The site, Hulu.com, has officially opened to all visitors. They no longer even require registration to watch their content. The question is, how IS that content?

Still a combination of Fox and NBC shows, they offer a wide range of options. They've recently added little icons by each show to denote where "full episodes" are available. The alternative, such as in the case of Futurama right now, are just 1 or 2 minute clips. Although they offer over 60 of these, that hardly warrants much effort to watch. Probably one of the objectives of the site is to have recently aired TV shows up on the site. This is a good way to avoid piracy, and to bring in more viewers on next week's show. They've done this pretty well, as I can see New Amsterdam's most recent episode up there.

The greatest improvement of the site is the added selection of full length films. This is something the internet has been moving towards: ad supported movies. Right now there is a really great selection of somewhat dated films and newer releases. Its great to see The Big Lebowski free for the watching.

Site:hulu / More Info

According to the LA Times many of the WGA writers who are on strike are in talks with venture capitalists about web entertainment ideas. Appropriately, if they can't get income from their own content which the networks are putting online, they are jumping to put their own scripted stuff online. This will be a direct revenue source for them, and they'll have far greater creative control.

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...that will be the case before long. Viacom has apparently signed a deal to put all the back episodes, and future episodes as they're released, on the South Park website according to CNET news. These episodes will probably feature some sort of ads, but their instant access will be a major improvement over watching reruns on TV.

Right now the site only contains a couple of clips and some other non-video features. Hopefully all the content will be up some time in early 2008. Reportedly, Matt Stone and Trey Parker will be getting a full 50% of income from the site.

Site:South Park Studios / More Info

NBC and FOX have teamed up and decided to put nearly all of their new content online. This is really great news for people who are trying to find alternatives to cable TV. The only downside is that their site, hulu.com, is still in "beta." This means you must be an approved user, because the design is still in the early stages, and not ready for "the world."

This is where OPENhulu comes in. They've been approved as users and this allows them to, among other things, embed hulu videos (not unlike YouTube's embedding, etc). They've created the OPENhulu site which is nothing more than a mirror of the videos available on hulu.

The site design (which is apparently under renovation) is very straightforward. You will see a list of all the 100+ shows they have to offer. These range from the current (30 Rock) to the old-school (Season 1 of Doogie Howser, M.D.). Once you've picked the show, you pick an episode to watch, and it loads right in the page (streaming, of course). You can choose to watch full-screen (which currently means the movie reloads in a browser window containing a flexible-sized movie), embed the movie, or share it with a friend.

Altogether, this is a great site. Unfortunately, they must realize that the moment hulu opens their doors, this site will be obsolete. Use it now to get a jump on the content, and to bide the catch up on shows you've missed..

Site:OPENhulu / More Info

Anyone who is an avid TV watcher could tell you: the Writers Guild of America is on strike. What does that mean for everyone who has a certain program that they like to tune in to every week? Basically, as late as January, and as early as right this moment, their shows are over. Programs like news, sports, game shows, and reality TV aren't covered by the strike and are still on. So if these are all you watch on TV, than you're in luck. On the other hand, about fifty million people a night tune in to scripted programming. If you're one of these people, you've got a problem. So where are you going to turn?

This matter all comes down to timing. If the strike were to end today (and, given that the talks have stalled this week, that seems unlikely) most shows still wouldn't pick right up. The process of getting a new episode together can take quite a while. On the other hand, if this strike lasts as long as the last WGA strike (five months) we could be in the middle of a paradigm shift. The New York Times predicts that the increased number of reality shows on the docket for 2008 can only mean one thing: people are willing to watch them. My prediction (or hope?): people will flock to the entertainment that is sitting, waiting for them, on the Internet.

Finding scripted episodes to replace those that were once found on TV can be somewhat challenging. The basic format of the user-submitted video can lead to 30-second clips of what is, essentially, reality TV. There are people approaching this issue, such as BlipTV. They're trying to attract content that fits the scripted media, multiple part series, framework. There are also many users on YouTube, and other sites, who take it upon themselves to upload a set of related movies to their account, in the hopes that people will find them. The problem here is: this puts the burden of discovery on the viewer. Even in the days of 1,000 channels, it's possible to skim through the listings for every one of them so you can honestly say "I'm watching the thing that is on right now that best fits what I want to watch." In the case of online TV, with endless unorganized clips, is there something better than what you're watching right now? Inevitably: yes. If someone can work this problem out for Internet media, the world would take notice.

In the meantime, though, this I can guarantee... the strike will continue for a while longer. Sales of things like TV shows on DVD will go up (and so will torrent downloads of these same shows). Reality TV viewership will rise. Movie attendance will go up as well. But, also, a few more people out there will be turned on to online media. And I guess that's enough for me.

