Watching Online Streaming Television From The U.S. And/Or U.K.

[jfchandler]

Geno, this is a bit outside my area of expertise... but in general...

Using a VPN, particularly if you're connecting from Thailand to a VPN server based in the U.S., most times isn't likely to speed up your connection, but rather, it's likely to take a bit of the speed off of your connection because of the overhead involved in VPN traffic.

And, as mentioned above, accessing the USTVNow site doesn't require a VPN or proxy at all.. just a regular open html connection is fine... So what you really might want to think about more is just finding a better/faster ISP provider here in Thailand.

Of course, having a VPN has its uses and benefits for accessing other sites... just USTV Now isn't one of them.

the UStvnow is not a bad site, but with my poor 3BB premier service it is hard to watch it. at night my 4BB premier 4 MB comes to a crawel. maybe I need some Asian VPN to get better speeds

[UKINTHAI]

www.mytv2me.com works well for me

[jfchandler]

UK, the web site you mention above is simply another web front end for the commercial Slingbox service that's been reviewed and discussed above in this thread... A2BTV.com.

And ya, it works fine...though I found its plans to be a bit expensive compared to some of the other similar alternatives discussed in this thread.

[rwilem]

Appreciate that... I'm watching as well...

As I said earlier, I'm going to give their free plan a trial...and see if they're reliable in terms of their streaming content... So far in 2 days of using it, absolutely fine.... If they continue in similar fashion, I'd seriously consider signing up for the $39 a month, 21 channel plan... to get CNN, CNBC, TNT, TBS, ESPN and the other offerings... For the money, much better than anything TrueVisions has to offer...

Also as I said earlier, I'd be hesitant about giving any company my full SSN online... But I'd have no problem giving them a credit card info and billing address to verify you're eligible for an account. As they stated, there's no charge at all for the free plan, but they want to verify you have some connection to the U.S.

jfchandler, thanks for doing the research on this. Watching it right now.

Lordfoul, thanks for the link. Works well.

Jf, most appreciative of your earnest and comprehensive efforts and reporting on this. You had posted similar in the NFL thread over in the Sports sub-forum, and I came across this thread finding more and detailed info. CBS, FOX and NBC are going to be great to have for the NFL season, looking forward to stable streams of games.

Big high-five for this one!

[jfchandler]

RW, thanks for the compliment... Much appreciated...

Indeed, as a big NFL fan myself, the sudden and unexpected arrival of the free USTVNow service, and its including all the major over the air U.S. networks, is a great benefit for football fans here in Thailand...

I just hope it is a service and promotional method that they can see fit to continue, by attracting paying customers for their more expanded services... But either way, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts....

PS - In looking to our Friday morning, ASN is televising NO live or even current week NFL games on Fri and Sat...

However, in looking at the USTV Now schedule, they're showing live preseason games on both ABC and CBS starting at 6:30 am Fri Thailand time.

Edited September 2, 2010 by jfchandler

[wallyc]

jfChandler .. Thank you very much for the USTVnow info. Just signed-up for the 6 free channels ... for me, NFL football

Thanks again,

Don

[sfokevin]

Regarding the free USTVNow television service mentioned above, I got this email from them today, regarding their original requirement that people signing up for the free service provide either a SSN or credit card number to verify they have U.S. residency...

Here's the follow-up e-mail I received...

We see that you started the signup process but did not complete the activation process.

You should have received an email with a link to click on. The authorization page that you would have seen asks for information

that you may consider sensitive but we need some way to validate that you are an American citizen or resident

in order to receive US programming.

We would like to offer you an alternative authorization method.

If you scan and email back a copy of your US driver's license, residency card, phone, or utility bill linked to a US address,

we will validate you so you can begin watching. If you have any other comments or questions,

please let me know and I will see how I can help.

Just change your SS# by a few digits on the end... The validator is just looking to match the first 3 digits to a state designation... This can also be used to "Tell a Friend" to add the DVR function ;-)))...

