How-To Geek
Integrate Hulu Desktop and Windows Media Center in Windows 7
Have you ever been watching something in Windows Media Center and wished there was an easy way to switch to Hulu programs? Today we look at Hulu Desktop Integration which allows you to easily switch between Hulu Desktop and Windows 7 Media Center.
Hulu Desktop Integration 1.0
For this to work you’ll need Hulu Desktop (link below) and Windows 7 Home Premium or higher. After installing Hulu Desktop Integration, when you open Windows Media Center you’ll see Hulu Desktop in the main menu. Click on Hulu Desktop and it will close out of WMC…
Then Hulu Desktop opens up in full screen and you can begin watching your favorite programming there.
When you close out of Hulu Desktop, Windows Media Center opens up…it doesn’t get much easier than this.
It works very fluidly and is quick…it seems like it’s a feature that is native to WMC. It’s meant for those of you who have a media center in the living room so you can easily switch between Hulu and WMC from the couch. If you watch your programming on your PC it works great for that as well. One caveat to this handy utility is it doesn’t work with extenders. If you’re looking for an easy way to switch between Hulu Desktop and Windows Media Center, you’ll want to check out the Hulu Desktop Integration app.
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Comments (10)
Programmer by day, geek by night, The Geek, also known as Lowell Heddings, spends all his free time bringing you fresh geekery on a daily basis. You can follow him on Google+ if you'd like.
- Published 02/12/10
Useful in only one country, of course.
That’s when FreeVPN comes in handy :)
Thanks for sharing this about HULU! I love this site!
This does not work very well. It runs fine from the computer, but when launching it from an extender like an XBox 360, it looses connection with the Windows Media Center PC, making it pretty much useless.
@Derek. The article explicilty states that this does not work with extenders.
Very cool & works great!
Trick for those of us who are a bit OCD:
If that ‘watcher’ dos-type window that flashes in our face bothers you, start up hulu thru media center like normal then click on the ‘restore’ button in upper right next to X to take out of full-screen (unless you happen to already be in a window then skip that step) then right-click on the title bar of that annoying ‘watcher’ window & choose Defaults. Go to Layout tab & uncheck ‘Let system position window’ then set Windows size W/H both to 1 then set both Position values as high as it will let you (depends on your screen resolution) then hit OK, maximize hulu desktop again (if desired) then close out hulu so it goes back to WMC. Run up hulu again & VOILA! that ‘watcher’ window is now hidden out of view. :)
Bill
It’s very not yusefull because all of my program it’s hard to open or spare of my program it was lose! Can you help about this??
When I close out of HULU desktop, for some reason it doesn’t select WMC. I have a harmony remote transmitting to a mce receiver. When i close Hulu, WMC pops up, but isn’t “on top” so the remote won’t control it. I have set it to “always on top” but.. it isn’t. Anyone else have the same problem?
Hi John,
Having almost the same problem, just the opposite. Have harmony remote, when I move into Hulu Desktop I have to use the mouse to select Hulu and then remote works. Otherwise remote does nothing. When I exit Hulu and back to WMC, that works fine. Any solution would be great.
Kyle
May have figured it out. Works so far. Open your registry editor and find \\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE. Go to Hulu Desktop selection and change “Always on Top” to 1 from 0. Seems to work in case any one else has this problem.