New way to watch Ad Free!

So, the original way I posted to do this, Bluecop's Hulu add-on, seems to have died. Hulu has been switching the way they deliver their shows around a bit and there is not really any more active development on Bluecop. So, on to the next solution - USTV-VoD!

USTV-VoD (quite a mouthful) is an aggregator that has links to all the networks and the shows they have online. Using USTV-VoD points your XBMC at the network's shows on their webpages - almost all these show have zero commercials!

Note on setting your Favorites:
Once you've followed the instructions below to install USTV-VoD into XBMC you'll want to configure it with your favorite shows. I used my Hulu queue to figure out what networks my shows were on, then when I found the show just right click on it and Add to USTV-VOD favorites & right click again and Add to Favorites. Once it's in your favorites it's easy to find.

To figure out what network a show is on, click the show's image in your queue. Don't click the play button (click the green areas shown, not the red X).

Installing USTV-VoD 

This process is almost the same as installing Blue Cop, so if you'd followed the old method you're already a pro and this should be cake!

1. Download and install XBMC.
2. While this is installing, download USTV-VoD, you'll install it in a bit.
3. Run XBMC. Go to System/Settings/Add-ons/Install from zip File. Navigate to where you downloaded USTV-VoD. Choose it (repository.xbmcplus.xbmc-plugins-1.2.zip) and it will be unzipped and installed.
4. Once that is done, enter Get Add-ons (in the Add-ons menu). Choose the xbmcplus Add-on Repository (if nothing shows, right click and choose "Check for updates". Then right click and choose "Force refresh") Choose Video Add-ons. Choose USTV-VoD - click Install. This can take a bit of time b/c it'll download the extension from the repository.
5. Now you have to make it so that you will have a way to choose USTV-VoD from the home screen. Hit ESC or Backspace till you get to the home screen, then go to System. 
6. Go to Appearance, on the Skin menu, click settings (2nd one down).
   
7. Go to the Add-on section of the skin settings and under home page video submenu click the #1(in my example I used #3) slot and add in USTV-VoD 
   
   
   
8. Now you should see the USTV-VoD logo on your home page. Enjoy.
   
   
   

Hints:

How to watch Hulu without ads

NOTE: New instructions for a installing different extension have been posted to my blog. Since a lot of you are linking directly to this post please either click the banner text at the top or click these words to see the latest post to my blog. 

There is a lot of really crappy advice out there to switch out your DNS so you have to sit through 30 seconds of silence while you don't watch Hulu ads. Three things about that advice that are stupid; 1 - your DNS is now altered for EVERYTHING you hit on the internet not just Hulu, 2 - the ads are almost always shorter than 30 seconds so you spend MORE time watching a black screen, and 3 - Hulu doesn't get ad revenue for showing you the ads, making it more likely Hulu goes out of business and we have to go back to trying to find some pirated version of the show that wants to give us a virus...

The real way to watch Hulu without commercials is to use XBMC and Blue Cop. It's a free media center program, orginally made for the XBox but now ported to everything.

So, XBMC is a *bit* hard to understand at first. This is because it's not a program designed to be used with a keyboard and mouse, it's to be used with a remote control. This design works well with a remote but takes a bit of getting used to with a keyboard. Just remember to use Esc and Backspace to back out of wherever you end up :). The other shortcut key you'll want for XBMC is the backslash ( \ ) above the Enter key. That changes from fullscreen to window mode.

1. Download and install XBMC.
2. While this is installing, download Blue Cop, you'll install it in a bit.
3. Run XBMC. Go to System/Settings/Add-ons/Install from zip File. Navigate to where you downloaded Blue Cop. Choose bluecop and it will be unzipped and installed.
   
4. Once that is done, enter Get Add-ons (in the Add-ons menu). Choose the Blue Cop Repository/Video Add-ons/Hulu. Choose to install it. This takes a bit of time because it will download the Hulu code.
5. Once Hulu is installed, choose configure. Make all the commercial options ZERO (like the image). Now, the extension will pre-roll the ads for you, showing the ads as 'viewed' by Hulu's servers so they get credit for displaying the ad to the user (so Hulu gets paid) but you don't have to sit through them. You can also enter your Hulu login details so that you'll be able to see your queue. You can have it remove watched items from your queue if you want from here also.
   
6. Now you have to make it so that you will have a way to choose Hulu from the home screen. Hit ESC or Backspace till you get to the home screen, then go to System. 
7. Go to Appearance, on the Skin menu, click settings (2nd one down).
   
8. Go to the Add-on section of the skin settings and under home page video submenu click the #1 slot and add in Hulu.
   
9. Now you should see the Hulu logo on your home page. Enjoy.