If your not a US citizen you can make your own SS by making sure the first 3 digits correspond to a correct State...

http://www.usrecordsearch.com/ssn.htm

[Retired2]

I have spent a few weeks looking for a decent TV "Tuner" .................

Thank You, jfchandler for all your research.

We have TOT outside of Rayong and our bandwidth is nearly enough to give us perfect viewing.

Thank you again for your good work.

[jfchandler]

Thanks for the recent posts and comments here.... I didn't see them until by accident today... (Somehow, the TVisa system seems to have unsubscribed me from my own thread....)

I too have continued to use the free plan of USTVNow, and it's proven to be pretty reliable over time....

Re the NFL, each Sunday, I check the games that True cable is showing on ASN, and then the Fox and/or CBS network broadcast games on USTVNow, and then decide which ones (if any) I want to watch live....

But I've found the paid NFL Game Rewind service is my favorite for football, mainly because I can watch the games I want at the time/hours I want, and no commercials to boot....

One of the down sides to USTVNow, or any similar streaming service, is that the hours when I'd want to watch it live (in the evening here) are the morning hours in the U.S. when there's pretty much nothing but junk on.... Of course, an argument also could be made that much of what still shows now on U.S. TV in the primetime hours is likewise junk.... Seeing some of the shows again lately, after an absence of a couple years, reminds me of that....

[bangkokcitylimits]

Regarding the free USTVNow television service mentioned above, I got this email from them today, regarding their original requirement that people signing up for the free service provide either a SSN or credit card number to verify they have U.S. residency...

Here's the follow-up e-mail I received...

We see that you started the signup process but did not complete the activation process.

You should have received an email with a link to click on. The authorization page that you would have seen asks for information

that you may consider sensitive but we need some way to validate that you are an American citizen or resident

in order to receive US programming.

We would like to offer you an alternative authorization method.

If you scan and email back a copy of your US driver's license, residency card, phone, or utility bill linked to a US address,

we will validate you so you can begin watching. If you have any other comments or questions,

please let me know and I will see how I can help.

Just change your SS# by a few digits on the end... The validator is just looking to match the first 3 digits to a state designation... This can also be used to "Tell a Friend" to add the DVR function ;-)))...

If your not a US citizen you can make your own SS by making sure the first 3 digits correspond to a correct State...

http://www.usrecordsearch.com/ssn.htm

Be sure you tick the 'agree' box though to avoid this

[ronz28]

Galow, it really depends on a lot of different factors...

--How close your residence is to the local DSL connection.

--What's the quality of wiring into your home.

--How much you're willing to pay for your Internet connection

--What choice of ISPs provide service where you live...

--and how you've set up your own PC.

I found when I upgraded from True's 4 mbit plan to their 8 mbit plan, the issues of buffering and stalling on streaming declined markedly to the point now that its usually a non-issue for me at home. Because prices on Internet service have been generally coming down as faster speeds slowly become available, I was able to upgrade a few months ago by paying not much more per month than I had been paying under my prior plan selected maybe two years before. Because I also use True mobile, I'm paying a discounted rate of 1,199 baht for True's 8 mb ADSL premium plan.

I believe others here have reported getting perfectly good streaming video performance with 4 Mbit plans from other providers. True's service seems to jump around a lot in terms of realtime speeds, looking like a very spikey roller coaster ride of ups and downs, when you monitor it. Ideally, your ISP would provide a more steady stream...

Another thing I did recently, which seems also to have helped quite a bit, was install and use a piece of freeware software that is designed to optimize your PC's Internet and streaming connections. The software is called TCP Optimizer and is available from the SpeedGuide.net web site. I checked on it before trying, and it's safe and very well regarded. It allows geek users to change their own detailed settings in many ways... But also has an "Optimize" function to allow the program to choose the best settings for your set-up. It also allows you to backup your existing settings before making any changes.

Likewise, make sure you have installed the lastest version of Adobe Flash 10.1, I believe. The prior versions had a major security flaw.

