Hulu is a subscription streaming service for video on demand that’s based in the U.S.A. It was one of the first streaming services around along with Netflix, so it can be considered one of the pioneers of VOD services that are Internet-based at a point in time where piracy was a big concern and physical media was still the more ubiquitous home-viewing format. It’s currently controlled and majority-owned by the Walt Disney Company’s Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International along with Comcast’s NBC Universal. Nowadays, it’s mostly known as the Netflix alternative.
With that said, did you know that you can use your projector in order to view Hulu there instead of your HDTV, smartphone, tablet, or laptop? It makes total sense since there are no HDMI ports on modern video projectors and the projector device itself is considered one of your most viable choices for media source displays.
Learn More about Hulu
As of 2020, Hulu has 30.4 million subscribers. Originally, the most popular show on Hulu was Family Guy, Seinfeld, Veronica Mars, and the like. However, it has since included both revival shows and original shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale, Castle Rock, PEN15, Nathan for You, Shrill, Ramy, Casual, Future Man, The Act, Little Kenny, The Bravest Knight, The Path, Catch-22, Harlots, Difficult People, Marvel’s Runaways, The Looming Tower, Into the Dark, Four Weddings and a Funeral (Mini-Series), and so forth.
- Origins of Hulu: Originally, Hulu was established as a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corporation along with Providence Equity Partners and, later on, The Walt Disney Company (this was before Disney+ rolled along to provide Disney-exclusive content). Hulu served as an aggregate of recent TV series episodes from their respective TV networks that people can catch online without them having to use something like the TiVo service for recording episodes.
- The Subscription Service Era: Later on, Hulu launched a subscription service in 2010. It was initially branded as Hulu Plus but soon people associated the Hulu brand more with the subscription service than anything else, so the company eventually dropped the name. However, apropos to nothing, Disney itself named its subscription VOD offering as Disney+ or Disney Plus as well. This service offered full seasons of programs from companies associated with the company. It also offered undelayed access to new TV episodes for all paying customers.
- Hulu with Live TV and Shareholder Stakes: Hulu launched another service in 2017 known as Hulu with Live TV. It’s an IPTV service that’s over-the-top and features linear TV channels for the general consumption of the Hulu subscriber audience. This service, later on, had Time Warner (currently known as Warner Media) holding a stake on it. Afterward, 21st Century Fox (formerly 20th Century Fox) was acquired by Disney in March 2019, which gave the company a 60 percent majority stake for the Hulu service. When AT&T acquired Warner Media in 2018, it sold back about 10 percent of the stake in April 2019.
- The Disney Takeover of Hulu: On May 14, 2019, fellow Hulu shareholder Comcast announced that it has ceded its control of the service to The Walt Disney Company, reaching an agreement so that Disney could buy its 33 percent stake in Hulu as early as 2024. Hulu will operate as a bridge brand along with Disney’s ventures in VoD such as ESPN Plus and Disney Plus, with Hulu being treated as the streaming brand for “general entertainment” that airs or streams Disney properties including shows and family-oriented movies.
Playing Hulu on Your Projector
You can use video casting in order to transfer your Hulu viewing experience from your mobile device to the big screen. The idea here is to treat your projector like you would an HDTV. Many projectors have their own HDMI ports so you can easily link your Hulu streaming device like your tablet, smartphone, or laptop to your projector in a jiffy.
There are also projectors that are Hulu-ready such as EUG 5000 Lumen HD Smart Android Bluetooth Wifi Projector. You have available video casting and screen share options such as HDMI, Chromecast, and Airplay on your fingertips.
- Screen Mirroring on a Hulu-Supported Mobile Device: You need a Hulu-supported mobile device and the latest Hulu mobile app (and a Hulu subscription) in order to play Hulu on your mobile phone before screen casting or mirroring your mobile phone’s screen unto your projector through various connections, from a Lightning/USB-C to HDMI adapter to a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection. Sometimes, it’s possible to download the mobile app directly on the projector itself, with it serving as your computer or electronic storage device of sorts.
- Wi-FI and Hulu Streaming: You can use projectors that simply support Wi-Fi instead to connect to devices that can stream Hulu or otherwise use that projector to stream Hulu for you. Some projectors have operating systems that can download and use the Hulu app by themselves. You can, for example, use Wi-Fi to connect to a phone then stream your Hulu video via a mirrored screen. They won’t end up blocking the video as long as you have a Hulu subscription. Certain YouTube videos are blocked from screen mirroring by HDMI or Wi-FI due to digital copyright protection protocols. This shouldn’t be the case when streaming with a Hulu account.
