Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hulu

Help me design a new home entertainment system.

ColdChef — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:08:04 -0800

My old tube television has died a terrible sputtering death. Help me get over my sense of loss by assisting me in replacing it with a new HD television and entertainment system. Here are my needs: I'm working with a budget of around $2000. I want a HD LCD television set that's between 46-52 inches. I currently have an old-style Tivo box, a decent DVD collection, a Playstation 2, a Nintendo Wii, a DVD/VCR combo, an iMac, and a Netflix account.

I'm not interested in converting all of my DVDs to BlueRay, so I want a player that has a good conversion system for old DVDs. I'm fighting the urge to get a Playstation 3, because I have a tendency to spend too much time playing games--but I could probably justify it with my wife if it's the best option.

Here's what I'd like to be able to do: have 2 or three game systems hooked up simultaneously, stream Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu from my iMac.

Should I upgrade my Tivo to the Tivo HD/XL? Would that keep me from having to get the PS3?

Also: my home is very Mac friendly, but I've never really looked at the AppleTV. Should I?

So here's what I'm looking at:
HD LCD Television
BlueRay Player
New Tivo?
Whatever will allow me to stream Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu

Thanks in advance.

I don't want my MTV.

nushustu — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:42:25 -0800

I want to dump cable, but I still want to be able to watch particular shows. Can I do this? I don't want to pay for cable any more, but I still want to watch Mad Men and a few other shows on my tv. Plus, I'd like to be able to record certain shows from the networks. But I'm completely overwhelmed with the possibilities on how to do this. I would rather not shell out thousands for an HTPC, nor do I have the time to build my own for cheap.

If I hook up a new non-apple laptop with internet access to my SDTV, will I be able to watch hulu, or shows I've purchased via Amazon, etc.? Also, if I wanted to record shows off of PBS without a VCR, would I be able to subscribe to tivo and have that happen without cable access? Will the quality of these shows suck? Again, we're only talking standard definition tv right now. I just want to be able to watch shows w/out jaggy, stuttery playback. Should I buy an Apple TV?

I'm completely flummoxed by the possibilities. If someone has a step-by-step guide on how to do this, I'd appreciate it.

Which 1080p HDMI media streamer should I purchase?

Perplexer — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:07:00 -0800

Which 1080p HDMI media streamer should I purchase? My Xbox with XBMC is starting to show its age. Which device should I consider as its replacement?

Requirements: Adequate processor for 720P, ideally for 1080P. Ethernet port for streaming MP3s and various video formats from a media server (Windows Vista/Windows7). Intuitive menus. Multi-format support. Should be under $200. (I'm not sure a Roku or AppleTV will meet my needs.)

These are on my comparison list:

WD Live TV Media Player (WDTV-2)
Brite-view Cinematube
Mvix Ultio

Have I missed anything, and what would you recommend?

Can I use a U.S. based web server to gain a U.S. ip address for a computer located outside the U.S.?

Anonymous — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:51:29 -0800

Can I use a U.S. based web server to gain a U.S. ip address for a computer located outside the U.S.? I have a dedicated windows web server rented from a U.S. web hosting company (the server is - to state the obvious - located in the U.S.). I would like to have a U.S. ip address for my home computer which like myself resides outside of the U.S. (In Europe).

I can access the web server via remote desktop from my work computer, this access is limited to my work ip address. However I would like to know if it is possible to use the web server to somehow acquire a U.S. ip address for my home (non-work - I dont have remote desktop access) computer, for the purposes of accessing services which are limited to the U.S. (HULU.com etc). So while I can easily gain access to the web server from home via other means like logmein.com I really need the U.S. ip address as I need sound!

Assume I know very little about this aspect of computing. Also know that I do not wish to do anything illegal nor do I wish to do anything which would throw up any red flags to my hosting company or appear like some sort of hack-attack to them. They are very well run and I am very happy with their service and do not wish to jeopardise it. Final comment about the hosting company - they have very tight security, enforce strong passwords and from my limited knowledge are likely to have applied all reasonable security measures to this web server. The reason I am not asking my hosting company this question is that I do not want to be seen to be requesting something which could potentially appal them.

Hoping I have given background detail on which to base an answer to the question. So one final piece of information. Within IIS there are 10 ip addresses which I can assign to directories on the web server. Don’t know if one of these can somehow be used by my laptop.

So to restate the question for clarity. Is it possible to use a U.S. based web server to provide a U.S. ip address to a computer outside the US? And if so how?