And lastly, don't use SpeedTest.net to make any kind of speedtest comparisons, since its values in Thailand are often totally false. But do use a reliable speedtest from outside Thailand that allows you to measure your connection speeds between here and LA and/or NY.... Then, make those measurements both with and without your VPN to see how much using your VPN may be taking off your speed performance. Some VPNs are going to do better for video streaming, while others won't.

One of the VPN's I'm familiar with also has a private, password protected proxy server available only to its members. You can use their proxy instead of their VPN... and in many cases, the proxy server will work just fine, and generally might be expected to provide better speeds than the VPN.. You might check with your VPN provider to see if they offer something comparable.

Good luck.

Hi , this i have found very interesting, I thank everyone for there knowledge and help. I now have a VPN and able and many other TV channels, the problem i get is the streaming, buffering comes up a lot and is very frustrating, is there any way i can improve this.

That TCP Optimizer program is the best thing that has happened to my internet speed lately. I was getting ready to go buy a new router due to the lag I was getting on the internet and that program totally cured it in less than a minute. I used the standard optimal setting. I bet most everyone could benefit by optimizing their TCP although I really don't know technically what that is doing.

[xtr3mx7]

Thanks for the USTVNow recommendation, I am now enjoying watching Fox but at night, it's terrible, can't even watch a channel.

Do we have other Free TV website like USTVNow?

Thanks

[jfchandler]

To XTR, sorry I didn't see your post earlier... TV (not television) unsubscribes folks if there's been no activity in a thread for a certain period of time.

As to your question, I don't know of any other FREE resource for Fox, with a couple of caveats....

#1... True cable tv lately has added Fox Asia to its channel lineup for all of its packages, including their FreeView one... It's not the same lineup as Fox USA, and predictably suffers from a lot of repeats of repeats of repeats.... But at least it's on the channel lineup now...and at no extra charge.

#2... The Hulu online video streaming service, basically video on demand, includes a lot of Fox series shows...and usually they're available online for a month or so after their original air date... No fee for the free Hulu basic service, but you do need to have a U.S. IP address in order to access Hulu content.

[jfchandler]

Meanwhile, let me post some updated info re USTVNow, which, I'm happy to say, is still in business, still offering their free TV viewing package for the over-the-air U.S. TV networks, and actually appears to be working and making progress in improving their offerings.

I was pretty excited a couple days ago when I got a member email from USTVNow saying they were offering a summer promotion that included offering their basic cable channels TV package starting at $19 a month.... Then, once I read the details of it, I was a bit less excited, because their discount promo, the details say, is only valid for 3 months....and then prices will return to pretty much normal levels...including $29 a month for the basic cable package. They're also discounting their basic cable with online VCR package, down to $29 a month, which goes to $44 a month after the 3 month promo. Still, at least they're trying...

I also noticed in looking thru their web site that they're now providing viewing access to folks with a range of mobile devices, including I-things, Android devices, Roku boxes and Google TV, among others.

Here's screen shots of the promo info and the other things I've mentioned above.

[jfchandler]

BTW, there is another service that's cropped up that has some potential, depending on your interests... http://usvideo.org/, which used to and still goes variously by the name unblock-us.com

It's kind of like an alternative to a VPN. For a $4.99 a month fee, they have you enter their DNS server info on your home router or PC or other compatible device, and then that enables you via your own separate accounts with the various content providers to access a variety of online video and audio content from the U.S. like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon VOD, Pandora and some others...

It also, I believe, clears the roadblock that some of the networks have put up by limiting online access to the episode videos they post to their web sites to those with U.S. IP addresses.

However, what usvideo.org DOES NOT do, as best as I can tell, is give you direct access to the live TV network/cable broadcasts as USTVNow does...because ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS and the various cable networks don't typically stream their live broadcasts over the Internet. Rather, usvideo.org helps unlock existing VOD (video on demand) content from the various networks and services by working around the U.S. IP restrictions.

So really, the two different services are a bit like an apples and oranges comparison... If you want to watch Fox TV (or the other broadcast/cable networks) live just the same as in the U.S., USTVNow will provide that while usvideo.org won't. But if you want to stream video on demand from Netflix, Hulu or similar services, usvideo.org will enable that, and USTVNow won't... It's nice to have choices.

