CNET editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 07/06/2006
- Updated on: 07/11/2006
- Released on: 06/26/2006
Take the homemade and user-driven sensibilities of a YouTube and add the feature-film pedigree of a Movielink, and you have Guba.com.
Launched way back in 1998, Guba has evolved from a subscription-based media portal for Usenet users (often associated with Usenet-based porn) into a squeaky-clean hybrid store that offers both free videos and pay-per-download feature films. Recently, Guba got a boost when it started offering titles for purchase or rental from Warner Brothers. You can buy new feature films for $19.99, while older films cost $9.99. A 24-hour rental costs $1.79 and up. Though free videos can be viewed on virtually any modern computer, premium content can be viewed only on a Windows machine (more FAQs here).
The site's target audience is teens and college students, may of whom have replaced television with Web vision and have helped spark the fury of user-uploaded video content. While the site does not quite have YouTube or Google's depth, it provides enough content and features to attract and entertain new users. The Web-based Guba.com is laid out simply and well organized, with DVD art and video stills dominating the clean interface. The search bar is located top and center, and it allows you to search by video format. Featured A-list movies line the top third, while notable TV and free videos fill out the page. The primary sections are tabbed: All Videos, Premium Videos, and Free Videos. The left-hand navigation bar lists typical genres such as Action, Cartoons, Classics, Documentary, Drama, and so on. You also have access to general Usenet video groups such as alt.binaries.mpeg.video.music. This overall mix of premium content and free videos makes it a decent one-stop shop, particularly for those who watch videos on an iPod or a PSP. Like Google Video, Guba lets you download free videos in iPod or PSP format, and you can transfer much of the footage to WMV devices such as the Creative Zen Vision:M and the Archos AV500, which can play protected content at 1.2Mbps.
