All play and no work: Richard Cobbett lists his favourite media sites
Hulu
It's not yet in the UK, but it's definitely one to watch. The only shame is that once it does arrive in Blighty, we won't get the same shows as our cousins across the pond.
Magnatune
Almost endless music to listen to. Whether you want to buy it for your iPod or recreate the soundtrack of a motion picture, you're only one click away from the perfect licence.
Riff trax
This site makes movies even funnier with downloadable commentaries to play alongside your favourite movies. Make sure you download the PAL versions, though.
That Guy With The Glasses
The hub for almost every YouTube reviewer and comedian you've ever heard of, plus plenty of top-quality comedy you haven't. Specialises in gaming, movies and sketches.
Revision3
Hours of geek-friendly programming, from meeting the weirdos behind the strangest websites around to full Photoshop tutorials and advice on defeating padlocks.
4oD
It's not as hyped as the BBC iPlayer, but now that Channel 4 has released huge chunks of its back catalogue for free, it's the perfect place to waste some time.
The Agony Booth
One of the best places to see bad movies and TV shows get what's coming to them. Full of snarky, detailed recaps of everything the original creators got wrong.
Last.fm
The best way to track your listening habits and find out which artists you should be checking out next. The site's huge archive of free tracks and music videos on tap doesn't hurt either, and with one of the biggest music communities around, even the most obscure tastes should be well covered.
Demoscene.tv
See the best demos – programs written to show off what top-grade programmers can do – without having to download them. It's not quite the same as seeing them for real, but it's good for browsing and finding those worth downloading at a later date.
12Seconds
Proof that online video doesn't always have to be polished to be engaging, the idea behind 12Seconds is in the name – short, bite-sized comments about anything and everything. It's mostly intended for friends and family rather than mass audiences, but you never know how things might take off in the future – just look at Twitter.
WeGame
There's plenty of places online to upload videos, but not many provide a downloadable client to help you record your finest gaming moments and share them. WeGame is also useful for seeing how the experts play, enabling you to learn some great new moves in your favourite games by their example.
Justin.tv
From one man lifestreaming his day-to-day happenings to a full video portal where anyone can set up a channel, Justin is well worth exploring. If you decide to try it for yourself, though, a word of advice: turn the camera off in the loo.
Podcast Alley
One of the best sites for finding podcasts you might be interested in before downloading them, Podcast Alley covers a vast range of subjects.
Netlabels
What do you do if you want to make your own podcast, but don't have any musical flair? That's where 'podsafe' music comes in – tunes that you can use for the cost of a shout-out to the artist. Netlabels is a great place to start hunting for the right theme.
SecurityTube
If general video content doesn't appeal to you, don't forget that the internet always has something for every niche. SecurityTube is a YouTube-style site that's specifically for computer security videos, with uploads offering a level of depth you simply won't find elsewhere.
Apple Trailers
If you're looking for trailers for the latest movie releases, you rarely need to look further than this site. Apple Trailers is especially good if your bandwidth can handle the highest resolutions.
