Watch UK TV on German TV

[angiek 5]

I wanted to know if there are options of watching UK tv using a German television. I can't have a satellite due to my rental agreement. What kind of offers are there with Sky or what kind of box would I need?

Total novice at this.

 

Thanks Angela 

[Tim Hortons Man 542]

Much easier to get streaming box drop @SpiderPig a line he'll sort you out in no time. 

 

Oh and is @spiderpigs_brother any relation!

[dom 2,296]

what streaming box are we talking about?

[dom 2,296]

16 hours ago, angiek said:

can't have a satellite due to my rental agreement.

Not true. german law states that foreigners have a right to access current affairs information in their native language! Satellite Dishes included!

Tell that to your landlord 

[franklan 6,029]

1 hour ago, dom said:

Not true. german law states that foreigners have a right to access current affairs information in their native language! Satellite Dishes included!

Tell that to your landlord 

Nah, not true, sorry.

 

There was a court decision that foreigners have the right to access information, and if that's only possible with a dish, the landlord cannot restrict that.

 

However, technology has changed, and people with an internet connection cannot enforce their right to a satellite dish by claiming that they need it to access information. That court decision was sacked.

 

You do have access to information from your home country by reading the local news using the internet. The desire that a foreigner wants to watch movies from home (via satellite dish) is not a long enough handle to overcome the restrictions of the rental contract anymore.

 

http://pda.teltarif.de/satellitenschuessel-balkon-mieter-vermieter-iptv/news/51960.html

 

[Guest]

If its specified in the hausordung then she cant have a dish...  especially if its in the contract that she signed... 

 However, if it is very discretely fitted, there usually isnt a problem..   

I have even fitted dishes in "Spare rooms" and still got perfect reception even with Plastic roller stullers in the down position!   

 

At THM... No, its nothing to do with me but some knob who was trying to be smart...

 

 

[dom 2,296]

@franklanfair enough!

[pappnase 2,625]

For now, the easiest solution to 'UK TV' is "https://tvcatchup.com/" it just works, no VPN no Smart DNS etc etc.

If you want to watch this on your TV then you need a way to get the content of a web-site onto a TV screen, how you do that depends on what kit you already have and how-much you want to spend.

My particular favourite is to get an amazon fire-stick and install the "TV Catchup App". The information says it only works in the UK, but it's been working from outside the UK for the last few months.

It also says you have to have a UK TV license, but you can't buy one of those for a property in Germany and the reality is there is no check made.

No guarantee that it will keep working, but the stick is cheap enough that it's worth it until it breaks, and you can use it for other stuff afterwards.

 

ETA:- Just checked the Amazon web shop and the app itself can't be downloaded from the amazon store if you are outside the UK, but it is in the google play store as well so it's not that hard to get a copy. 

[dom 2,296]

anyone know the latest on getting UK TV in DE? I heard there'S a "now TV" streaming box in the UK...does it work in DE?

[Jonny 1,325]

If you use a VPN you can watch BBC 'live' through iplayer. You can also watch ITV, channel 4 etc.

 

Don't know about any other streaming services as I've always had a VPN and it seems to me that it's all I need.

[donaby 124]

 

2 hours ago, dom said:

anyone know the latest on getting UK TV in DE? I heard there'S a "now TV" streaming box in the UK...does it work in DE?

 

smartDNS with the mentioned 'now TV' box works well.

[dom 2,296]

could you please tell me what "smartDNS" is? I'm afraid I'm of the older generation 

[pappnase 2,625]

OK basic overview of how 'smart dns' lets you watch shows from a different country.

 

First 'Geoblocking':-

Geoblocking is the method where a content provider (say the BBC) will only allow you to look at content if you are in the the right country (Say the UK).

Some sites will implement geoblocking by asking your browser for location information.

Others will just capture the network address you are connecting from and look where it is located.

This second kind is the kind you can get around using a VPN or a smart-dns configuration. It is the kind used by the BBC (But not by Channel 4 for example).

 

Next VPN:-

So a VPN creates a link between your computer and a computer in another location. All network traffic goes via that VPN. IF the VPN is configured to allow it, it can then forward your network requests out into the wider internet, catch the replies and send them back to you.

For most purposes this means you look like you are in the same country as the VPN endpoint, rather than at home.

This allows you to get around simple geo-blocks but it also means that for any given VPN connection ALL your internet traffic goes through the VPN and and to the remote country.

This may not always be what you want (Like say you want to watch US netflix and UK BBC).

 

Now DNS:-

The internet works using numerical addresses (IP addresses) these are used to direct one computer to another across the internet. People are crap at working with IP addresses so instead they use nice friendly names (like www.toytowngermany.com). In order to translate from names to addresses a system called 'DNS' is used (DNS stands for domain name system).

Normally your internet provider will automatically tell your internet router the address of it's DNS servers and you don't need to know or care how it all works.

