Anyone want or need a UK IP address

les22 · 24-10-08, 16:13

There's been lots of discussion in Tenerife about the need for a UK IP address to be able to watch BBC, ITV, etc direct from their websites. For those who don't know, you can't view the BBC iplayer, itvonline etc because it detects that you have a Spanish IP address.
Three months ago I discovered this company:

PC-Streaming.com - Your Streaming Headquarters From 9 Countries.

It's brilliant, I initially took out a 3 month UK VPN account for 59 Euros, ran a video out cable to my telly, downloaded Zatto and have been happily watching BBC, ITV, CH4 etc.
Have now just renewed my account for 12 months for 141 Euros, that's just 11.75 Euros per month and the best thing about it - no rip-off maintenance fees and no need to buy any software/decoders.
The customer service of this company is magnificent, they send you an e-mail with step by step instructions on how to set it up but if you prefer they will do it for you by remote asistance. They really are a very professional set-up.
If you have a need for this I really recommend you go and log-in and sign-up.

Also as a side note, before somebody else mentions it. There is absolutely nothing illegal about this. The company is only suppling you with a IP address, what you do with it is entirely up to you. They don't even in fact mention anything about BBC or ITV because this isn't what they are suppling you with. Just thought I'd mention it.

Please feel free to PM me if you want anymore info.

makum101 · 02-11-08, 20:40

You can do this without a subscription. Google "IP Cloaking software" and download free software to cloak your IP address to a UK one. Mininova and ISOhunt have quite a few to choose from.

les22 · 02-11-08, 21:26

They just make you anonymous by hiding your IP address. There's lots of software that will do that. You can also easily find UK proxies on the net, which are very unreliable and may last an hour or so.
For the players like BBC iplayer, itv, Zattoo to work you can't just make yourself anonymous, they have to detect that you have a UK IP address and the only way to do this reliably is to have a virtual private network which tunnels you through a server with a UK IP address.

Harlequin · 03-11-08, 08:08

Les

What PC Streaming are offering isn't illegal mate but at those prices they should be wearing masks.

There are 2 basic ways I have done this in the past when I wanted to watch UK TV:

Use a proxy server
Use a VPN / RDP connection to a UK server

I've used both, held a good connection and the proxy is better as your downstream isn't limited by your connection.

torrenter · 03-11-08, 08:50

An alternative for UK TV on the island; and fully legal:

I have a Slingbox set up in the UK, with a built-in Freeview tuner and also atached to an old VHS video recorder.

For this, you need a UK broadband connection, preferably with a 1MB upload.

Thus, I get full UK freeview channels, and can record/play up to 180minutes of programming, Free player software allows me to change channels, control the VHS recorder etc. I have a computer attached to my TV, so can watch normally. I can access my slingbox from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection.

If I had money to spare, I could connect a digital recorder instead of the VHS/Tape recorder in the UK and get more flexibility.

The slingbox would also stream HD content if there was more bandwidth available and a freesat or sky box attached, so it's sort-of future proof.

This system has worked well for me over the past year, and this year I've upgraded the bandwidth in the UK for better-quality pictures.

If you have friends or relatives in the UK that can host the slingbox, it's a flexible solution.

Showstoppers · 03-11-08, 09:53

There is now a new UK TV service at "www.tvcatchup.com", with BBC1,2,3,4, ITV1,2,3,4, Channel4, E4, More4, Channel5, 5US, Fiver, CBBC and Dave.

You need a UK IP address to sign up, but after that you can log in from anywhere in the world, as it only checks your original sign-up password. Note - DON'T try to sign up from your Spanish IP address, even if it allows you through to the sign-up page, as it will then permanently log your e-mail address as outside UK!

It's still in Beta, so we don't know how long this will continue to work. Auntie Beeb may insist that they use IP checking like Zattoo, so get it now while it's still easy to access!

For the not so computer-savvy, I can sign you up and get you working for a one-off fee of 30€ (my standard call-out rate). PM me for details.

In the meantime, of the other existing services:-

Zattoo: Needs a full VPN tunnel to work.

BBC iPlayer: Needs a full UK Proxy to connect and download, but previously downloaded videos should play without. (Necessary to know, as most "public" proxies are far too slow for streaming.)

ITV Online: UK Proxy will work. VPN glitches less.

Ch4 VOD: Needs full VPN.

I can sort all of these options out for you. Cost is 30€ (my fee) plus whatever the UK company charges for VPN / Proxy. I can usually find you a FREE Proxy option, but you may get glitching / pixellation at busy times. PM me for details.

Finally, if you just want English Language TV, and aren't bothered whether it's BBC, etc., try "www.tvunetworks.com", whose free player has all the US networks, like CBS, Comedy Central and Sci-Fi Channel.

Harlequin · 04-11-08, 08:13

I have access to a few UK IP addresses so registered

However, it still blocked my Spanish IP that I used after registering through a UK IP.

Strange...

{Edit}

If anyone can provide links to direct feeds I will try and get these running through a web service...

les22 · 04-11-08, 15:51

Nothing strange about it Harlequin. You can't register with a UK IP and then start watching with a Spanish IP. TVcatchup is just another version of Zattoo and uses Geo-IP technology to detect where you are.
You can't watch UK copyrighted material outside the UK unless you are watching with a UK IP.
You know, I started this thread because, after many months of experimenting, I had finally come across a company which supplies a reliable UK IP and am now watching all UK channels, online, from the comfort of my armchair. I have no financial gain or interest in this whatsoever, unlike some others, I suspect, who have jumped on this thread.
I decided to share this information with the Tenerife community because I thought that was what the forum was about, sharing and the passing on of information which may be helpful to folks who come on the forum.
So, I am just taking this thread back to the beginning and what this thread is about. If anybody wants to watch BBC, ITV etc online, posted in the very first post is an excellent company which will supply you with a UK IP VPN which holds it's connection 24/7 and also supplies an excellent customer service, forget proxies, forget cloaking. They don't work.
Harlequin, you say you have access to a few UK IP addresses, tell everyone how we can get one then. You say PC-Streaming should be wearing masks, it costs 2.70 Euros per week for a 12 month UK IP, the price of a bottle of Heineken. That's not expensive to be watching all UK channels.
Oh and BTW, PC-Streaming won't charge 30 Euros to set you up, they do it for free by remote assistance if needed.

Showstoppers · 04-12-08, 15:26

Just noticed the reply in this thread.

You could just sign up with a uk ip, then access with a Spanish one. I say "could"! Unfortunately, thanks to an unguarded remark in a Norwegian motor-sports forum, the day before the F1, the site was brought to its knees by thousands of Nowegians trying to sign up through proxies, so they tightened security.

I did say in my original post that they would probably have to introduce geo ip checking eventually. It is just ironic that it happened the same night!

Anyway, I was ready for this eventuality, and have written some software which allows access to this service and BBC iplayer without using a static proxy or VPN. I have been testing this software for the last few weeks.

I am launching this as a service in South Tenerife from next week, so watch this space!

NB: Please don't ask me to give "how to" details in the forum. I will only be installing it in person. I won't release the installation and configuration files I use to anyone except my licensed agents, as it would almost certainly result in problems for the broadcasters and resulting upgraded security if it got out onto the internet.