| Hulu comes to Linux |
Oct. 16, 2009
 Web video site Hulu has released a Linux version of its Hulu Desktop. Hulu Desktop for Linux is optimized for Ubuntu 9.04 and Fedora 11, offers search and playback controls, and includes publisher tools for locating and integrating content, says Hulu.
(Click for larger view of Hulu Desktop)
After the release of Windows and Mac versions of Hulu Desktop earlier this year, Linux support was the number one requested feature, says the company. The desktop application provides a "lean-back viewing" interface to its Hulu.com online video service, which includes TV shows, movies, and a wide variety of video clips.
The Linux version has been designed for Ubuntu 9.04 and Fedora 11, but any distribution using glib 2.16, GTK+ 2.12, and LIRC 0.8.2 should be compatible, says the company. Hulu also requires Adobe Flash Player 9.0.124 or higher. Ubuntu 8.04 and Fedora 9 have also been tested as compatible, and the company expects to support other distributions in the future.
Hulu video player
(Click to enlarge)
Minimum hardware requirements listed for the application include a system with an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz CPU and at least 2GB of RAM. Hulu Desktop for Linux supports input from hundreds of infrared remote controls using the open source LIRC package, says Hulu. Keyboard and mouse controls are also provided.
Hulu enables browsing of TV shows and movies by alphabetical order, network, studio, or Hulu channel, says the company. Personalization features are also provided. The new publisher tools include keyword and time-period searches, as well as "copy embed code" boxes.
Until now, Linux users who wanted to watch Hulu without using a web browser required the Boxee social media center software running on Ubuntu.
Availability
Hulu Desktop for Linux is now available for free download for 32- and 64-bit versions of Ubuntu 9.04 and Fedora 11, here.
More information on the publisher tools may be found here.
-- Eric Brown
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