All Uk Tv Channels

[starcandle]

Will uk tv be able to be used from a i pad2 in the near future peter?

The wife has an application on her ipad2,,,,, filmon,,,, it allows her to watch UK TV freeview.,,, give it a try.

[samui543]

Month trial finished yesterday. Was given extension 'till 1st December. Now all that's there is a demo channel? any ideas?

cheers

[robsamui]

Month trial finished yesterday. Was given extension 'till 1st December. Now all that's there is a demo channel? any ideas?

cheers

Phone Gunter and tell him. Simple. He'll extend your trial.

Why ask here instead of contacting the Samui rep?

R

[robsamui]

THE LOWDOWN.

I have spent the last month and about 5,000 baht trying every option known to man to check out ways to watch English TV on Samui.

Alternatives are (no UK channels):

1. UBC =2,000 plus a month. Another 6-12K baht for the hardware.

2. Samui Cable - 500 baht.

3.All sorts of hints and tips with "free" UK TV websites that i) spend 20 seconds every 30 seconds at a halt and buffering and ii) have an advert that covers the screen first and iii) end up with a matchbox-size image that stutters and stops and halts.

I have paid for a proxy server and aslso a 1Gbit VPN server so that I can watch Brit TV on BBC iPlayer and ITV iPlayer. Again, with the FLASH streaming video which all of these use, there is no way to stop buffering or to build up a reserve by pausing it.

I have now researched this and found that as soon as you pause a flash-streaming vid it starts all over again. You can't escape buffering. Even with a mega-fast broadband connection you are still subject to the speed of the server you are connected to.

I have gone into Windows and disabled hardware acceleration and shifted my swapfile to a different drive, modified the registry and installed a better graphics card and more RAM (really!)

I've listened patiently to guys here who have recommended sites that have tiny, stuttering images that they swear by, and have gone and tried each one of them. If you're happy watching a matchbox image (or a big fractured full-screen picture that has a picture quality worse than VHS ever was in the '80s) then you can stop reading now.

UKTV is the only option.

First, it doesn't ever buffer, even with a slow 2 Gb connection. It's a constant smooth flow. With a 6 Gb connection is actually loads-into buffer faster than the broadband connection receives it. (I have used meters and charts to check this.) There is no buffering. But - if your TOT connection goes to sleep for 15 mins - you already have 15 mins in buffer ready to watch. So no break in the picture, ever.

ALSO - pausing the program allows the buffer to accumulate - which no streaming online TV can do.

The quality is as good as standard UBC or Cable. (HD it is not.)

Additionally you get a full program guide onscreen for all the broadcasts across all the 18 channels - 5 days behind that's accessible and 3 days in front so you can see what's coming. A click on any program brings up a synopsis. you can record it also without the need to actually watch it. And double-click starts the broadcast. And there's also a search-box to find keywords or genre (sports, documentaries, drama etc.)

Yes, 90% of what is on UK land-based TV is crud - serials, soaps and antique movies. But there's F1 live, rugby, live, Rugby World Cup, league footy, internationals and EuroChamp matches, plus there's going to be the Olympics next year, too. There's BBC documentaries - like the tribute to Jimmy Saville or David Dimbleby's Frozen Planet series or Billy O'Connell's route 66. Top Gear and Jonathan Ross and Jools Holland. Sure, you can get most of these via the Torr**ts sites. But try to find "The history of Film: an Odyssey" (4 hours) or the already-mentioned J Saville tribute. No can do. As a rule if I now spot something I like the look of then I download it and save it via other means. The special programs, the unique one-offs, I screen-capture and save. (Perhaps the only nasty thing about it is that you cannot export saved programs to your hard drive. They remain "saved" for only as long as you continue your subscription, then they are deleted. Personally I find this mean and unpleasant and can see little reason for it. And anyway it's easy to get round this with screen-capture software, so they're doing themselves no favours at UKTV by being silly about this, especially when it's so easy to sidestep it. Peter in Pattaya please take note.)

It's going to be a little over 1,000 baht when it starts for real on the 1st December. Already 2 of my friends have cancelled their UBC subs in favour of this. Plus you can watch it in your house, on the balcony or in the bedroom, or anywhere else where there is a WiFi connection, even on the beach. Full-screen, no buffering or pauses, no breaks because it's raining, clean and crisp. It's expensive but it's the best and there really is no comparison outside of Cable or UBC (and then you're tied to your TV and when it rains it cuts). I haven't wanted "TV" in my house for 3 years now. My home cinema system is gathering dust. But this I can watch anywhere and even cable it to my 32" flatscreen.

So there it is. Chuck your UBC, buy a little laptop and use it with your LCD TV and take it to the beach if you fancy it. (Laptop, not big TV.)

I originally wasn't going to lay-out 1,000 a month for it - too much money. But now I am. It could really do with a few extra channels and some more sport. But what the heck. You pay your money and you get what you pay for, most of the time, anyway. In this case you really do.

And I have no connection with these guys at all. In fact I was strongly critical of them to begin with. But not now I've tried all the other alternatives.

This is excellent!

R

Edited November 16, 2011 by robsamui

[SamuiRes]

I was pointed in the direction of this alternative recently - GBP 9.99 pm - so only 499 Baht.

http://televisionbbcnewstv.com/liveabroad

I have not had time to check this out fully but it does appear to have the Sky Channels.

Has anyone seen this or have any comments on it?

[springsteen]

THE LOWDOWN.

I have spent the last month and about 5,000 baht trying every option known to man to check out ways to watch English TV on Samui.

