SnapStream Blog

Hulu is probably the best thing since sliced bread. Okay, okay maybe not, but it sure is a pretty ingenious idea. I mean you are able to watch all of your favorite TV shows and movies free of charge right from your computer. It really hits on the convenience factor, which I greatly appreciate. The only down side is that it never really gave me the “I’m hanging out on my couch watching my favorite show” feeling, it was more of the “I’m awkwardly sitting in front of my computer screen watching my favorite show” feeling.

So, when Hulu announced they were releasing their own desktop application I was pretty excited. After downloading the desktop application, and playing around with it I thought to myself, “You know what would be really amazing? A remote control!” You know to give me the relaxing watching TV feeling. Having Beyond TV setup at home I decided to see if maybe my FireFly Mini Remote could fill this role. And guess what? It did! Victory is mine! Now off to test the capabilities of the FireFly Mini Remote with Hulu. As far as functionality, I really just need to navigate the surprisingly simple Hulu interface. It only requires Up, Down, Left, Right, Enter and Back.

Test: Using the arrows I cruise on over to Burn Notice (Scrolling. Check.). I click OK and choose the latest episode. Click OK again and it starts playing (Able to play. Check). My phone rings and I hit OK again (It pauses. Check.). What did he just say? Hold the left arrow down to backtrack. (It rewinds/forwards. Check.) In the end, being able to use the FireFly Mini Remote with my Hulu Desktop Application is useful and amazing!

Buy Now – $29.99

Download the Hulu Desktop application

The question came to my mind the other day “what will the DTV transition actually look like?”
Will it be a fanfare followed by a 21 gun salute?
Will it just be going to static?

Well, I have the answer for you.

Using a SnapStream TV Server, I recorded all of the broadcast networks over their analog signal overnight 6/12/09.
I then found each of the cutoffs and clipped them out into one video.
You’ll see some that were signed off kindly, some static and some that just didn’t get it right.

We want to remind you that on June 12, 2009 all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will no longer be broadcasting on analog airwaves and will begin broadcasting only in digital. (More info at www.dtv.gov)

With that said, if you are currently using an analog antenna you have a couple of alternatives to keep your Beyond TV working.

1) Continue using your antenna to record, but you will now be recording over-the-air digital TV. You will need a digital converter box and an USB-Uirt IR Blaster in order to use your existing analog tuner. (Here’s a step-by-step article on setting up a digital converter box with Beyond TV.)

2) Switch from using an antenna to something like cable or satellite in Beyond TV. (Additional accessories may be required depending on the service you purchase.)

3) Purchase and install an HD TV tuner card.

If you have any questions please visit the SnapStream forum thread, Beyond TV and the Digital Transition.

We just launched SnapStream TV Trends, a web-based tool for tracking trends on traditional TV here in the United States. You can reach it at http://www.snapstream.com/tvtrends/.

Read more about it on our TV Searcher blog (that’s our blog dedicated to our Enterprise business).