Online movie streaming

bigheadxx

apartyofseven wrote: »

can anyone help with how you watch UK programmes overseas is there a way of doing that?

bigheadxx wrote: »

See post 47. The link tells you what to do.

There is also an app called Tunnel Bear which works for the Kindle Fire. Anybody know of free apps that work on the iPad to watch overseas TV in UK and UK TV abroad?

bcc

I can view lots of channels on my 36"CRT with ROKU*. Lovefilm is Amazon in the States and it works over there, in the UK just Netflix which as noted doesn't have such a comprehensive selection, but I'm thinking of cancelling soon as the disk hang around if I'm busy. It's not the £5 approx difference, just the convenience! * £49 from Maplin a real find! BC

PerpetuallyBroke

This may have changed now, but I signed up to a free Netflix trial a few months ago, having read all the info on their site, which didn't mention which operating platforms were supported or software used. Only found out *after* I'd signed up that the software they require you to download wasn't compatible with either my PC or my Mac!

I'm hoping that they've now either made the software more compliant with newer OSs, or made the requirements explicit on their website.

It put me off them for life, though - what a huge oversight - so I use Lovefilm. Having said that, I rarely watch TV - if I do, I use BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, or 4OD (all free). I use lovefilm almost exclusively for films

fairleee

I use Netflix and love it. I agree however that the UK library isn't that great, particularly for TV series. To get around this I use a service called Unblock Us (https://www.unblock-us.com). This service allows you to select any Netflix library (UK, US, Canada and any others) to watch. The way it works is that unlike traditional proxy servers which route all your traffic through them, only the library pull request is routed through their servers, 'tricking' Netflix into thinking you're in whichever country whose catalogue you are trying to view. You can then watch anything from the catalogue. The advantage of this is that you use your own connection to view the movies, so you don't lose any download speed by going through proxies. Furthermore, as a paid-for service ($4.99 a month), you get access to their support team, and you don't get any adds or risks of any nasty things being downloaded to your computer without you knowing.

The advantage of Unblock Us is that it works on all your devices - I can use it on my Mac, my iPad, my iPhone and my Wii, and it can also work on Playstations, Xboxes, Apple TVs, smart TVs etc. Whilst there are some free services out there, it is very difficult to find them for iOS devices due to the sandboxed nature of the iOS infrastructure.

It's really easy to set up and they provide full instructions on how to do it with step-by-step guides and pictures. Whilst you do have to pay for it, I personally think the cost is worth it - with access to all the libraries I can see so much more content. For example, on UK Netflix, they only have the 5 most recent seasons of South Park. In the US library, they have all 15 seasons. It also works with Hulu, and a couple of other services, too. As it is costed in dollars, the exchange rate does vary month-by-month. The least I have paid is £3.20, the most is £4. I just see this as part of the cost of the streaming service, and it's cheaper than signing up to another streaming service to get access to other films etc. The best bit about the payment service is that they don't make you save your card details so they can automatically debit you every month. I have it set so that every month they send me an invoice and I pay it as a unique transaction; this allows me to stay on top of it so that if I no longer need it, I can just stop paying for it.

They also offer a one week free trial where you don't have to enter any payment details, so it's well worth giving it a go (even if it is to only watch one film in the US library!).

I can't recommend it highly enough. Yes, you do have to pay for it, but the fact that I can use it anywhere on any device makes it worth it, and the support is top-notch, and the surety of knowing that I'm not at risk from malware is well worth it.

And no, I don't work for Unblock Us in any function

PerpetuallyBroke wrote: »

Only found out *after* I'd signed up that the software they require you to download wasn't compatible with either my PC or my Mac!

That's strange - Netflix works perfectly well with Macs, but you do need to download Silverlight first which is compatible with Macs. What OS are you running?

TheGardenGnome

I have both Netflix Instant and LoveFilm which I use via my Smart TV. I'd also go with the general consensus that Netflix UK is a poor relation to its international counterparts and for that reason, I use a spoof IP service, https://www.unblock-us.com (£3 p/m) that allows me to watch not only Netflix US, but *any* Netflix International site simply by changing one option in a drop down menu. I also use a blog - http://netflixcanadavsusa.blogspot.co.uk/ - as a point of reference for Netflix US v Netflix Canada content.

I just wish that there was a legal option of viewing less than 1 year old movies via a streaming service for a 'reasonable' fee per film. Currys advertise one on their POS but if I recall properly, the films it offers are best described as 'straight to DVD' films and the charge of £11 made it more expensive than going to the cinema anyway - assuming, of course, that the film actually made it to general release!.

