Ways To Watch iPlayer, 4oD etc… Abroad
Ways To watch BBC iPlayer abroad?
It is perhaps the most asked query of expats, but the answer is an easy YES.
For people who live overseas, like me, there comes a time when you miss a bit of good old Brit television. Ever since the BBC launched iPlayer there was a little hope out there for watching BBC iplayer abroad. However if you have attempted to attach while abroad all you get is ‘Currently BBC iPlayer television programs are available to play in the United Kingdom only…’ How annoying!
So its now possible Watch BBC iPlayer abroad?
Of course it is possible, if you search through Google you will find heaps of options. A lot of them are either expensive or just do not work. I’ll list them all, so you can decide for on your own, but in the end there are just a couple of true options to watch BBC iPlayer abroad. That is methods which will always work.
What you need to Do
The BBC restricts access to its iPlayer service by checking the physical location of the Internet provider you are using to connect to the Net. If it’s based in the UK you will be able to view, if it isn’t then they block you from viewing. It is as simple as that!
All you require to watch BBC iPlayer abroad is make it seem like you are located in the United Kingdom.
No Cost techniques to watch BBC iPlayer Abroad
If you’ve got access to a PC back in the United Kingdom you can make a virtual private network tunnel back to that PC and connect to the iPlayer web site thru that PC, this can cause it to look like you are in the United Kingdom.
So How Well Does It Work?
Not well to be honest, there are a number of issues. Firstly you must have a PC on in the United Kingdom all of the time, and if there is any technical problems with that computer you are going to be stuck till you get back to fix it. Second, and more importantly, while your download speed in the United Kingdom could be good you will find the upload speed is far to slow to allow consistent TV viewing.
Any other free methods to watch BBC iPlayer abroad?
Well you can look at TOR or Foxyproxy which both offer a free proxy service, which like a VPN makes it seem like your PC is in the United Kingdom. However all free proxies are too slow to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, they just do not have enough speed for all the free users. They are also quite hard to setup, without help.
The Best Option to watch BBC iPlayer Abroad
Firstly should you pick substitute or VPN options, well the neatest thing is to have BOTH! The software I use is Identity Cloaker which gives you a premium high speed United Kingdom proxy and United Kingdom VPN option. This will enable you to view iPlayer live and download programs to view when you want.
The software wasn’t originally made for television viewing, it is just a byproduct of what it does. As such they do not even state this use on their website!
There is a ten day trial available for a few euros (the free version is of no use if you’d like to watch iplayer abroad {as it is too restrictive|ass it only works for certain sites, as it does not work for TV sites). After that the software costs less than seven euros a month, so it is reallly a bargain for those among us who need to watch iPlayer abroad!
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October 14th, 2009 at 7:24 am
An easier way to watch British TV is to sign up (free) to a torrent site called ‘The Box’, download a freeware torrent client (‘Vuze’ works well) and then you get snatch torrents from the site.
The advantages are: a) totally free b) they often have HDTV versions of the most popular shows c) you can get stuff from other UK terrestrial channels, not just BBC d) watch what you want, when you want e) lots of classic British programmes too, even if they haven’t been on the TV for years.
It means downloading the stuff before you can watch it, and obviously you have to wait for someone to upload the torrent to the site in the first place, so you can’t watch ‘live’. You also have to maintain a ‘ratio’ between the stuff you’ve downloaded and the data you’ve uploaded (it’s file sharing basically, not just file ‘taking’).
October 14th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Thanks Mikey that forum looks really interesting. The address is http://thebox.bz.
I tried one of the torrents and the speeds were really good.
Thanks!
October 14th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Well it’s true, this stuff sounds interesting for those who frequently downloads video stuff over the internet. I might try this one. Its kinda cool….
October 14th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
No probs admin. Just keep an eye on your ratio to try to maintain it around 1:1. One trick is to jump on the stuff marked ‘free’. It isn’t including in your download total, but while you download it you are simultaneously seeding it to other downloaders and so your upload total increases, and therefore your ratio. If you are one of the first to start downloading something (the free ones are generally soap operas) the more you’re likely to upload; maybe 2 or 3 times the size of the file.
Sounds a bit of a shag at first but you soon get into the habit of it and this system does mean that speed and availability are good, even on the older uploads.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Ok Mikey the ones i’m seeding don’t seem to have anyone else downloading them. I guess i’ll have to keep seeding them for a while before my ratio improves.