 

However the internet is an open system so you don't have to use the DNS server provided by your ISP, you can use one that is provided by someone else. All you need is the numerical address of the server and the knowledge of how to set up your computer or your router to use that server.

 

This is where it gets clever, a 'Smart DNS' server will intercept your requests and if you look up www.bbc.co.uk it will give your computer the address of a computer in the UK which has a connection to the bbc (so the BBC thinks you are in the UK).

If you lookup netflx.com it will give you an address in the US.

 

If you lookup something that it doesn't know about it will just use the general DNS system and give you the actual address so you have a direct connection.

 

There are a few nuts and bolts that make it all work which I have skipped over because they are not important, but that is a high level overview.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jonny 1,325]

57 minutes ago, pappnase said:

This may not always be what you want (Like say you want to watch US netflix and UK BBC).

 

Since you can't normally watch 2 things at the same time, you can watch one, then change your country on the VPN to watch the other thing. Then if you decide that the only way you can watch something is to download it via bittorrent, you can also do this through the VPN . I think if you use just a DNS service, the German leech-like lawyers can still extort money from you.

[pappnase 2,625]

@Jonny although you are correct that you can't watch more than one thing at a time, there are other reasons why you might want to use something different to a VPN solution.

The most important is one of the 'nuts and bolts' which I neglected to share in my post above, performance.

 

All of the big content providers use so called 'content delivery networks' (CDNs) to serve content to your PC. These content delivery networks are distributed around the world and most ISP's have extremely fast connections to all the local connection points.

 

When a geoblocked service like the bbc checks where you are connecting from, it does so based on the initial connection, however when it serves the actual content it will allow the CDN to decide where to send the content from.

So a really clever smart DNS service will mask your request to bbc.co.uk but not to the cdn endpoint in germany. That way when you stream a BBC program, it will come directly to you via the fastest connection to your ISP instead of via a transatlantic cable with all the delay introduced by that long link).

 

Also regarding your point about 'leach-like lawyers', be aware that a VPN does little to guarantee protection from the law. It simply moves your illegal activity to another country.

If you are lucky the VPN provider will not share records about what you are doing with a lawyer in another country, but that isn't in any way guaranteed, and there is a lot of fake info about VPN providers out there so it's easy to get caught out.

 

Re bittorrent via a VPN, just don't risk it. Far better to do something which is not illegal (like streaming video within the EU which is the topic of this thread) or at least very low risk (like streaming a service you have paid for in another country such as a US netflix account).

In general breaking the terms of service of an internet content provider is a civil action which will at worst result in you getting kicked off the service.

 

 

[yesterday 2,022]

As  general question, which probably should be put somewhere else .. but as it questions around it are being talked about here.

 

I only ever heard of VPN company's releasing client data , when the client has been involved in very dodge things, ie purevpn release the client data to the police when he used his VPN to sent anonymous insulting comments to his ex-girl friend and about his ex-girlfriend on the internet. Which I guess most people would agree with the VPN company

Or the client did not set up the VPN connection correctly, thus giving away his recall IP address a getting a laws bill.

 

Seems to me, the police will not follow minor copy write violation, with a vpn company based in a third party country, unless the crime is of some importance. However it should be understood that the reason they geolocate the program streams is to stop you from getting them! and you are breaking copywrite regulations by getting around them with SmartDNS or VPN.

 

Can anyone point to article on the internet, where the vpn company  disclosed personal information ( on the Client ), for copyright violation for personal use  - because I could never find one. I find only serious stuff.

 

Smart DNS should never be used for copyright violation, except for BBC etc who seem at the moment not to come after you.

 

 

[dom 2,296]

very informative thanks! could you just explain how to "get/install" smart DNS with a NowTV box?

Is it (just) a matter of changing the preferences of the router?

[donaby 124]

6 minutes ago, dom said:

very informative thanks! could you just explain how to "get/install" smart DNS with a NowTV box?

Is it (just) a matter of changing the preferences of the router?

You change the DNS address on the router. If you have a router/modem provided by your internet provider, this may not be possible in which case you can set up another router attached to the current one or replace the provided modem/router with one you have purchased yourself. Failing that you can setup the DNS address on the end device (computer, 'handy', tablet, ...) unfortunately some HDMI sticks/boxes have no option for this in which case changing the router is the only way to go.

 

The setup is normally described on the website of the 'smartDNS' provider you choose. The cost of the service runs at about one beer per month...

[dom 2,296]

2 minutes ago, donaby said:

he setup is normally described on the website of the 'smartDNS' provider you choose.

Does this "geoblocking" also affect kodiboxes, etc?

[donaby 124]

Just now, dom said:

Does this "geoblocking" also affect kodiboxes, etc?

 

I don't have experience with kodiboxes, but all these systems work by sending a request to the BBC who makes the decision 'allowed' or 'disallowed' based on where the request is received from. If the decision is successful then the stream is made available.