Coming Soon: A 3rd party Hulu plugin for Windows Media Center
Hulu is probably the best (legal) web site for finding full length streaming TV episodes and movies. But there's one thing I've been craving ever since Hulu first launched: an easy way to watch Hulu videos on my TV from the comfort of my couch.
Zinc and Boxee have both offered solutions. But Boxee is still in Alpha, and right now it's only publicly available for Mac and Linux users, although a Windows version is in private alpha testing. Zinc's application actually works pretty well with Windows, but navigating the list of TV shows with a remote control can be a bit of a hassle. And there's no simple way to integrate Zviewer with Windows Media Center.
Now there's a new player in town, called SecondRun.tv. And it's designed specifically to work with Windows Media Center. The plugin isn't available to the public yet, but the developer says it's fully functional and he's posted a video to prove it. SecondRun.tv should be ready to release soon.
The plugin will let you browse and watch Hulu videos on any machine with Windows Vista Media Center. Odds are it will also work with Windows 7. And while it hasn't been tested with Media Center Extenders like the Xbox 360 yet, there's a pretty good chance they'll work too.
[via GeekTonic]
Zinc and Boxee have both offered solutions. But Boxee is still in Alpha, and right now it's only publicly available for Mac and Linux users, although a Windows version is in private alpha testing. Zinc's application actually works pretty well with Windows, but navigating the list of TV shows with a remote control can be a bit of a hassle. And there's no simple way to integrate Zviewer with Windows Media Center.
Now there's a new player in town, called SecondRun.tv. And it's designed specifically to work with Windows Media Center. The plugin isn't available to the public yet, but the developer says it's fully functional and he's posted a video to prove it. SecondRun.tv should be ready to release soon.
The plugin will let you browse and watch Hulu videos on any machine with Windows Vista Media Center. Odds are it will also work with Windows 7. And while it hasn't been tested with Media Center Extenders like the Xbox 360 yet, there's a pretty good chance they'll work too.
[via GeekTonic]













Comments
15
Subscribe to commentsScottFeb 10th 2009 6:07PM
Looking forward to it - thanks!
On a somewhat related note, have you ever heard of any add-ons or plug-ins for Songbird that would make it usable "on my TV from the comfort of my couch?"
twistingpoetryFeb 10th 2009 6:33PM
WOO HOO!! good work and I hope it plays on the 360
McPaceFeb 10th 2009 6:40PM
That is AWESOME! Can't wait to install. Let me know if you need any beta testers. Will this run on x64 intsalls?
JamesFeb 10th 2009 6:50PM
I'm dubious. One, is Hulu going to be OK with it? Two, I didn't see the word "free" anywhere in the article. The whole point of Hulu is that it's ad-supported -- if I wanted to pay money to watch TV, I'd just go to iTunes.
NowhereDanFeb 10th 2009 7:24PM
There's no reason Hulu would have a problem with it - it's going to stream their ads just fine from the look of it, and that's all they care about. A fair point about the potential price tag, though. Most WMC plugins seem to be free, but I'll be very sad if this one isn't.
thattalldudeFeb 10th 2009 10:45PM
This would definitely get me to use Hulu on a regular basis.
ryanincFeb 10th 2009 10:45PM
Excellent! I really can't wait for this one! It's the one thing missing from my home theater PC. I hate having to close Media Center and move over to the TV to use a mouse/keyboard to watch Hulu.
YaggsFeb 11th 2009 8:24AM
Hey guys... I'm the one developing this app... and yes... its going to be FREE! I really started developing this because I wanted to be able to watch Hulu in VMC!
Haven't done any testing on extenders yet but I will deal with that once I get it up and fully working in plain old media center!
Eric D.Feb 11th 2009 8:24AM
I desperately hope this works with Media Center Extender on the 360.
cathkunFeb 11th 2009 8:24AM
hulu downloader, download hulu video automatically.
http://www.mp4kits.com/Product/webvideodownloader/
asabielFeb 11th 2009 8:24AM
hulu and similar sites/services s*ks so much - theyre not availbe in europe. its a kind of media racism imho.
QuikboyFeb 12th 2009 7:14AM
Well the BBC iPlayer won't work in the United States...
That's just how media rights work.
EndoFeb 11th 2009 6:50AM
Haven't you guys ever heard of PlayOn?
http://www.themediamall.com/playon
It costs $30, but it works with any media extender right now.
HelfrezFeb 11th 2009 8:24AM
Yeah old news. Ive been using PlayOn for some time now. Not only do you get Hulu, but they toss in Netflix, ESPN, CBS, and some others for good measure lol. Nice addon if its free though
ErickarloFeb 11th 2009 9:41PM
Yes there is PlayOn but that only works with devices that are UPnP/DLNA enabled. The only media extender that I know of at the moment that supports that is the 360. So PlayOn does not really pair up with this if you could use this plug-in on an extender such as Linksys DMA2100