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In the telecommunications industry, the challenge of the moment is getting incredibly fast Internet connections, which exist as the infrastructure of the system, to each house and business. Most metropolitan areas have fiber-optic cables running through them, but the cost of sending that cable directly to ever user’s computer would be enormous. Instead, the companies are forced to step the technology down to other mediums, like ethernet, cable, or the more outdated phone lines. The issue only multiplies in less dense areas as homes are spread out; some without even a phone line. This is called the “last mile” problem, as that last mile between the Internet and the end-user is what needs the attention.

Now consider, for a moment, the home entertainment industry. By this, I refer to the music, and video (television and movie) industries. Where is their entertainment consumed? Most people have a spot in their house (or apartment) where their TV sits. This TV is connected to, perhaps, cable television or a satellite. Maybe attached to this TV is a stereo, or surround sound, which in many cases cost hundreds, or thousands, of dollars. This system is where people have focused their video/music attention. This has usually been fine. People buy a CD, or DVD. They plug it into their system and the information is right where they want it. Or, they want to tune into the latest episode of whatever and it’s right there, on their TV.

This is all changing, though. Distribution is expensive and inefficient given that our new technologies (i.e.: the Internet) can provide that same music, or video, with no packaging, no overhead. Online video doesn’t have to go through the major networks to get approval, and then get put on a schedule. You can just upload it to a website, or stream it live. The tools are in billions of people hands, with content that would overwhelm the 20, 100, or even the 500 TV stations you might get.

This leads us to the problem... the last 20 feet problem. The average Internet user has some sort of PC or laptop where they can access some sort of connection. Many people download music or movies, and watch them right there on their screens, or listen to music with their tiny laptop speakers. Is this how people want to experience their home entertainment? In their office chairs? Of course not. If you want to use this content individually, or outside your home, technology has largely addressed this problem. With and iPod Video or PSP you can watch anything, anywhere. In the home, though, is a different story, unless you want to sit on your couch staring at a 3 inch screen.

What are the solutions that people use today? Well, for one, a good portion of legal online content can be downloaded. The file can than be burned to a DVD (or CD) and than walked over to your entertainment center and inserted. This physical transition stage is inefficient, expensive, and for some people above and beyond their expertise. Other options include adding a networked component to your entertainment center. The AppleTV, the XBOX 360, and others like the SlingBox can serve this function. The real hurdle, though, is streaming content. Most online entertainment, like YouTube videos or online radio stations, stream directly from the Internet to your computer. This cannot be saved and then transferred, they need to run directly in a web browser. I solve this problem personally by running a dual-monitor system, where my second monitor is actually my television. This requires, of course, that I have a video cable running from my desktop to my television, and then another for the audio. This solution isn’t elegant, but it’s effective. Watching streaming, full-screen, video content on my television gives me hope for Internet TV.

The last 20 feet problem is the online entertainment industry’s problem, and some people’s TVs aren’t even within 20 feet of their computers. Until the day it is solved, the majority of people will be “enjoying” Internet content from the comfort of their office chairs, and still going to traditional media to get their “real” entertainment content. For the adventurous out there, I recommend getting ahold of a Video card with TV out, and 20 feet of video cabling and get to the real, free, enjoyment.

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AOL's website offers a pretty impressive amount of free music. The only caveat is that the music has to be streamed, and not downloaded. The plus side, its all pretty well organized, so you can pick a song you'd like to stream.

There's definitely a focus on the more popular music of today, with the "Top 100" songs placed prominently on their front page. If you dig deeper, you can find their "Music Archive" which is a great resource for a lot of content. The audio files and the video files are all mixed together. Most of the video files include "AOL Sessions" where some band apparently filmed a special session just to put on this site (or stream to AOL users live at the time). Overall a good site.

Site:AOL Music / More Info

Every link to other websites can now be rated on a 5 star scale. If you have been to any website which is listed here, perhaps take a moment and give it your personal evaluation. This also allows you to go to the list of links, in each category, and organize the list by rating. Eventually this will allow for finding the best sites much more quickly.

Also, in the "Comment" section, you will find the new message board system. If you found a great link, or which to discuss online media, considering using it.

Finally, every link also has a space beneath it to write a brief message. Your take on any of these links is appreciated. Have you found any great items on any of these pages? Here's a good place to post them.

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CBS's online streaming video website, which goes by the less-than-clever name of "innertube," is a great step toward bringing network television to the internet. The entire website loads as flash, that means if you don't have a plugin you're out of luck. Also, as far as I can tell, it makes it impossible to link to any content directly. All videos are played in either Real Media Player or Windows Media Player, which is nice for people who might not have one or the other.

