USA VPN
UK TV Online
A viewers guide to watching UK TV online from abroad. All possible systems compared including Slingbox placeshifting, Zattoo, VPNs and web proxies.
Whilst there are other ways to watch British TV abroad such as satellite and re-broadcast systems, this guide only deals with watching UK TV online.
Don't be conned!
First of all we need to point out that there is no 'magic way' to watch UK TV on the internet. Somebody needs make a video stream available and you need some sort of player to watch it.
There are currently loads of adverts on Google for software that allows you to watch TV online for a single one off payment and they are all a waste of money. Most of them are just a mini web browser application with a list of bookmarked TV sites pre-programmed in.
Any system that does not involve paying a subscription will not allow you to view UK TV from abroad, the cost of the bandwidth used is just too expensive.
There are basically just three ways to watch UK TV online from abroad, Placeshifting, VPNs and Web Proxies. Any legitimate site will tell you which of these methods their system uses.
Placeshifting
Before the BBC and other UK brodcasters put their TV output online, the only way to watch TV at a remote location was by a technology that became known as placeshifting. This involves the use of a hardware device that connects to an aerial or video source and produces a digital output that can be sent over an internet connection.
The market leaders in this field are Slingbox and prices for Slingboxes start at $180. There are a few cheaper alternatives available, including the Novac USB device that allows you to stream TV over the Skype network and also the Mac only solution called The Tube that streams TV using iChat and a USB TV adapter.
The downsides to making your own TV stream are- (1) It uses a lot of bandwidth, normal broadband upload speeds are about 300k and such a device will use all of it and make the connection slow for any other device on the same connection. (2) Whichever device you use, it will need to be left on 24/7 so it's available when you want it. (3) It only works with live TV (no catchup) so if you forget to record a programme, it will be gone forever.
The upsides to this sort of solution are- (1) A lot more channels are available. (2) It's probably the only legal solution as the receiving equipment is in the UK and normally only one person can view it remotely.
If you're not able to make your own stream using placeshifting, there are few companies that operate banks of Slingboxes for rental but their costs are quite high, this one is £183 setup and £55 per month.
Some of the systems that you'll find advertised on the internet as 'Download our software and get access to 100's of TV channels online' are sites that offer Slingbox type solutions and in the small print you'll find mention of a monthly subscription. What you'll be downloading is a Slingbox player application. They can't offer the service for free because the cost of the bandwidth used is too expensive.
VPN - Virtual Private Network
The second way to watch UK TV online is by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Since the advent of the BBC iPlayer, watching British broadcasters live streams has become a viable solution for watching UK TV online.
However, anyone who has tried it from abroad will be aware that all the broadcasters have put in place systems to prevent users from overseas watching them.
Blocking of overseas users is done by comparing their IP address with a list of known UK IP addresses. Some of the broadcasters have their own lists and others use third party companies to do the checking for them. In either case, you will get a message such as 'Not available in your area' when you try to watch them.
There are two methods to overcome these IP based restrictions, VPNs and web proxies.
A VPN or Virtual Private Network is most commonly used by the employees of large companies as a method of gaining access to the company's network or intranet whilst working at a remote location.
VPNs work by creating a 'tunnel' within a users internet connection, through which all the users traffic is sent. Think of it like the way teletext information is sent inside a TV signal. The VPN server will assign the user a local IP address and they will appear to the outside world as being part of the company's network.
IP checking services will have no way of knowing which users are physically on the UK network and which are at remote locations.
BBC iPlayer with a VPN
Using a VPN to watch iPlayer and other UK TV online is a workable solution but it's a bit of an overkill if you just want to watch UK TV. VPNs encrypt the traffic in both directions which is good for accessing your company's intranet but a waste of resourses when you just want watch TV.
With a VPN connection, all your internet traffic will be sent via the tunnel which apart from being a waste of bandwidth, will slow down your connection for everything apart from watching TV. For example, if you were in the US, collecting email from your local ISP or doing a system update would require the data to travel from the US to the VPN server in the UK and then back across the Atlantic to you.
A further problem with a VPN solution is that you would have to turn it off if you wanted to watch US geo-targeted content such as Hulu, otherwise they would think you were in the UK and deny you access.
However, for some users a VPN will be the only solution as some countries such as Dubai and UAE block any sort of proxy. Note that a VPN is a much more difficult solution to set up and you may need to change your router or modem settings to allow the traffic through.
Some of the companies that you'll find advertising on the web as 'Download our software and get access to 100's of TV channels online' are sites that offer VPN solutions. The software that you download is a utility that sets your PC to use their VPN service.
Zattoo
One way of overcoming the massive amounts of bandwidth required (BBC iPlayer accounts for about 5% of all UK internet traffic) is to use peer to peer sharing technology such as that used by Zattoo.
