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str1f3

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Aug 24, 2008
1,859
0
Hulu just released a desktop client for the Mac which is compatible with the Apple Remote.

Download Link:http://www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop

Here is a video of how to use the Remote and other features Hulu has released in a section called Hulu Labs:http://www.hulu.com/labs

It would be cool if Hulu could have integrated this into Boxee and Plex as well. I would like to see an iPhone app as well as a Remote function within the app.

Other Features of Hulu Labs:

Video Panel Designer
Video Panels are easy-to-use embeddable widgets that allow simple content programming and easily integrate a Hulu video player. The Video Panel Designer tool helps site editors and Web masters customize and program Video Panels to fit their needs.

Recommendations
Recommendations are a list of TV shows and movies that we think you'll love based on videos you've already watched and rated on Hulu. Anyone with a Hulu account can access these recommendations: log in or sign up for a free account and select the Recommendations tab found on your Profile page.

Time Based Browsing
Time-Based Browsing allows you to quickly scan our videos grouped by original air date. Whether you're a TV junkie who remembers shows by the day of week they air, a budding media anthropologist curious to study TV's evolution across the decades, or just a user in search of timely news clips, time-based browsing is another way to easily find more videos on Hulu.
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
Oh for hell's sake I love Hulu! But I have to say, Plex is where it is at, when you run a media center or not.
 

grrlwonder

macrumors newbie
Feb 9, 2009
13
0
I like Plex too - my only pet peeve with it is not clearing my Hulu queue when I've watched it on Plex. Of course I can't say I've done a lot of research on trying to fix it, but it's sure annoying after a weekend of getting caught up on everything to log in to hulu just to see it's all there.
 

macfan881

macrumors 68020
Feb 22, 2006
2,345
0
Awsome app this thing is great love the interaction with the :apple: Remote now this makes me wonder if a iPhone app is not to far off?
 

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
I like it. It answers some Hulu gripes very nicely:

* Instantly goes fullscreen--saves a step

* Remembers your quality choice--saves a step (look for Preferences in your account within the Hulu UI--NOT in the Mac menu bar)

* Remote control! (Even seek-jumping, which I love in EyeTV, and on-screen keyboard for searching!)

* Click anywhere on screen to pause AND (drumroll) unpause :)

EDIT: I don't like it :( Video playback is jerky on my C2D 2.33 (whereas fullscreen in Safari at High quality is smooth). Hopefully they can improve that... without being at Adobe's mercy to make it run better. It's still only beta--worth keeping an eye on the next version.

They've got everything working well except video :eek:

Awsome app this thing is great love the interaction with the :apple: Remote now this makes me wonder if a iPhone app is not to far off?

If Adobe ever gets Flash working well on iPhone, then they could offer it to third-parties to use in making (as one example) a Hulu iPhone standalone app. And it wouldn't need to involve Safari or Apple at all :)
 

plinden

macrumors 601
Apr 8, 2004
4,029
142
Just thought I'd let you know - there's an Understudy update that provides support for Hulu Desktop so I don't even have to get up to click on the app to launch it.

By the way, although the requirements are for a 2.0GHz Core Duo, it and Understudy run nicely on my 1.6GHz Mini. I used it for 90 minutes last night (I watched the Sliders pilot ... I'd never actually seen it) No jerkiness or crashes so far.
 

MrMoore

macrumors 6502
Nov 2, 2006
395
23
Arlington Heights,IL
Thanks for the info.

Loaded on my Mac Mini connected to my LG 42" TV. Works great with my Apple Remote. Nice Layout. Be cool if there was a hook into Front Row where you can load Hulu Desktop from it.
:D
 

ebow

macrumors 6502a
G5 = jumpy video

I was really hoping I would like this application. But on my G5 iMac (2.0 GHz, 1.5 GB RAM) the video framerate is so low that it's unwatchable. Hulu through Safari works reasonably well (I know I have an "older" computer so I don't expect perfection) so I was quite surprised at how jumpy this was. Plus the UI isn't that great if you don't have a scroll wheel (I'm back to the original mouse that came with my iMac until I get around to buying another replacement).
 

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
Today's new version is much jerkier even than the previous one! Very smooth when shrunk to the corner, but quite bad in fullscreen. (I do like the easy self-updating though.)

My friend tried on a MacBook Pro (non-unibody), and it's jerky there too.

Watch the same clip in a browser and in the app and you may see the same issue (but it's REALLY obvious now, even compared to yesterday's version). FWIW, I have an NVidia GPU. I forget what GPU is in the MBP I tried.

Too bad--but I look forward to future updates.
 
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