[gkinbkk]

I tried streaming, waste of time.

Now I pay $9 a month for a Filesonic account and download everything. 720p HD movies and TV shows the next day after being shown in UK/US/Oz.....I use a WDTV media player plugged into a big screen TV and can stream wireless from the main computer to the media player or use an external drive

Brilliant.

[jfchandler]

As with anything, YMMV....

Here in BKK, with a rated 10 Mbps True cable internet feed, ordinary video streaming (not Hi-Def) works fine almost all of the time.... Not quite as good but still acceptable under a prior True 8 Mbps DSL plan.

And many content providers like Netflix incorporate multiple stream rates in their video feeds to accommodate different speeds of Internet connections by their customers/subscribers... Ditto with the U.S. major sports league video packages....

Of course, it's not an either-or proposition... People can stream as well as download and view....

Right now, I'm watching CNN's live broadcast via the Internet.... Some things you can't download from bit torrent and similar such sites.

[mightyharriss]

I use unblockus dot com. Simples. Just change a couple of dns settings and yoir away. No need for a vpn

[jfchandler]

Other members here have spoken well of unblock us....

I prefer the VPN approach for the following reasons, mainly being flexibility and ease of use....

For me in my setup, my VPN, for basically the same price as unblock us, gives me unlimited access and choice of connections via a wide range of different countries and cities within them...ranging from the U.S. to the U.K. and many others... Can pick any one, anytime, and change in and out via the click of a Windows tray mini icon or Windows Start Menu Icon...Or disconnect entirely and stay with a local connection. Just with one or two mouse clicks...No typing...no numbers to enter, etc.

With unblock us, they do give you the choice of making the change either at the individual PC or at the router level, the later meaning the connection would apply to all PCs served by that router. But once you've done that... it's pretty much set and you're fixed to a USA connection. If you want to disconnect it, you can. But it's troublesome having to go into a couple deep menus in Windows networking and undo the unblock us DNS address settings (and then redo them again later).... And, for the monthly price, you're only getting a U.S. connection, not the UK or any others.

Just one example: For the last month or two, I've been watching the NBA playoffs via the NBA's International League Pass live video and video on demand package. It's only accessible to people with Internet connections OUTSIDE the U.S. The NBA doesn't offer it to the domestic U.S. market, because they don't want it to compete with U.S. network TV broadcasts of the games. So, if I were using unblock us at the router level, every time I wanted to watch an NBA playoffs game, I'd have to go into Windows networking and reset the DNS settings to get back my local connection. That would be a hassle I'd prefer not to deal with.

On the flip side, to be fair, advocates of unblock us point out that its type of connection, because it has less overhead than VPN, should provide a faster data connection compared to a VPN connection over your same local Internet service. How much of a speed advantage that is in real life I'm not sure... Maybe 10%.... So perhaps instead of a 5 Mbps international connection you'd be getting 5.5 Mbps, and so on and so forth....

As I've said before elsewhere here, it all depends on what kind of things a person wants to do, what kinds and sources of content are important to them, and where that content is located....

[mightyharriss]

Great and quick reply chandler. To be honest i use it for my ps3 connection. Especially at the moment when no access is available in thailand. I also use it to connect to hulu. Bbc iplayer and more.

Vpn is great but not so good for me using a mac as my main computer. For all other tv i use te website myiplayer. It streams in real time a multitude of channels from all over the world. Again. Love your post. Very helpful

[jfchandler]

BTW, for other TV news junkies out there, I've lately come across a quite good free, non-commercial site for keeping track of the various U.S. cable news networks.... See here....

[peterdk]

Hi Chandler.

Thanks for a great thread.

Anyway, dont know if you ever got a working armchair solution.

But with a 4 inch smartphone, I usually just use that to control my PC.

At least when I am comfy in my lazyboy chair fully reclined.

I find teamviewer smarter than logmein.

www.teamviewer.com

www.logmein.com

At least the gf finds it impressive :-)

[yougivemebaby]

RW, thanks for the compliment... Much appreciated...