I'd also just like to point out that I'm in no way affiliated to any site I've linked to

lisa701

I subscribed to Lovefilm mainly for the disks but the package includes streaming which is handy when I'm waiting for a disk to arrive.

It costs me less than Sky movies did, which I found was full of the same films repeated week after week, so thats a big positive.

I do have two negatives though, firstly the advert didnt say you can only get the full offering via a computer. I purchased a new Sony Blue Ray player only to find I can only access a small amount of whats available. Fortunately I have a laptop so I just connect that to the TV and watch that way.

Other negative is the fact that a lot of the films I want to watch seem to be in HD format, not ideal when you have slow broadband speeds.

Metarie

fairleee wrote: »

I use Netflix and love it. I agree however that the UK library isn't that great, particularly for TV series. To get around this I use a service called Unblock Us. This service allows you to select any Netflix library (UK, US, Canada and any others) to watch. The way it works is that unlike traditional proxy servers which route all your traffic through them, only the library pull request is routed through their servers, 'tricking' Netflix into thinking you're in whichever country whose catalogue you are trying to view. You can then watch anything from the catalogue. The advantage of this is that you use your own connection to view the movies, so you don't lose any download speed by going through proxies. Furthermore, as a paid-for service ($4.99 a month), you get access to their support team, and you don't get any adds or risks of any nasty things being downloaded to your computer without you knowing.

The advantage of Unblock Us is that it works on all your devices - I can use it on my Mac, my iPad, my iPhone and my Wii, and it can also work on Playstations, Xboxes, Apple TVs, smart TVs etc. Whilst there are some free services out there, it is very difficult to find them for iOS devices due to the sandboxed nature of the iOS infrastructure.

It's really easy to set up and they provide full instructions on how to do it with step-by-step guides and pictures. Whilst you do have to pay for it, I personally think the cost is worth it - with access to all the libraries I can see so much more content. For example, on UK Netflix, they only have the 5 most recent seasons of South Park. In the US library, they have all 15 seasons. It also works with Hulu, and a couple of other services, too. As it is costed in dollars, the exchange rate does vary month-by-month. The least I have paid is £3.20, the most is £4. I just see this as part of the cost of the streaming service, and it's cheaper than signing up to another streaming service to get access to other films etc. The best bit about the payment service is that they don't make you save your card details so they can automatically debit you every month. I have it set so that every month they send me an invoice and I pay it as a unique transaction; this allows me to stay on top of it so that if I no longer need it, I can just stop paying for it.

They also offer a one week free trial where you don't have to enter any payment details, so it's well worth giving it a go (even if it is to only watch one film in the US library!).

I can't recommend it highly enough. Yes, you do have to pay for it, but the fact that I can use it anywhere on any device makes it worth it, and the support is top-notch, and the surety of knowing that I'm not at risk from malware is well worth it.

And no, I don't work for Unblock Us in any function

I use this as well, it's fantastic. I also use a site called Moreflicks (sorry I can't post any links, I don't have enough posts) to find anything I want to watch and which region it is available on. I can then change my Netflix region using my phone or tablet. Incredible service.

m-a-t-t

Whilst it's true Netflix UK is better for TV and Lovefilm is better for Films, Netflix US is best for both (in my opinion). For those who don't already know about how to get access to Netflix US from this country, you can subscribe to a completely legal service (as far as I know) for about £3 ($5) a month, like Unblockus.com. This allows you to point any computer or router to their specific DNS servers and effectively proxies your web traffic through their servers, so Netflix US sees your IP as domestic and gives you access to all the US content. This content is significantly newer and there's a shed load more.

Hope this is of interest to some

m-a-t-t

Apologies, just realised someone's already posted about this service.

dave2

I mostly use LoveFilm for the disks but occasionally use the streaming service. The seelction of films available is quite poor - though I doubt it is better anywhere else as this is mostly due to the publishers dragging their feet.

I also find the quality variable. I have fast (24mb actual) broadband yet the image quality starts out and (occasionally during the movie becomes) very blocky and blurred. Even while everything seems to be working as intended the image quality is far below that of the HD programming on iPlayer and there can be an odd, very slight yet annoying stutter (I have a high-end gaming PC). That said, it occurs to me now that perhaps I should try it on IE instead of Firefox.

I cannot complain about the disk service. The disks have fast turnaround , they are very good at sending a series in order and clearly pay attention to your priority settings. No way to ensure you have a certain movie for a certain night though, unless it is available for streaming. Availability is pretty good, though again the publishers can be a nuisance with TV series, there are a few unavailable and there can be a long wait trying to avoid spoilers for top US TV series like Game of Thrones or the Walking Dead.