TVSquad

We really do live in a very different television landscape.

NBC has decided to put five of its shows online a week before they even premiere on TV, to build buzz. The network has decided to use Hulu to show the first episodes of new show Knight Rider and returning shows 30 Rock, Lipstick Jungle, Life, and Chuck.

Of course, putting episodes online is nothing new. All of the networks do it (sometimes they even "leak" the shows themselves to create buzz), but this seems to be a true attempt by NBC (which needs the help) to change the way they schedule, promote, and debut shows, a change in the way they program.

I guess it's the flexibility brought about by the nature of the Dr. Horrible production. Or maybe it's just a good way to keep making noise so people find the show. Either way, as announced on the Dr. Horrible Twitter feed, the formerly iTunes-exclusive episodes are back online over at Hulu, with a few changes.

The episodes now come with short sponsor messages, and you also have the option of watching the whole thing in one big 42 minute burst. Go ahead, your boss won't mind. If they didn't want you to be watching wacky super-hero hijinks on the company computers they would have prevented it at the server, right? In addition, the move to the regular Hulu site also enables embedding. See for yourself, as the full episode has been added after the jump. And in case you missed it, Keith has added video from the Dr. Horrible Comic-Con panel to his post.

No, it's not another lamentation about those overlooked shows that really do deserve a DVD set, but just can't seem to get them. I've grown accustomed to having Bob's weekly DVD release post arrive like a slap in the face as Beggars and Choosers is not on it, again. Instead, this is about those shows that do get their DVD set, but are late for no good reason at all. At least, not one that I can come up with.

I started thinking about it last week as I was talking with a friend and we were watching the Hellboy/Chuck promo. She commented that she really should start watching Chuck. In full agreement, I quickly pointed her to the Chuck page on Hulu. But wait, there are only three episodes available on Hulu. I guessed that it must be because they don't want streaming to cannibalize DVD sales. So I headed to Amazon. Chuck isn't out on DVD until September 16th. What the hell?

Like watching video streams from Hulu, but don't like that you have to open a web browser to do it? Paul Yanez, the developer behind Not Apple TV, Hulu Media Player, and a Flash-based Joost clone is back, and this time he's developed a desktop player for Hulu called MyMediaPlayer.

The program is built on Adobe AIR, which is a platform for bringing web-based applications to the desktop. It provides a user experience that's a lot like browsing the Hulu web site. But it has a few advantages. First, you don't need to open a web browser. But second, you can browse for more shows while continuing playback. Just start a video and then hit the TV or Movies tab to minimize your video to the lower left hand side of the screen while you look for other videos. In order to maximize your vieo window again you need to click on a TV show name.

The one problem with MyMediaPlayer is that it uses embedded videos from Hulu. That means there's no simple way to watch videos in full screen mode. It also means that you don't have the complete Hulu library at your fingertips. You just have the selection that Yanez has manually added.

Just days after launching a private beta of its new online video portal, The WB has announced plans to expand its online video distribution network. Honestly, the whole thing sounds a lot like Hulu, the online video portal backed by NBC and FOX.

Here's how it will work: You'll be able to visit TheWB.com or TheKidsWB.com and watch full-length episodes of classic WB shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Gilmore Girls, or you'll be able to find videos through a number of partners including DailyMotion, Sling Media, Veoh, TiVo, and Joost. The WB currently distributes some TV shows through Hulu, but not all of them.

OK, Angel fans, you've got another reason to celebrate, especially the week of June 23rd. As if it weren't enough that it is Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel week here at TV Squad's Retro Squad, we've just learned the news that season one of Angel will premiere on Hulu beginning on Monday, June 23rd.

Personally, I think it was really classy of Hulu to debut Angel to coincide with our Retro Squad Angel week. What? You think it was a lucky coincidence? That simply cannot be ...

Many of the best things in life have been serendipitous: Post-It Notes, ice cream cones, the Slinky. So I guess I can happily accept the debut of Angel on Hulu coinciding with TV Squad's Angel week being another fortuitous moment that benefits all of mankind.

TidalTV is a web-based video service. But it doesn't look anything like YouTube, Joost, or even Hulu. If anything, it looks like the service you get from your cable or satellite provider.

The TidalTV display is laid out like an electronic program guide with a video window in the corner. You can click on the video to bring up a full screen version. Or you can click on the program guide to flip channels. There's also an on-demand section if you don't want to watch the scheduled programming stream.

Or Chuck, or Pushing Daisies, or Private Practice for that matter. With the announcement that FOX was going to offer a marathon of The Sarah Connor Chronicles starting on August 10th I got to wondering about the other freshman shows that made an impression on viewers before the Writers Strike abruptly ended their seasons. Many of these shows haven't been seen since the end of last year.

For Life, the last original episode to air was December 5th. With the second season premiere slated to air during the first week of October, it will be nearly a year since viewers had a chance to bond with Detectives Charlie Crews and Dani Reese. That's a bit of a concern when it comes to this show. On the surface Life is a criminal procedural. However, underneath there has been an second story about Charlie's quest to clear his good name for a murder he didn't commit. While the first arc of this story was completed in its "season finale," there is plenty of story to tell.

Online video site Hulu has added some high profile programming to help tie you over during the summer rerun season. Thanks to a partnership with PBS, Hulu users will be able to watch shows like Nova, Carrier, Scientific American Frontiers, and Wired Science starting later this month.