Indeed, as a big NFL fan myself, the sudden and unexpected arrival of the free USTVNow service, and its including all the major over the air U.S. networks, is a great benefit for football fans here in Thailand...

I just hope it is a service and promotional method that they can see fit to continue, by attracting paying customers for their more expanded services... But either way, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts....

PS - In looking to our Friday morning, ASN is televising NO live or even current week NFL games on Fri and Sat...

However, in looking at the USTV Now schedule, they're showing live preseason games on both ABC and CBS starting at 6:30 am Fri Thailand time.

I'm all registered and everything. My internet speed is 6 MBS and I am getting a circular loading screen. Hmmm

[BKKdreaming]

just did the "The software is called TCP Optimizer and is available from the SpeedGuide.net web "

ping went from 61 down to 34.....AMAZING

I did a Speedtest first and then set it what the speed test said I was getting,

it was factory set at 3mbs and I was getting 15mbs download on Verizon Fios

now getting 17.5 mps and the much faster ping

BK

[jko]

Has anybody tried Tunnelbear?

Seems to get favourable reviews, and allows access to UK domestic BBC TV programmes. Also in other countries not accessible thru a Thai ISP.

Free 500 MB per month download, extra free 1GB if you Twitter a recommendation. Unlimited downloads for small monthly fee, I think US$4-5

Is it 'legal' in Thailand?

[SanSaiExPat]

Other members here have spoken well of unblock us....

I prefer the VPN approach for the following reasons, mainly being flexibility and ease of use....

For me in my setup, my VPN, for basically the same price as unblock us, gives me unlimited access and choice of connections via a wide range of different countries and cities within them...ranging from the U.S. to the U.K. and many others... Can pick any one, anytime, and change in and out via the click of a Windows tray mini icon or Windows Start Menu Icon...Or disconnect entirely and stay with a local connection. Just with one or two mouse clicks...No typing...no numbers to enter, etc.

With unblock us, they do give you the choice of making the change either at the individual PC or at the router level, the later meaning the connection would apply to all PCs served by that router. But once you've done that... it's pretty much set and you're fixed to a USA connection. If you want to disconnect it, you can. But it's troublesome having to go into a couple deep menus in Windows networking and undo the unblock us DNS address settings (and then redo them again later).... And, for the monthly price, you're only getting a U.S. connection, not the UK or any others.

Just one example: For the last month or two, I've been watching the NBA playoffs via the NBA's International League Pass live video and video on demand package. It's only accessible to people with Internet connections OUTSIDE the U.S. The NBA doesn't offer it to the domestic U.S. market, because they don't want it to compete with U.S. network TV broadcasts of the games. So, if I were using unblock us at the router level, every time I wanted to watch an NBA playoffs game, I'd have to go into Windows networking and reset the DNS settings to get back my local connection. That would be a hassle I'd prefer not to deal with.

On the flip side, to be fair, advocates of unblock us point out that its type of connection, because it has less overhead than VPN, should provide a faster data connection compared to a VPN connection over your same local Internet service. How much of a speed advantage that is in real life I'm not sure... Maybe 10%.... So perhaps instead of a 5 Mbps international connection you'd be getting 5.5 Mbps, and so on and so forth....

As I've said before elsewhere here, it all depends on what kind of things a person wants to do, what kinds and sources of content are important to them, and where that content is located....

Could you tell me what Router you are using? I'm trying to find a router here in Chiang Mai that is loaded with DD-WRT Open VPN firmware or capable. Thanks.

[danfields]

Signed up today for USTVNOW free channels. No credit card, no SSN required. Seems they now link to Facebook account for U.S. residence verification. Works great, even at hi res. Much better than my Slingbox. Thanks jfchandler!

[jayzel]

i use

projectfreetv has all programs you love

[longball53098]

I have used USTVNOW for over 2 years now. I am pretty sure that you cannot get HD on the free package. Unless maybe they give you a few days of free use of HD to get you to buy a subscription. The packs they offer are quite expensive in my opinion .