PlayOn is a media server which streams videos from popular sources (Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, etc) to your computer(s) via the UPnP protocol. In this guide we’ll be installing the PlayOn media server on your XBMC-running HTPC to stream to itself or installing on another Windows-based computer you plan to stream from.
Requirements
- Windows XP SP2+, Vista, 7, Server 2003, Windows Home Server SP1+
- PlayOn (14-day trail available)
- XBMC (or any other media center with UPnP support)
- Hulu account recommended if needed
- Netflix account if needed
Setting Up PlayOn
- Download and install PlayOn from http://playon.tv
NOTE: For issues installing PlayOn, see system requirements. - Click the Channels tab. Configure your channels.
- If desired, click the Social Network tab. Configure your social networks.
- To enter your license information, click the Registration tab.NOTE: Free trial expires in 14 days from installation.
Adding UPnP Source to XBMC
- Go to Videos > Files > Add Source.
- Select <None>.
- Type: upnp:// and then click OK.
- UPnP Media Servers (Auto-Discover) will display in your Files list. Click it.
- Click PlayOn (ComputerName).
- Browsing the sources is identical to browsing your usual XBMC media.
Wrap-Up
Streaming to XBMC is not without its bugs. I’m not sure if this is unique to me but I have to click videos multiple times before they’ll start buffering. Nonetheless, this is a great, simple way to get Hulu and Netflix on your XBMC system. Head over and get PlayOn.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below. For any questions, please ask in the community forums.
11 Responses to How To: Add Hulu, Netflix, etc Streaming to XBMC with PlayOn
RickH
May 22nd, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I dont want to pay for PlayOn. Any other free solutions?
Fernando
May 22nd, 2010 at 2:40 pm
I haven't found any free or paid alternatives to PlayOn. However, considering how much PlayOn saves me in comparison to cable, I think it's well worth the $3/mo for the 1st year and $2/mo for each consecutive year.
If you find an alternative please share the wealth by dropping us a line. But if you choose to sign up for PlayOn please use our link here to sign up here.
Chris Larson
June 19th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
You can use Launcher plugin/addon to run HuluDesktop in XBMC. Still looking for a Netflix option.
Here's the thread I followed to get it working:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?t=35739&…
fernandodunn
June 20th, 2010 at 6:06 am
Good point because Hulu Desktop actually isn't bad at all. The Netflix option could be to use that same launcher to launch the Netflix web site in a browser. Might be a bit more 10-foot friendly by launching Clicker.tv. Linux users are out of luck since there is no support for Silverlight's DRM though.
gizmo
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:58 am
Hi,
I have rcryan playon HD player. Is it possible to add support for viedo streaming sites like youtube, or for that matter any other free sites hosting movies/ clips?
fernandodunn
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:24 pm
The PlayOn media server supports UPnP and DLNA so it should work with any device that supports either of those protocols. There are dozens of free plugins for PlayOn that lets you get more content. You can check them out at http://www.playon.tv/playon/plugins
Detro Jones
September 9th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
As a Playon user since the beta version. I paid my 40 dollar initial license, things worked great. Playon had a great user driven community back then developing plugins to watch everything from german public television to adult swim. Since then Playon has come up with Playon Premium, where they charge you monthly and tack another large i believe 70 dollar or so license fee on you again. With the amount of bugs playon has constantly, which trust me they do and the broken functionality ive been dealing with more and more over the last year im sad to say i might be retiring it. Dont let the other comments fool you there are DOZENS of other solutions to stream hulu, netflix and other shows they just require a lot of work. If you look up home media centers and software you can find things like geexbox which is a linux based home media player you build on a standard pc. Just use wikipedia. And also yes i loved playon for years, in fact its the only software i ever bought in my life because i actually felt it was worth it. Now with the premium content which used to be standard for all users, the monthly fee, the complete death of the playon plugin writers community I have to say they are not the company who cared about their customers in the beginning like i remember them, it seems they are all about the hype now and pushing their software to stream to iphones and cash in on the phone type 2-3 bucks a month subscription train. Anyway End of rant.
Fernando
September 12th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
There is no monthly fee for PlayOn. They only have two license types available: annual and lifetime. The annual license is $40 for the first year and each year after that you pay $20 to renew your license. The lifetime license is an $80 one-time fee.
As you said other solutions require a lot of work and can be blocked by Hulu and the likes. The appeal of PlayOn is that you can easily access content from any device or media center that supports DLNA/UPnP. There are limitations though as with all things (e.g., no Netflix streaming on Linux due to no Silverlight DRM support).
Times are changing though. Nowadays, a lot of service providers are making apps like specific for OS and device. To keep up with the times, PlayOn really needs to come out with a server client for Mac and Linux and also improve the video quality. This will bring a lot more development to the platform.
PatrickP
December 20th, 2010 at 8:53 am
I'm currently streaming PlayOn from my HTPC to my Sony Bravia. Are you saying I can add XBMC to PlayOn as a plugin, so it will also appear on my Sony Bravia? KInd of confuse on the topic
Mark
May 1st, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Because PlayOn says it uses uPnP
Can PlayOn stream to XBMC over the internet?
I am still looking for a solution to share my content among various locations
Fernando
May 12th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
I would assume if you could setup port forwarding on your router and such that it should be able to stream over the internet. The question is probably whether or not you can add the upnp:// location to your XBMC. You probably want to check with PlayOn regarding streaming over the internet.