Wait, that's not the really exciting part. I mean, sure, it's pretty cool for science geeks. But most of those shows are already available via the PBS web site, not to mention available for free over the air. But Hulu is also announcing another partnership today. The company has teamed up with Viacom to stream full length episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Hulu is now the top network video web site, according to Nielsen data. Hulu sent out an email today letting users know that the site has server up more than 63 million video streams, and that the average Hulu user watches 2 hours of video on the site each month.

There are probably at least two keys to Hulu's success. First, the service actually offers videos that people want to watch including full length movies and TV shows. And second, Hulu doesn't just distribute videos through its own web site. You can also find them through partner sites including MSN, AOL, and Comcast's video portals.

The company is also continuing to sign new partners for its video distribution network. Starting today Hulu videos are available through TV.com. And over the next few weeks Hulu will roll out partnerships with TVGuide.com, Break.com, Zap2it, BuddyTV, Flixter, and MyYearbook.

As I've mentioned a few times, I don't have cable or satellite. I have a computer with an HDTV tuner and a digital antenna sitting on top of our TV cabinet. I get crystal clear reception on every available network except for CBS and PBS, and I can pick those up with old fashioned bunny ears. And while I could supplement my free TV buy purchasing the cable-only shows I really want to see from iTunes or Amazon Unbox, Hulu has been saving me the trouble by providing new BattleStar Galactica episodes within a day or two of their original air date. So while most fans have been tuning into Sci Fi for their BSG fix on Friday nights, I've just fired up the old web browser on Saturday mornings.

And then this weekend things went horribly wrong. There was no new episode on Saturday morning. Or evening. Or Sunday. Today I checked out the Battlestar Galactica page on Hulu, and I found a note showing the air dates and "available on Hulu" dates. Apparently new episodes will not be made available online exactly one week after their original air date. Well, most episodes. If you look closely, you'll see that this past week's episode is scheduled to be online in about a thousand years. But I'm hoping that's just a typo because I'm not really sure I can wait that long.

Honestly, a one week delay isn't unreasonable. It makes sense that Sci Fi would want to encourage people to watch on television rather than their computers. I'm pretty sure they're still making more money from TV advertisements than web-based ads. And the latest episode is already available from Amazon Unbox for $1.99. So I either have to adjust my expectations and avoid spoilers for a week, or shell out some money. Seems fair enough.

Have you noticed any other programs getting a delayed Hulu release?

I'm starting to feel like Hulu was designed specifically for people who don't have cable or satellite television. Well, people who only need a handful of cable channels including Sci-Fi, FX, and Bravo, anyway. I've been using Hulu to keep up with a couple of shows that I can't pick up with my terrestrial digita antenna, like Battlestar Galactica and The Riches. But Hulu only keeps new episodes of each show online for a limited time, so if you forget to watch for a few weeks you could miss a show.

Now Hulu has added a subscription feature that helps ensure you never miss a show. Hulu already let you add programs to a queue for later viewing. But now the site has two new features which make the queue more useful. First, when you subscribe to a show, new episodes will automatically be added to your queue. Second, you can set your queue properties so that Hulu will shoot you an email any time a new item is added to your queue.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• President Bush is going to appear on Deal Or No Deal.
• Roger Ebert undergoes more surgery.
• The Hollywood sign is in danger.
• Yes, Brian Dunkleman does think it was a bad idea to leave American Idol.
• Mind of Mencia and Reno 911 launch new seasons on Comedy Central in May.
• Hulu vs. YouTube.
• SNL's Jack Handey has a new book out.
• Too Much Free Time is writing Hell's Kitchen/Top Chef haikus this season.

The CEO of Hulu is dropping hints that the web video platform could be headed to non-PC devices including mobile phones. The move shouldn't come as a huge surprise, since Hulu is no more locked down than the BBC's iPlayer service which is now available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Nintendo Wii systems.

Broadcasting & Cable reports that Hulu CEO Jason Kilar says some devices like mobile phones are "ripe" for Hulu. That's all well and good, but seriously what I really want to see is Hulu integration with Windows Media Center and set top boxes that will let users watch TV programs on their TV. I know the trendy thing among TV execs these days is to try to figure out how to harness the internet as a new platform for displaying programming that's already available on the television. But for people like me who would rather pay for broadband internet than cable television, Hulu would make an excellent backup to my HDTV digital antenna.

In fact, the networks would probably make more money off of me if they gave me an easy way to watch Hulu on my TV set than they're making right now. Because currently when I want to watch a show, I set up a recording on my PVR. Then I skip the commercials when I watch it. You can't skip the commercials with Hulu, but I'm willing to sit through them if my PVR missed a recording or if my digital antenna was on the fritz.

Hulu users have been able to embed many of the service's videos on their own sites since Hulu launched in beta several months ago. Because Hulu videos include ads no matter where you watch them, Hulu can make money whether you watch videos at Hulu.com or Joe Schmo's Blog.

Now Hulu is making it even easier to share videos. You can still click the embed button to grab some HTML code that will let you manually add a Hulu video to any site. But you can also click a new share button that brings up links for MySpace, Facebook, Digg, Windows Live, del.icio.us, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Google Bookmarks. It's sort of Hulu's version of the social bookmarking icons you often see on news articles and blog posts. But for some sites like Facebook, you can do more than just recommend or bookmark a video, you can actually allow anyone viewing your Facebook profile to watch the video on Facebook.

Hulu has also updated its RSS feeds to include videos as enclosures, allowing users to watch videos from within their RSS readers.