Hulu Support Coming Soon?

Hey Forum,

Just recently Hulu.com released a subscription service for PS3, Xbox, and iPhone/iPod Touch users. Is this a sign that Hulu could be coming to WD TV? What do you guys think? Granted it would be a paid subscription ($9.99/month), this could be just what WD TV needs. Comment, speculate, thanks for your time!

iHacker wrote:

Hey Forum,

Just recently Hulu.com released a subscription service for PS3, Xbox, and iPhone/iPod Touch users. Is this a sign that Hulu could be coming to WD TV? What do you guys think? Granted it would be a paid subscription ($9.99/month), this could be just what WD TV needs. Comment, speculate, thanks for your time!

Very well possible, for the WDTV Live plus that is. I wouldnt count on the regular WDTV to be able to support it, since it lacks the hardware security that content providers love.

Very true. If we ever do see Hulu support, It will probably only be supported on the Plus. I think we’ve all seen the love Western Digital has for the 2nd Generation WD TV Live customers who didn’t receive the Netflix update. 

iHacker wrote:

Very true. If we ever do see Hulu support, It will probably only be supported on the Plus. I think we’ve all seen the love Western Digital has for the 2nd Generation WD TV Live customers who didn’t receive the Netflix update. 

What I (obviously) meant is that it’s not up to WD, but up to Hulu.

Yes, it would be Hulu’s decision to bring it to WD TV, but Western Digital’s decision on who gets the update … eeny meeny miny moe, who gets the awesome update?? (If there is to be one) …

iHacker wrote:

Yes, it would be Hulu’s decision to bring it to WD TV, but Western Digital’s decision on who gets the update … eeny meeny miny moe, who gets the awesome update?? (If there is to be one) …

You just said that it would be the live plus.(if ever)

iHacker wrote:

Yes, it would be Hulu’s decision to bring it to WD TV, but Western Digital’s decision on who gets the update … eeny meeny miny moe, who gets the awesome update?? (If there is to be one) …

No. You don’t get it. There are 2 things you have to take into account:

  1. Decryption capabilities. For example, there is no software decoder on Linux that can decrypt the Netflix stream. So in order to decode you need hardware, like the 8654 features. The WDTV Live simply CAN NOT decode Netflix.

  2. Licensing issues. Netflix for example wants ‘secure hardware’ before they license. Take a look at popbox, they obviously had issue’s getting the licenses from Netflix. So even if there would be a software decoder for linux, I don’t think Netflix wouldn’t have licensed it anyway.

Nope. I said it will “probably” be the only player to get the update. Even though I own the Plus, I would like to see Western Digital give more updates to owners of previous models. All of us are soon to be owners of previous models. I imagine the WD TV Live Plus will be outdated in just a year, I would certainly like to see updates when I own an outdated media player …

iHacker wrote:

Nope. I said it will “probably” be the only player to get the update. Even though I own the Plus, I would like to see Western Digital give more updates to owners of previous models. All of us are soon to be owners of previous models. I imagine the WD TV Live Plus will be outdated in just a year, I would certainly like to see updates when I own an outdated media player …

Sure, but for example asking WD to get Netflix support for the WDTV Live is asking them to enable your WDTV Live to make you a nice cup of coffee. As long there’s no hardware to do that, then there’s no way WD can grant your wishes.

That’s why I said, it’s up to Hulu, not to WD.

Thanks for the insight. I was thinking software updates when I should have been thinking hardware. So would you suggest that even the current Plus would need a hardware update to allow Hulu? Or do you suppose that the current hardware is capable of handling the Hulu already, with an added software update, of course…

Doesn’t this continuous speculation give you a headache!

iHacker wrote:

Thanks for the insight. I was thinking software updates when I should have been thinking hardware. So would you suggest that even the current Plus would need a hardware update to allow Hulu? Or do you suppose that the current hardware is capable of handling the Hulu already, with an added software update, of course…

The current hardware in the *plus* can handle Hulu.

richUK wrote:

Doesn’t this continuous speculation give you a headache!

Please enlighten me, what am I speculating about exactly ?

LOL … Well thanks for your “speculation”, I appreciated it anyway haha …

iHacker wrote:

LOL … Well thanks for your “speculation”, I appreciated it anyway haha …

Well, don’t underestimate the licensing issue’s. Popbox hardware for example, COULD support Hulu as well, but uptill now, Hulu refuses to license the Popbox: 

"Can I watch Hulu on popbox?

Popbox respects the rights of content distributors and owners to decide how and where to distribute their content. Unfortunately, there is no Hulu app at this time, but if you want to see Hulu’s programming on popbox, we encourage you to contact Hulu directly with your request.  http://www.hulu.com/support/contact. The same is true for any Internet service that you enjoy today on the web" 

http://www.popbox.com/support.php#video3

So, even though the *plus* has the hardware to decode Hulu, it’s really the question if Hulu would license WD. My best guess is (and THIS is speculation) that Hulu is looking at mediaplayers right now and will choose to license any player based on a chipset that they consider as secure, in the near future (which in general will mean any player that has an even number Sigma chipset, (like the WDTV Live plus).

Anyway, I guess it couldn’t hurt to put in a request for WDTV Live plus, here (just like Popbox says Popbox owners should do) →   http://www.hulu.com/support/contact

Maybe if everybody does that, things start moving

:slight_smile:

Sounds like a great idea to me. What do you think about reposting this as it’s own thread for Plus owners who may want to help contact Hulu support to “get things moving”?

iHacker wrote:

Sounds like a great idea to me. What do you think about reposting this as it’s own thread for Plus owners who may want to help contact Hulu support to “get things moving”?

Hehe, I’m not gonna stop you :wink:

I’d include that link to that popbox site, where popbox asks their users to do the same.

You know what, I like your idea, I’m going to open a thread on the homebrew forum