More free movies: You already plunked down $40 a month for high-speed Internet, and now you’re thinking about buying some DVDs, pondering a Netflix subscription and wondering if DirecTV trumps Comcast cable service.
Before you funnel another cent to a service like that, surf over to www.hulu.com.
The free, legal Web site, a partnership between NBC Universal and News Corp. — Fox, that is — streams dozens of hit shows, both old (“The Addams Family,” “Flipper”) and new (“Friday Night Lights,” “The Daily Show”).
You can even watch full movies: “Men in Black,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Some Like it Hot.”
The site has its drawbacks. R-rated content requires a login name and password, theoretically to keep kids out, but a credit card isn’t required to join the free site. Twelve-year-olds could easily sidestep the virtual bouncer, setting up their own accounts.
Another drawback: Unlike with a DVD, these programs have commercial interruptions — usually 15-second spots every eight minutes or so.
And loads of content isn’t available. Entire episodes of “Scrubs” aren’t available, just short clips, and the film studios only cracked the door on the archives.
Still, that last complaint basically boils down to “we want more,” so you know the site is doing something right.
Andy Rathbun arathbun@heraldnet.com.
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