Hulu Plus Now Available On Apple TV

There has been a lot of talk about the Apple TV recently thanks to the addition of AirPlay Mirroring functionality to Mountain Lion. For those of us who do not have one of the computers that are compatible with this feature (see this issue of Tech Tails for more details) there is still something new: Apple has quietly added new functionality to the Apple TV itself by adding access to Hulu Plus. For those of you who don’t know what Hulu is, here is the description from their website:

“Hulu Plus is the only online premium video subscription that streams current and classic TV programming on demand from hundreds of content partners, including top broadcast networks ABC, NBC, FOX, The CW and Univision. Hulu Plus subscribers can watch on any enabled devices for $7.99/month with limited advertising. For many popular shows on our service, Hulu Plus offers every episode of the current season. Hulu Plus subscribers also have access to back seasons and full runs of some of TV’s greatest shows, including many that were not available online before, in HD whenever possible.”

You can sign in using your current Hulu Plus account or you can pay using your Apple ID right within the Hulu Plus app. Unfortunately, Hulu’s free service is not currently available, but I am hoping that this is added in the future. There are a fair amount of ads, so Hulu and Apple will still make money!

Similar Posts

  • iPhone is #1!

    International Data Corporation (IDC), a technology market research firm with over 1,000 analysts in 50 countries, has released its quarterly report on global…

  • New Year, New You

    …OK, so that’s a little hokey. I’m of the belief that a few resolutions are a good thing, but that they shouldn’t be…

  • Create an AirPlay Speaker

    Apple’s AirPlay is one of the best technologies out there for media lovers. AirPlay allows you to control/play your favorite media to devices…

  • Diagnosing & Treating Bash "Shellshock"

    OS X is a descendant of a long lineage of UNIX operating systems, from which it inherits its incredible stability and enhanced security….

  • iPad Goes Pro!

    Apple has released the iPad Pro and some of the first reviews are in. I haven’t had a chance to play with one yet but I think this new iPad pushes Apple into two markets for iPad that it has only brushed before. One is the enterprise market and the other is the creative market. My good friend Dave Sellers, is an architect and I often see him with yellow tracing paper sketching up new designs for whatever harebrained scheme he might be working on. I told him about the new iPad Pro and the Pencil and I know I will want to get that into his hands as soon as possible to see if that old guy can do some magic on this new technology. The business or enterprise market for iPad is blossoming with Apple’s partnership with IBM and Cisco and the iPad Pro is going to push that window even further.

    When Apple announced the iPad Pro with its A9X chip, they stated that it would be faster than 80 percent of the PCs that shipped this year. It appears to be true and the $799 base model iPad Pro is faster and more powerful than the $899 Microsoft Surface Pro 4. But speed is not the whole picture. With 5.6 million pixels the 12.9 inch Retina display is the highest resolution of any iOS device. It is a fully laminated display with anti-reflective coating and technologies like Photo Alignment and Oxide TFT to deliver rich contrast, stunning color and deeper blacks.

    One would expect the first generation of the iPad Pro to be a bit clunky in size but at just 6.9mm thick and about a pound and a half, it is a very thin and lightweight powerhouse. The iPad Pro features four speakers which will give you amazing sound and more than three times the sound output of any iPad. The speakers are orientation savvy so whether you are in landscape or portrait mode the low frequencies play on all four speakers and the higher frequencies play for the top.

    iOS 9 was built for the iPad Pro and this new iPad takes advantage of the multitasking, split view, picture-in-a-picture, Siri and Spotlight search capabilities of iOS9. Touch ID makes your new iPad Pro more secure and easy to use and with iSight and FaceTime cameras those of you that like to take photos with a giant iPad can do so.

    The Smart Keyboard is probably the feature that might make this iPad replace a Mac for some. It is a full size keyboard that is water and stain resistant and very thin. It does not require Bluetooth and connects via the iPad Pro’s Smart Connector. This provides a connection for both power and data. It is not just some third-party keyboard paired to the iPad Pro; this Apple-designed keyboard is fully integrated into the iPad Pro and iOS9. Steve Jobs once said that he saw no need for a stylus because we all have ten pointing devices, called fingers. I don’t think he rolled over in his grave when Apple introduced the Pencil because it is not designed to be a pointing device but rather as a drawing device. It is weighted but won’t roll off the desk and the Pencil is sensitive to both tilt and pressure allowing your creative impulses to flow from the thinnest line to deep shading. I am no artist but I can’t wait to see some of the digital art produced with the combination of the iPad Pro and the new Pencil.

    I hope to give you some first-hand feedback soon on this new member of the iPad family!

  • Cut Across Shorty, Cut Across

    Keyboard shortcuts are handy ways of using simple keyboard commands to handle tasks that might require multiple clicks of your mouse or trackpad. Sometimes using these shortcuts can save time and make your work flow easier. As an example, from time to time I grab screen shots to include in Kibbles or to send to customers. I can launch the Grab app to capture these screen shots but I can also hit ⇧⌘3 (shift/command/3) to capture the screen. Easier yet, if I frequently use that key combination I can customize the keys I use or make one of my function keys do the screen grab. Here’s how you would do that:

    # Choose System Preferences -> Keyboard->Shortcuts
    # You will see a bunch of shortcuts that are already there
    # Select Screen Shots
    # Pick the one you want – i.e. Save Picture of screen as a file and select it
    # Click on the existing key combination until it is highlighted
    # Enter your new key combination

    !{display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;}http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4451.png!

    You will get a warning triangle if you choose a key combination (or function key) that is already in use.

    You can also add key combination shortcuts that are specific to an App. Selecting the App Shortcuts will take you there. Unless you have already set up some shortcuts, you will see only the key combination for “Show Help Menu” for all applications. To add a new shortcut to your favorite application you hit the + sign and a dialog box will pop up to allow you to select an app. From there you can set up the new shortcut:

    # Choose your App – or select all Apps if you want to set the key combination for the same menu command that appears in many Apps.
    # Type in the menu command for which you want to create a shortcut. VERY IMPORTANT – You must type the command exactly as it appears in the Application menu, including ellipses and any other punctuation. To type an ellipse, use three periods without spaces.
    # Click in the Keyboard Shortcut box and type the key combination or function key you wish to use and click “Add”.
    # Quit and restart any Apps that are open for the new keyboard command to take effect.

    !{display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;}http://blog.smalldog.com/images/4452.png!

    If you assign a shortcut that already exists for another command or another App, your new shortcut will not work and you will have to find the menu command that is using that shortcut and change it.