This system has very few users who actually receive the original stream from Zattoo and the ones that do share it with other users further down the chain and each user in turn becomes part of the distribution network.
A VPN is the only way you can watch UK TV on Zattoo outside the UK as the Zattoo player ignores any proxy settings you may have and determines it's own connection to the internet. We have tried a VPN tunnel between Manchester and the Canaries and can report it uses 2Mb of continuous bandwidth in both directions when watching the Zattoo player, and we still only had a few channels and no catchup.
Whilst the quality of this system is very good, you will need a VPN with unmetered bandwidth as this system uses a lot, mostly because you have to share your stream with anyone else who wants it.
Web Proxy servers
The third and final way to watch UK TV online from abroad is by the use of a proxy server.
Proxy servers work in a similar manner to VPNs in as much as they redirect traffic over a different route but they are more selective about which traffic gets redirected.
With a proxy, you normally specify an IP address of the proxy server and a port number, usually port 8080. You can also specify what traffic is to be sent via the proxy, normal web browsing is done on port 80 and secure pages are served on port 443.
Typical proxy settings will tell your web browser that all traffic on ports 80 and 443 are to be redirected to port 8080 on the web proxy. The remote proxy server then fetches the content for you on ports 80 and 443 and sends it back to you on port 8080.
This system is a lot more efficient than a VPN but it still means that all your web browsing is done via the proxy and consequently browsing sites other than the UK TV ones will be slower and you may be blocked from viewing local content.
A workaround for this issue is to use software that switches the proxy connection off and on depending on what site you are visiting. The most popular software for this is FoxyProxy, a plug-in for the Firefox browser.
You will need to set up rules in FoxyProxy to tell it which sites to use the proxy for but it's quite reliable in operation although it won't allow you to watch the BBC live streams or the BBC iPlayer desktop as these services use the system proxy settings.
The TV Proxy Advantage
Here at TV Proxy our solution to this issue is to run a selective proxy. Our proxy server only fetches content from the TV sites and it communicates a list of these sites to your web browser automatically. Included with the list is the IP address of the proxy server and the port number to use.
All you need to do is enter the address of this list in your browser preferences. No plug-ins or additional software are needed. At regular intervals, your browser fetches the latest list from us and only uses the proxy when you want to access a site that's on the list.
Apart from this being the most efficient use of bandwidth, it means that we can switch users between proxies and port numbers and add new channels without users needing to change anything. We just update our list and all users get new settings without any disruption of service.
Don't be conned!
First of all we need to point out that there is no 'magic way' to watch UK TV on the internet. Somebody needs make a video stream available and you need some sort of player to watch it.
There are currently loads of adverts on Google for software that allows you to watch TV online for a single one off payment and they are all a waste of money. Most of them are just a mini web browser application with a list of bookmarked TV sites pre-programmed in.
Any system that does not involve paying a subscription will not allow you to view UK TV from abroad, the cost of the bandwidth used is just too expensive.
There are basically just three ways to watch UK TV online from abroad, Placeshifting, VPNs and Web Proxies. Any legitimate site will tell you which of these methods their system uses.
Placeshifting
Before the BBC and other UK brodcasters put their TV output online, the only way to watch TV at a remote location was by a technology that became known as placeshifting. This involves the use of a hardware device that connects to an aerial or video source and produces a digital output that can be sent over an internet connection.
The market leaders in this field are Slingbox and prices for Slingboxes start at $180. There are a few cheaper alternatives available, including the Novac USB device that allows you to stream TV over the Skype network and also the Mac only solution called The Tube that streams TV using iChat and a USB TV adapter.
The downsides to making your own TV stream are- (1) It uses a lot of bandwidth, normal broadband upload speeds are about 300k and such a device will use all of it and make the connection slow for any other device on the same connection. (2) Whichever device you use, it will need to be left on 24/7 so it's available when you want it. (3) It only works with live TV (no catchup) so if you forget to record a programme, it will be gone forever.
The upsides to this sort of solution are- (1) A lot more channels are available. (2) It's probably the only legal solution as the receiving equipment is in the UK and normally only one person can view it remotely.
If you're not able to make your own stream using placeshifting, there are few companies that operate banks of Slingboxes for rental but their costs are quite high, this one is £183 setup and £55 per month.
Some of the systems that you'll find advertised on the internet as 'Download our software and get access to 100's of TV channels online' are sites that offer Slingbox type solutions and in the small print you'll find mention of a monthly subscription. What you'll be downloading is a Slingbox player application. They can't offer the service for free because the cost of the bandwidth used is too expensive.
VPN - Virtual Private Network
The second way to watch UK TV online is by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Since the advent of the BBC iPlayer, watching British broadcasters live streams has become a viable solution for watching UK TV online.
