In a time when the Internet can provide almost anything a web surfer desires, there is one phrase knocking many off their technological wave: “This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.”

If you have yet to encounter this warning, it likely will not be long before it flashes across your browser window while you search through the hallowed YouTube archives. Due to an increased number of copyright infringement charges, the immensely popular video sharing website has been forced to remove many user clips, TV shows and movies. The solution seems to be the new Hulu.com, recently launched in mid-March.

For those of you not up to snuff in your Mandarin Chinese, the name Hulu comes from a proverb meaning “holder of precious things,” and for television and movie aficionados alike there is no better way to describe this up-and-coming video on-demand service.

A joint venture between conglomerates NBC Universal and News Corp., Hulu is a free and legal online service that not only streams ad-supported television shows and films directly on the website but also distributes its content to the web via partnerships with MySpace, Yahoo and others.

One of the greatest aspects of Hulu is that its content is refreshingly clear. Improving upon one of the greatest criticisms of YouTube, the website provides high-quality video streaming that rivals even what most network sites use.

In terms of TV, Hulu’s video selection includes both clips and full-length episodes of shows that are currently running, in syndication and even some no longer on the air, such as the entire series of the critically praised “Arrested Development.” The website even includes popular shows such as “Family Guy” and “Saturday Night Live,” which up to this point have only been available online in grainy, low-quality video.

As a result of its fledgling status, Hulu’s movie collection is quite sparse, but the site is constantly adding more videos. The current, diverse assortment includes both clips and feature-length films ranging from obscure titles like “Attack of the Puppet People” to the cult classic “The Usual Suspects.” Although the site does not provide the opportunity for users to upload their own content, Hulu offers an incredibly convenient capability that they refer to as “video sharing.”

Say you are watching a side-splitting SNL clip of Chris Farley on the site and decide you want to share the video with your closest 5 million friends online. Like YouTube, Hulu permits its users to take video from the site and easily post it on any external online community. But better than YouTube, the site provides a guided tool for users to cut down their video and create a clip of the desired section.

While Hulu does offer an excellent library and innovative aspects, it is easy to tell the site is still a work in progress. Much of the content caters more to the geeky males who make up a majority of the site’s current demographic. On the bright side, this will most likely change as more diverse users discover the site and begin requesting content suited to varied preferences.

The site also has small annoyances such as a poor search tools and in-show advertisements. Though only a minor annoyance now, one can only hope that as Hulu becomes more popular, the creators do not resort to increasing the amount of advertising during videos.

It is difficult to say just how Hulu will play into many corporations’ fears that online TV shows and films are taking business from DVD sales and pulling viewers from their television sets. Hulu creators claim that because the site utilizes advertisements such as movie trailers, upcoming DVD releases and promotions for new series on television that directly support these corporations, their website will only help bring business back to companies like ABC, Walt Disney and CBS, who have been losing business to illegal video sites such as YouTube.

Despite its newborn status and limited name recognition, Hulu already shows promising potential, and it will be interesting to see how this affects other markets. But with an ever-growing library chock-full of varied, visually stunning television shows and movies, the site is sure to make a name for itself in the online video world.