Media PC OS suggestions?

superbird — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:34:14 -0800

What's the best way to configure my PC as an internet television hub? I bought a pretty decent used PC from my work's IT department. It's good enough to run Hulu, etc but it's nothing too fancy. The catch, I've found, is that it comes with Windows 2000 which keeps me from installing anything like Chrome, Boxee, Hulu Desktop, etc. on it.

I tried installing Ubuntu last night and found that it ran incredibly slow. Windows 2000 runs really well in comparison. This surprised me.

If you had the same resources and didn't want to spend much (if any) money, what would you do to provide the best setup for an internet tv hub? (basically a hulu center)

I'm interested in every possible crazy idea, not limited to Operating system solutions. Another thing I'm trying to figure out is how to control it from the couch. (this issue is complicated by trying to come up with remote software for iPhone compatible with the OS I have)

how to watch hulu in europe?

thedoctorpants — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:44:27 -0800

HULU voodoo... American but not in the US. I am an American living in a Scandinavian country. I want to watch HULU and other region specific sites using PLEX with a mac mini. Is there something free or a relatively cheap proxy (fast!) I can use to get all the shows I want and ditch this crap Viasat?

I have seen previous questions and answers here. I have to add more...

Also, I will be traveling to the US soon. My folks have FIOS. COuld I set up a proxy there using an old computer? If so, how?

TIA!

Streamless in Seattle

Blazecock Pileon — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:33:15 -0800

Does Comcast throttle hulu and other streaming video services in the Seattle area? Additionally, are there reliable, alternative high-speed Internet providers in the Seattle metropolitan area (which do not require a land-line phone connection)?

Are there any good alternatives to Hulu for watching TV on a computer?

willnot — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:12:49 -0800

Are there any good alternatives to Hulu for watching TV on a computer? I'm having some bandwidth/connection problems, and I'd like to try an alternative if one exists. I've been using Hulu to watch TV on my computer while working out. Lately, it seems that I can't get through an entire 40+ minute show without the picture stuttering and freezing about 25 to 30 minutes into it. It's incredibly annoying when I'm looking for something to distract me from my sweaty effort.

I don't know if this is a problem with Hulu's ability to pump out enough bandwidth or my ISP throttling my connection after some amount of sustained throughput, but if there's another "watch TV online" site out there that I could try, I'd like to.

Alternately, is there anyway to increase the amount of prebuffering that Hulu does with their shows? I tried watching in standard resolution instead of high resolution thinking a smaller file size might help, but it didn't.

I've tried going to individual network sites as many of them have full episodes online, but their UI isn't as nice as Hulu's (like they keep dropping out of full screen when going to ads, or there isn't any way to go smoothly from one show into another without having to get up and change the feed).

I am a recovering TV addict that is now suddenly able to watch TV online. Help me work through my resurfaced addiction.

rdurbin — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:38:52 -0800

I am addicted to TV. I struggled for years to limit my intake. Finally about 8 years ago, I gave my TV away. Success! Huzza! Lately I have been watching TV online. I have also been wasting time online. I have even been onlining online.
So here is my goal. I would like to not have internet access from home. The problem is my wife needs internet access for her iBook for her home based business (she doesn't need flash).

Right now we have city-wide wifi (which costs $25 a month).

---------------------------------------------

1. Buy her a laptop wireless card from Verizon or something like that. It will be fast enough to send emails & work but slow enough to make watching TV impossible.

2. Keep the internet access as is and have her lock up her computer before I get home and promise not to pull it out or give me the key (I did mention this was an addiction, right?).

3. Have her buy a smaller laptop like device that will allow a web browsing but not flash. An iPhone wouldn't work because it doesn't have the keyboard but something like that might.

advice, other options?

Proxy/VPN services for watching Hulu outside of US

sdis — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:57:27 -0800

Proxy/VPN recommendations for using Hulu outside of the US? (Non-free options welcome) Hotspot Shield is cool, but is awfully slow for streaming video. Any recommendations on a fast proxy or VPN service?

Heard good things about WiTopia, but figured I'd try and get a few other recommendations before jumping for that one.

Watch Hulu and other sites from overseas

Dag Maggot — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:35:18 -0800

I live outside the US but I'd like to watch US based content on my Mac from places like Hulu. Is there an easy Mac application that will seek out a working US proxy and make all the changes? I'm thinking of something with a big on/off I've played with the massive proxy lists- but most of them seem to not be working. I would pay for an easy solution.