- HDMI Linkage for Hulu Streaming Purposes: Connect your projector to your HDTV that’s streaming Hulu through an HDMI cable. From there, you can use the other HDMI port to link your Hulu-enabled iPad or iPhone to your HDTV through what’s known as a Lightning Digital AV Adapter. This mostly works for iOS devices while Android devices preferably should use Chromecast instead. Link the adapter to your iOS device, connect the HDMI cord to your HDTV and/or projector, select the correct HDMI outputs from the video-in settings of the TV, then open your Hulu app on your mobile device and watch from there. Only certain HDTVs and projectors will allow for this connection to work, mind you.
- The Concept of Streaming Hulu Through AirPlay: It’s also possible to stream Hulu in a projector through Airplay or AirPlay. First, you should have supported Apple TV using the latest mobile app on supported iPhones and iPads. From there, you can daisy-chain your projector on the Apple TV so that you’d have a mirrored projector. There are also certain TVs that support Airplay as well (using the latest mobile app on iPads and iPhones running iOS 12.2 and above), which you can daisy-chain with your projector too. There are also certain projectors that support Airplay outright.
- To AirPlay Hulu from your iPhone and iPad: Connect your AirPlay-compatible Smart TV, Apple TV, or Smart Projector to the same Wi-FI network as your iOS smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Open the Hulu application and tap the video you wish to watch, whether it’s a movie, mini-series, TV series, and more. Tap the icon for Airplay at the top of the window player then chooses your AirPlay-compatible Smart TV or Smart Projector as well as Apple TV from the list. If it’s only connectible through the TV, you should connect it to your projector either through an HDMI cable or wirelessly so that you can view Hulu on both the TV and the projector.
- Projecting Hulu via Chromecast and Mobile Device: You can broadcast or screen-cast Hulu through a Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV Stick, or Roku device. Just make sure the projector you’re using is Chromecast-supported. Otherwise, make sure you have other devices available that you can link to your projector for screen mirroring purposes. To cast Hulu from your Android or iOS device, you need to connect it to the same Wi-FI network as your supported TV or projector. Open the Hulu app on your device then tap the windowed player’s Cast icon. Choose the Chromecast-enabled device from the list and cast from there.
- Projecting Hulu via Chromecast and PC: To cast Hulu from your computer, you need to connect it to the same Wi-Fi network as your Chromecast device. Afterward, go to Hulu.com through Google Chrome then use the web browser to watch whichever movie or TV show you wish to view. Click on the bottom of the windowed player’s Cast icon then choose the Chromecast device from your list, whether it’s a Chromecast-enabled HDTV or projector.
- Buy a Hulu-Ready Projector: You can watch Hulu on your projector if you have a Hulu-ready one like the EUG Wifi Projector. With it, you won’t need Chromecast or AirPlay to watch Hulu. This entertainment projector is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing you to watch Hulu and other streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, Disney+, and many others. It also offers support for videogame consoles, indoor/outdoor projection with its 5,000-lumen lamp, Apple-TV compatibility for AirPlay purposes, and screencasting/mirroring to allow for viewing photos, videos, and more.
In Conclusion
What works with your HDTV or special smart TV with Smartphone or Bluetooth capabilities should work fine with your projector. You just need to find the right projector that will allow the specific airing or streaming features for Hulu to work. The best course of action, of course, is to find a projector that specifically can run Hulu through multiple means, from Chromecast to using one of those Internet streaming devices (for those projectors that lack Wi-Fi connectivity). There are even projectors that can download a Hulu app unto their system a la a mobile device in order to allow Hulu to play its videos on it without the assistance of outside hardware.
References:
- “Hulu“, Wikipedia, Retrieved April 3, 2020
- Will Nicol, “The 50 Best Shows on Hulu Right Now“, Digital Trends, April 3, 2020
- “Cast and screen share video to your TV using your mobile device“, Hulu.com Help Center, February 5, 2020
- “EUG 5000 Lumen HD Smart Android Bluetooth Wifi Projector“, Amazon.com, Retrieved April 4, 2020
Image Credit: