Hulu steps on Netflix's fingers start Streaming movies

A rivalry between Hulu and Netflix continues to ferment in silence. Where the two streaming services, once they had distinct roles for television-Hulu, Netflix for movies-they are increasingly overlapping.

To this end, Hulu just added 800 film to its service Hulu Plus subscription, courtesy of Criterion Collection. The high-brow cinema Orson Welles, Jean-Luc Godard, Federico Fellini and more can now be your stream for $ 8 per month.

The film will be uninterrupted by advertising, which will roll just before the start of the movie. The free version of Hulu will get some movies Criterion Collection on a rotating basis, but they will be broken by ads.

Of course, 800 film Criterion Collection hardly compare with library of Netflix (Netflix had around 20,000 videos streamed from mid-2010, although I can't find a breakdown of the TV movie), but the caliber of those movies should give Hulu some credibility among film buffs.

It is also an interesting strategy because there is no major movie studios. NetFlix, meanwhile, has struck deals with NBC and ABC/Disney to stream television content. The company has also reportedly courted individual TV studios for streaming the season, but we have not seen that Come to fruition yet.

Although apparently consider Netflix as a competitor Hulu, I think it will be some time before companies start trading barbs so that, say, Netflix Blockbuster disses. The business of video streaming is still relatively young, and is in the best interests of both companies to grow their libraries without putting down each other.

For more smart takes on technology, visit Technologizer.com. Story copyright © 2010 Technologizer. All rights reserved.