Unfortunately, the biggest drawback of the site comes from the content itself. This is due directly to CBSs terrible programming, which is predominantly reality TV. Once I found something that seemed worthwhile (I thought I would give the show "New Adventures of Old Christine" a chance) there was only a single episode available for streaming. Some of the other shows had three or four available. The video played quite well though, never needing to be paused for additional buffering on my cable connection. At the commercial breaks in the show there was only a single 30-second commercial. The player allows for fast forwarding, or dragging the cursor within the segment of the show, so the commercials can easily be skipped, too. The full screen option is also really nice, and the resolution stays crisp enough to display well on a television. My biggest complaint there was that some sort of error message was apparently popping up underneath the full-screen player, but when I would try to check it, it would dissapear.

This service is designed really well, and as they put more content on it, it can easily be the sort of site worth checking regularly. Hopefully they'll avoid the rut which can come from making their streaming content nothing more than an advertisement for their tv network.

Site:CBS.com innertube / More Info

Although a relative new-comer to the internet (it only opened for operation in 2005), YouTube has become the essential stop for anyone who looks for entertainment online. Purchased by Google not long ago, there's been a forced legitimization of their content. Once the top videos were all pirated clips of TV show and movies, now things are moving toward genuinely user-created content. Unfortunately, because this site has become so massive (it has become a pop-culture movement, after all) it's nearly impossible to find anything unless you know exactly what you're looking for. The only alternative to just relying on external webpages linking into YouTube would be randomly watching videos, choosing from the automatically generated list at the end of every movie.

Another painful downside here is that, because anyone can upload anything, it has become a swarm of absurd America's Funniest Home Video-esque clips. Want to see the latest shot of a sneezing panda? Or a laughing baby? Yeah, you and millions of others. But if, perhaps, you're searching for more substantial fare, you're in for some trouble. They attempt to provide you with guide-posts to getting more of what you want, including the tabs for Videos, Categories, Channels, and Community. These ambiguous terms are narrowed down further into their own categories including the Entertainment Category, the Comedian Channel, and any number of user-created "Groups" on the Community tab. Typically any choice on your part leads to a list of options that seem to go on, sprawling on infinite pages, endlessly. The overwhelming layout leads you to pick through the first page, which probably contains about a dozen items, then back out of the category.

Finally, there is the series of "tops" and "mosts" found on the left side-bar. Here is the most interesting material for me, if only as an indirect way of learning something about people en masse. You're given options including "Top Rated," "Most Viewed," "Most Discussed," etc. Also you can alter your search by time, looking at today, this week, this month, or all time. What does it tell you about today's culture that Evolution of Dance has staked out a claim as the "best" video of all time? Is there a 6 minute Citizen Kane for our generation on here? Who could tell.

Site:YouTube / More Info

One of the greatest music websites in existence, KEXP takes pride in being an advocate for independent acts. What this means to you is that it's a veritable treasure trove of downloads and streams. Primarily, KEXP.org is the web presence of a listener-supported radio station in Seattle, WA. In reality, though, their website is more than a radio station could ever be. They push the envelope by streaming their live broadcast in WindowsMedia, Real, and MP3 formats without asking for a login. You can view constantly updating information about the currently playing song. Also, you're not limited to their live radio show either, as they have links to replay anything from the past two weeks.

Next, also in their On Demand section, they offer a series of PodCasts, including my favorite "Song of the Day." Every day they post a downloadable song (or you can just subscribe to it on iTunes or something). If you want to see a great archive of all their posts, there's one here.

Finally, they also post great lives sets from bands they've had in their studio. There are some real gems here, and even though they're a bit long (they're the entire set) you can always split the file up. If you want to know more about alternatives to corporate-music, here's the perfect place to start.

Site:KEXP 90.3 FM / More Info

When I'm looking for a book that I think might be in the public domain, Project Gutenberg is always the first place I'll go. Not only do they have over 20,000 books, but they usually have the book in a variety of formats (at least plain text and HTML). Everything is always meticulously organized, and there are always several mirror sites to choose from when you're downloading something.

Reportedly, they go out of their way to make sure every book they post is in the Public Domain, so you never have to worry when you're getting something from this site. Also, consequently, no file has any attempt at DRM, lock downs, streaming, etc. They're all just regular downloads.

One of my favorite parts of the site has always been their Top 100 page. You can see a list of the most popular books of the day, week, or month. Usually there are some pretty eccentric top downloads, like the "Manual of Surgery." But there are consistently some greats like The Art of War, Ulysses, and Alice in Wonderland, to name a few. Another interesting page on the site is: Recently Posted. Here they list the books that've been added in the last day or two. According to Wikipedia, they can get about 50 books a week, so there's always something new to check out here. Some other interesting bonuses of the site are The Audio Books Project and The Sheet Music Project.

Site:Project Gutenberg / More Info