Linux is great for many applications, but the plugins that drive streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are closed-source and the developers have little to no interest in supporting a “fringe” operating system. Thankfully, the fine folks at Google saw the wisdom in giving back to the community that helped build them by building Netflix and Hulu support into the Google Chrome browser.
Install Google Chrome by downloading the appropriate package from the Chrome website and you’re ready to go!
NOTE: This article generally applies to Windows machines; however, Linux machines have been addressed in the comments.
Netflix and Hulu are two of the most popular streaming services on the market today, offering thousands of titles on demand and leading the cord-cutting charge against cable’s content monopoly. Unfortunately, neither service has offered official, dedicated plugins for one of the most popular home theatre software applications available. While plugins like NetfliXBMC and Bluecop’s Hulu plugin exist, they tend to be sketchy in quality and often broken. In this number, I’m going to explain how to add Netflix and Hulu to Kodi using a web browser.
To me, the best HTPC Netflix or Hulu experience (outside a dedicated app such as the ones for Xbox 360) comes from the services’ own websites. The only drawback to this is having to hang onto a wireless keyboard and trackpad combination, but it’s a small nuisance that can eventually be rectified with some clever hackery (more on that in a later article).
To launch the respective website from Kodi, we’re going to use Firefox with the Advanced Launcher plugin. Firefox supports command-line controls, so it will be perfect for our needs. Inside Advanced Launcher, right-click or press C on the keyboard to call up the context menu. Click “Manage Sources” to bring up the source manager screen. Select “Add Source” and “Browse” when the source window appears. Select the root folder for your hard drive, then click “OK”. Press backspace to return to Advanced Launcher.
Back in Advanced Launcher, create a new category and call it “Firefox Links”. Inside the new category, choose “Standalone Launcher” and browse to the Firefox executable located on your hard drive. In the next window, you will need to enter the following command-line arguments to load Netflix automatically when Firefox runs:
-fullscreen -new-window http://www.netflix.com
Press Return and then you will be prompted to name your launcher. “Netflix” seems like a reasonable choice (unless, of course, you are launching Hulu or another service). Press Return again and you will be prompted to select the platform that your application runs on.
On the following screens, you will be prompted to browse for a path where thumbnails and fanart is stored. This is unimportant, so you can browse to an empty folder or a placeholder if you wish. In the Aeon MQ5 skin, you will be able to select custom artwork for these menu items later.
After selecting the artwork locations, the launcher is officially completed. I’ve taken it a step further and added a custom macro in EventGhost that disables closes Firefox with a particular keypress on the remote or the Escape key on the keyboard, seamlessly returning to Kodi.
Pro Tip: If you add your launchers to you “Favourites” list, you will be able to add custom menu options for them on the Aeon MQ5 home screen. Under the “Settings” menu, choose “Customise Main Menu” and add them to any open slots!