Hulu for iPhone - Do It Yourself Edition

Rumors of a Hulu application for the iPhone/iPod touch have been swirling around the Internet for at least six months, but no application capable of delivering streaming online video via Wifi or G3 has yet to emerge. However, thanks a new iPhone app available from the iTunes Store (as well as innovative online video program for Mac users), the next best thing to free television in the palm of your hand is available now on your iPhone or iPod touch.

The answer? AirVideo, an affordable ($2.99) application from InMethod.com, which enables users to stream video content from their laptop and/or external hard drive to their iPhone/iPod touch. Unlike some iPhone applications that enable you to access content on a remote HD, AirVideo does not require your mobile device to be on the same network connection as your computer or laptop. In my experience, the video quality is extremely high as well. Also importantly, AirVideo automatically converts your videos into an iPod-compatible formate before streaming. You can even choose to “Convert on the Go,” an option that allows users to start watching videos before their conversion even completes, so you can start watching a three-hour movie in seconds. In my experience, even the longest videos started to play after about 10 seconds.

What’s most impressive about AirShare, however, especially for those who’ve struggled to take their videos “on the go,” isn’t the conversion quality, but simply the sheer amount of time and trouble it saves it’s users. No more conversion woes, no more shuffling episodes on and off the device, jockeying for physical memory. Prior to installing this app, I spent hours clearing information, converting videos into an iPod-compatible format and synching via iTunes. In order to convert unusual file formats into an iPod-compatible formate, I spent about $25 on VisualHub, a versatile video conversation program for Mac that, unfortunately, is no longer under development or being updated.

After AirShare, however, I simply synch up the program’s desktop software with the “movies” folder on my laptop, and my “videos” folder on my external HD, and tap the AirShare app on my iPod to access an enormous smorgasbord of television shows, cartoons, movies and late-night dramas. Better yet, all this entertainment takes up zero memory on my iPod, freeing up space for more important information, such as photos, podcasts, audiobooks, music, games and apps. The content on my external HD doesn’t even take up space on my laptop. Suddenly, I’ve potentially got 500 GB of video available on my humble 1G iPod touch.

But what about the promise of a Hulu-like application? How can you turn AirShare into a true streaming entertainment application, without waiting out Apple’s byzantine iTunes Store approval process? It’s simple, as long as you’ve got a program on your desktop device that automatically downloads new television shows as soon as they come out. You can subscribe to most popular television programs via iTunes, for example, or install some other program, such as Miro, which also delivers free video content. The video from programs such as these appear as files onto your HD. (For example, to synch your Miro content to your iPod, click on the AirShare icon in the navigation bar, select “Server Preferences, then select “Add Disk Folder,” then choose Users/username/Movies/Miro.)

After taking the time to configure your desktop machine, just sit back and wait for your content to download. Whatever’s on your home machine’s also on your mobile device. The next time you miss your favorite program because you’re stuck on the train, simply whip out your trusty iPod and access your video library on your main computer! (Keep your desktop downloader running to guarantee your content stays up to date.) If the program’s available online, it’s available in the palm of your hand! Voila — personalized streaming video content on your phone, without the constraints of hard drive space, video conversion software, or iTunes synching! Eat your heart out, Hulu.