Play Hulu.com and any DRM free media on your AppleTV with Boxee

Using this patch, you can enable your Apple TV to play practically any DRM-free multimedia file. The patch can be applied by inserting a USB thumb drive into the box that's been pre-loaded with some open-source software called Boxee.

Normally, Apple TV can only play video and music files that are compatible with iTunes or bought through the iTunes Store, but coder Scott Davilla's patch essentially "Jailbreaks" the TV set-top box from such restrictions by installing an open-source media center called Boxee.

Currently in limited, invite-only alpha testing, the patch automatically installs itself onto a thumb drive and adds a Boxee button to the main menu of Apple TV. Clicking on Boxee brings you to an interface allowing you to view about 30 types of DRM-free multimedia (e.g., DIVX, AVI, MKZ and BIN) from any computer connected to your network; you can even play multimedia through internet streams (e.g. Hulu and ABC.com videos).

What You'll Need

• An Apple TV
• Boxee software. It's currently invitation only, so you'll have to request an invite. Invited users can also share invites, so friends can all sign up in a group.
• A Mac. The current patch can only be downloaded and run by Mac users. Windows and Linux versions will be available soon.
• A bootable USB stick. The patch only works with bootable thumb drives.
• Windows XP users: If your USB drive isn't bootable by default, you can modify it with an HP utility.
• Mac users: Try the free app DasBoot. Instructions on how to use it with a USB drive can be found on ShinyThings.

If you have all of the above, and it sounds interesting, take a look at the video tutorial below:

Then go read the full Wiki here.