Watching U.S. shows online -- access denied!

I tried watching some U.S. shows online that are offered as free streaming video -- and the sites deny access to UK users! I guess I can understand why they do that (they will be showing those episodes here later), but is there a way to trick the sites into thinking I am in the U.S.? I'd really love to see the latest Lost and 30 Rock and other shows!

Hiya,

There probably are ways to get around this, but in doing so it'd probably take up 10 times as much effort than if you just got a friend/family in the US to tape it for you and send it over ! or pay a subscription to something like a2btv or slingbox etc.

I've come across it too, basically the IP address shows itself to the site and elements of it can be traced to which ISP you are with, if it doesn't match a list of known US ISP's you don't get access (or something along those lines)

Unless one of the other UKYers who knows their networking (kitsonk or was it jules? or lanwarrior) and knows how to do it and if they will tell you !! ..   then sorry, there's no easy way of tricking the sites to allow you to stream.

Crude method would be to get freind/family member to setup a webcam, point it at the tv there and you log on to the webcam (maybe via messenger, yahoo messenger or skype) and at least watch it that way ! - crude & low quality but enough for you to at least watch the latest stuff as it goes out over there! 

*disclaimer - what I said above is only an idea - I hereby give notice I do not condone such activity!!*

Dennis! West London & Slough UK!

You'd probably be able to get around the restriction by using some sort of proxy server located with the United States if you can find one which is suitable.

In simple terms, the proxy acts as a relay and hides your true identity and location.  Instead of you requesting data directly from the server you want to access and that server then sending the data to your IP address, you tell the proxy what you want, that proxy server then contacts the site you want giving its own IP address.  When the proxy receives a data packet back, it then simply forwards it on to your IP address. 

So as far as the distant server is concerned, it's dealing with a request from wherever that proxy is located.  It doesn't know that the real request originated elsewhere.   

It's sort of like giving a business an accommodation address which just forwards mail to you elsewhere. 

I haven't got any advice for you - just wanted to say I feel your pain.  I am a major LOST fan and was so prepared for the season to get going again.  Got myself all snuggled in and in the mood.  And THEN got the little message saying I couldn't do it.  Heartbroken, I tell you.  Anyway, I would love to find a way around it too...  And in the meantime, my friends back home are burning me DVDs weekly so I can keep up-to-date 

I had one.tel with my computer when I was in the UK for 2 years and it has somehow taken over my computer...  I am back in the USA ( only for a  lil bit longer) and I tried going to ABC.com to watch the shows... DENIED.  Everytime I turn off my computer and then back on the clock goes back to UK time... I have given up on changing it.  I have uninstalled all one.tel programs... hahah It is frustrating sometimes!

I purchased a season pass to Grey's Anatomy for season 3. I have Itunes from the US on my mac and it seems to still work here in the UK. I don't dare change my system b/c I have access to US itunes meaning I get the latest shows and music to keep me in touch with the US stuff. I do pay for it, but in dollars to pounds, it's not too expensive.

If you want to buy things from iTunes, and the US store won't let you, get a friend in the states to send you a US prepaid iTunes card. Apparently this works like a charm

Alternately, you can look up how to use BitTorrent and decide if flaunting the law in that way works for you.

I just found this thread. Paul, How do you go about using a US proxy server? Is taht something you have to subscribe and pay for? Or is there a program you can use to route your IP address through a US server?  I've been trying to watch US shows online and also get that message about no foreign serrvers allowed.

Also, I want to sign up to get my free annual credit report, but the government website that you need to use to sign up is closed to non-US servers!

BTW, somebody mentioned A2BTV. I know they advertise on this site.  I just read on some electronics blog that this company is being investigated for improper use and resale of Slingbox. Just a warning to anyone who is considering signing up.

I have found that I can still buy shows on iTunes (I guess because the account was set up in the U.S.). However, that gets pretty expensive, the only show I buy is "30 Rock". We ended up getting Sky, so Lost is up-to-date, Desperate Housewives just got up to what were new episodes for us, and Ugly Betty will be caught up to where we were when we left the U.S. soon. I do miss the reality shows on VH1 (Shooting Sizemore, the Surreal Life), but even if you could pay for those, no way would I do it!

Slingbox sounds like a good idea for people who really, really don't want to miss their shows. For us, Sky and an occassional iTunes purchase is working out.

