seem to not have any probblem doing that. You need leverage in this market.