However, anyone who has tried it from abroad will be aware that all the broadcasters have put in place systems to prevent users from overseas watching them.
Blocking of overseas users is done by comparing their IP address with a list of known UK IP addresses. Some of the broadcasters have their own lists and others use third party companies to do the checking for them. In either case, you will get a message such as 'Not available in your area' when you try to watch them.
There are two methods to overcome these IP based restrictions, VPNs and web proxies.
A VPN or Virtual Private Network is most commonly used by the employees of large companies as a method of gaining access to the company's network or intranet whilst working at a remote location.
VPNs work by creating a 'tunnel' within a users internet connection, through which all the users traffic is sent. Think of it like the way teletext information is sent inside a TV signal. The VPN server will assign the user a local IP address and they will appear to the outside world as being part of the company's network.
IP checking services will have no way of knowing which users are physically on the UK network and which are at remote locations.
BBC iPlayer with a VPN
Using a VPN to watch iPlayer and other UK TV online is a workable solution but it's a bit of an overkill if you just want to watch UK TV. VPNs encrypt the traffic in both directions which is good for accessing your company's intranet but a waste of resourses when you just want watch TV.
With a VPN connection, all your internet traffic will be sent via the tunnel which apart from being a waste of bandwidth, will slow down your connection for everything apart from watching TV. For example, if you were in the US, collecting email from your local ISP or doing a system update would require the data to travel from the US to the VPN server in the UK and then back across the Atlantic to you.
A further problem with a VPN solution is that you would have to turn it off if you wanted to watch US geo-targeted content such as Hulu, otherwise they would think you were in the UK and deny you access.
However, for some users a VPN will be the only solution as some countries such as Dubai and UAE block any sort of proxy. Note that a VPN is a much more difficult solution to set up and you may need to change your router or modem settings to allow the traffic through.
Some of the companies that you'll find advertising on the web as 'Download our software and get access to 100's of TV channels online' are sites that offer VPN solutions. The software that you download is a utility that sets your PC to use their VPN service.
Zattoo
One way of overcoming the massive amounts of bandwidth required (BBC iPlayer accounts for about 5% of all UK internet traffic) is to use peer to peer sharing technology such as that used by Zattoo.
This system has very few users who actually receive the original stream from Zattoo and the ones that do share it with other users further down the chain and each user in turn becomes part of the distribution network.
A VPN is the only way you can watch UK TV on Zattoo outside the UK as the Zattoo player ignores any proxy settings you may have and determines it's own connection to the internet. We have tried a VPN tunnel between Manchester and the Canaries and can report it uses 2Mb of continuous bandwidth in both directions when watching the Zattoo player, and we still only had a few channels and no catchup.
Whilst the quality of this system is very good, you will need a VPN with unmetered bandwidth as this system uses a lot, mostly because you have to share your stream with anyone else who wants it.
Web Proxy servers
The third and final way to watch UK TV online from abroad is by the use of a proxy server.
Proxy servers work in a similar manner to VPNs in as much as they redirect traffic over a different route but they are more selective about which traffic gets redirected.
With a proxy, you normally specify an IP address of the proxy server and a port number, usually port 8080. You can also specify what traffic is to be sent via the proxy, normal web browsing is done on port 80 and secure pages are served on port 443.
Typical proxy settings will tell your web browser that all traffic on ports 80 and 443 are to be redirected to port 8080 on the web proxy. The remote proxy server then fetches the content for you on ports 80 and 443 and sends it back to you on port 8080.
This system is a lot more efficient than a VPN but it still means that all your web browsing is done via the proxy and consequently browsing sites other than the UK TV ones will be slower and you may be blocked from viewing local content.
A workaround for this issue is to use software that switches the proxy connection off and on depending on what site you are visiting. The most popular software for this is FoxyProxy, a plug-in for the Firefox browser.
You will need to set up rules in FoxyProxy to tell it which sites to use the proxy for but it's quite reliable in operation although it won't allow you to watch the BBC live streams or the BBC iPlayer desktop as these services use the system proxy settings.
The TV Proxy Advantage
Here at TV Proxy our solution to this issue is to run a selective proxy. Our proxy server only fetches content from the TV sites and it communicates a list of these sites to your web browser automatically. Included with the list is the IP address of the proxy server and the port number to use.
All you need to do is enter the address of this list in your browser preferences. No plug-ins or additional software are needed. At regular intervals, your browser fetches the latest list from us and only uses the proxy when you want to access a site that's on the list.
Apart from this being the most efficient use of bandwidth, it means that we can switch users between proxies and port numbers and add new channels without users needing to change anything. We just update our list and all users get new settings without any disruption of service.
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