Yes that's right, you can access iTunes US as long as it's tied to a US credit card with a US address (my card is registered to my sister-in-law's house, but I get the bill electronically).

As for the cost, I think $1.99 an episode is not a bad deal, considering how much it would cost to buy the DVDs, which won't be released until months after the show airs in the US.  Get your relatives to send you iTunes gift cards for your birthday or holidays!  That paid for my subscription to Battlestar Galactica!   

I have found that I can still buy shows on iTunes (I guess because the account was set up in the U.S.). However, that gets pretty expensive, the only show I buy is "30 Rock". We ended up getting Sky, so Lost is up-to-date, Desperate Housewives just got up to what were new episodes for us, and Ugly Betty will be caught up to where we were when we left the U.S. soon. I do miss the reality shows on VH1 (Shooting Sizemore, the Surreal Life), but even if you could pay for those, no way would I do it!

Slingbox sounds like a good idea for people who really, really don't want to miss their shows. For us, Sky and an occassional iTunes purchase is working out.

I was thinking about Slingbox for a brief moment but changed my mind after I noticed the cost.     This sounds exactly like what I was thinking myself, Sky is working great for Dh & I mainly me though   

Paul, though I have no idea what you are talking about, my DH knows something of what you are mentioning.  But the question he has is how do you get a proxy server (address)?  He does something very similiar at work with their intranet but isn't too sure how to access that in the states.

Paul, though I have no idea what you are talking about, my DH knows something of what you are mentioning.  But the question he has is how do you get a proxy server (address)?

Paul, How do you go about using a US proxy server? Is taht something you have to subscribe and pay for?

There are open, public proxy servers which can be sufficient for a lot of applications.  All you have to do is tell your browser to use the proxy's IP address for requests. 

For a simple demonstration of how it works try the following (assuming you are in the U.K. and are connecting via a British server).   Go to www.google.com -- That's com, not co.uk.  From within the U.S. you'd get the American version of Google, but from Britain you'll find that Google recognizes that the IP address making the request is in the U.K. and will redirect you to Google UK (www.google.co.uk).

Now go into your internet connection settings menu.  If you're using Internet Explorer it's under Internet options -> Connections -> LAN settings.   If you're using Mozilla it's under Tools -> Options -> General -> Connection settings.   Select manual proxy configuration, enter IP address 216.133.248.226 and port 80.  Menus can vary a little on different versions, but make sure the relevant options are selected to use the proxy for HTTP requests. 

Now try going to www.google.com again, and this time you'll see the American page instead of Google UK.  The IP address I gave above is a public proxy in the U.S. which is now acting as a kind of intermediary for your requests, so Google no longer realizes that you are not in America.

Try another one:  Change your proxy IP address to 210.14.19.215, port 3128, and try to go to google.com again.   Now Google believes that you are somewhere quite different again.

It can get much more complex than this, but a simple public proxy will possibly suffice for some applications.  I've never tried using video feeds this way.  You may find bandwidth limitation come into play.

There's some introductory information and a short list of some public proxy servers here:

http://www.publicproxyservers.com

There are open, public proxy servers which can be sufficient for a lot of applications.  All you have to do is tell your browser to use the proxy's IP address for requests. 

For a simple demonstration of how it works try the following (assuming you are in the U.K. and are connecting via a British server).   Go to www.google.com -- That's com, not co.uk.  From within the U.S. you'd get the American version of Google, but from Britain you'll find that Google recognizes that the IP address making the request is in the U.K. and will redirect you to Google UK (www.google.co.uk).

I was able to access the U.S. google site using this method, but then it wouldn't let me search for anything. And it still denied access to video streams of U.S. shows.

Old thread, but I just wanted to share this link: http://www.tv-links.co.uk/. Basically, it's a compiled list of TV shows that you can stream in Windows Media or a YouTube-like pop up window.

Some of the shows are obviously on there without the consent of the broadcasting company and are taken down quickly, but you're not downloading anything, just streaming it through a player. For example, a lot of people upload shows to YouTube that they've DVR'ed and the site compiles those for top shows and makes them available in a slightly larger player. I've been watching Dexter and The Tudor (from Showtime) and CSI this week. Episodes of LOST are usually on there for a few days after the original broadcast.