Alternatives are (no UK channels):

1. UBC =2,000 plus a month. Another 6-12K baht for the hardware.

2. Samui Cable - 500 baht.

3.All sorts of hints and tips with "free" UK TV websites that i) spend 20 seconds every 30 seconds at a halt and buffering and ii) have an advert that covers the screen first and iii) end up with a matchbox-size image that stutters and stops and halts.

I have paid for a proxy server and aslso a 1Gbit VPN server so that I can watch Brit TV on BBC iPlayer and ITV iPlayer. Again, with the FLASH streaming video which all of these use, there is no way to stop buffering or to build up a reserve by pausing it.

I have now researched this and found that as soon as you pause a flash-streaming vid it starts all over again. You can't escape buffering. Even with a mega-fast broadband connection you are still subject to the speed of the server you are connected to.

I have gone into Windows and disabled hardware acceleration and shifted my swapfile to a different drive, modified the registry and installed a better graphics card and more RAM (really!)

I've listened patiently to guys here who have recommended sites that have tiny, stuttering images that they swear by, and have gone and tried each one of them. If you're happy watching a matchbox image (or a big fractured full-screen picture that has a picture quality worse than VHS ever was in the '80s) then you can stop reading now.

UKTV is the only option.

First, it doesn't ever buffer, even with a slow 2 Gb connection. It's a constant smooth flow. With a 6 Gb connection is actually loads-into buffer faster than the broadband connection receives it. (I have used meters and charts to check this.) There is no buffering. But - if your TOT connection goes to sleep for 15 mins - you already have 15 mins in buffer ready to watch. So no break in the picture, ever.

ALSO - pausing the program allows the buffer to accumulate - which no streaming online TV can do.

The quality is as good as standard UBC or Cable. (HD it is not.)

Additionally you get a full program guide onscreen for all the broadcasts across all the 18 channels - 5 days behind that's accessible and 3 days in front so you can see what's coming. A click on any program brings up a synopsis. you can record it also without the need to actually watch it. And double-click starts the broadcast. And there's also a search-box to find keywords or genre (sports, documentaries, drama etc.)

Yes, 90% of what is on UK land-based TV is crud - serials, soaps and antique movies. But there's F1 live, rugby, live, Rugby World Cup, league footy, internationals and EuroChamp matches, plus there's going to be the Olympics next year, too. There's BBC documentaries - like the tribute to Jimmy Saville or David Dimbleby's Frozen Planet series or Billy O'Connell's route 66. Top Gear and Jonathan Ross and Jools Holland. Sure, you can get most of these via the Torr**ts sites. But try to find "The history of Film: an Odyssey" (4 hours) or the already-mentioned J Saville tribute. No can do. As a rule if I now spot something I like the look of then I download it and save it via other means. The special programs, the unique one-offs, I screen-capture and save. (Perhaps the only nasty thing about it is that you cannot export saved programs to your hard drive. They remain "saved" for only as long as you continue your subscription, then they are deleted. Personally I find this mean and unpleasant and can see little reason for it. And anyway it's easy to get round this with screen-capture software, so they're doing themselves no favours at UKTV by being silly about this, especially when it's so easy to sidestep it. Peter in Pattaya please take note.)

It's going to be a little over 1,000 baht when it starts for real on the 1st December. Already 2 of my friends have cancelled their UBC subs in favour of this. Plus you can watch it in your house, on the balcony or in the bedroom, or anywhere else where there is a WiFi connection, even on the beach. Full-screen, no buffering or pauses, no breaks because it's raining, clean and crisp. It's expensive but it's the best and there really is no comparison outside of Cable or UBC (and then you're tied to your TV and when it rains it cuts). I haven't wanted "TV" in my house for 3 years now. My home cinema system is gathering dust. But this I can watch anywhere and even cable it to my 32" flatscreen.

So there it is. Chuck your UBC, buy a little laptop and use it with your LCD TV and take it to the beach if you fancy it. (Laptop, not big TV.)

I originally wasn't going to lay-out 1,000 a month for it - too much money. But now I am. It could really do with a few extra channels and some more sport. But what the heck. You pay your money and you get what you pay for, most of the time, anyway. In this case you really do.

And I have no connection with these guys at all. In fact I was strongly critical of them to begin with. But not now I've tried all the other alternatives.

This is excellent!

R

Agree with you all the way except this

David Dimbleby's Frozen Planet

[samui543]

Month trial finished yesterday. Was given extension 'till 1st December. Now all that's there is a demo channel? any ideas?

cheers

Phone Gunter and tell him. Simple. He'll extend your trial.

Why ask here instead of contacting the Samui rep?

R

As stated. I WAS given the extension and it worked again. then all i got was a demo channel. I was merely asking if anybody had the same- only a demo channel.

[samui543]

I was pointed in the direction of this alternative recently - GBP 9.99 pm - so only 499 Baht.

http://televisionbbc....com/liveabroad

I have not had time to check this out fully but it does appear to have the Sky Channels.

Has anyone seen this or have any comments on it?

Have heard of one person who has started to use this and says very very good. Shame there isn't a trial. Having the sports would tip the balance for me, however i love the fact on uktvasia you can rewind, pause, watch something the past with an easy search facility.

[robsamui]

I was pointed in the direction of this alternative recently - GBP 9.99 pm - so only 499 Baht.

http://televisionbbcnewstv.com/liveabroad

I have not had time to check this out fully but it does appear to have the Sky Channels.

Has anyone seen this or have any comments on it?

A rip off.

Plus it's slow, constant buffering stop-start-jerky and a post-card image in the middle of your screen surrounded by adverts.

This is one of the ones that I subscribed to, only to find that it is accessing simple iPlayers for ITV avd BBC plus all the free channels here

http://lsh.lshunter.tv

You have to firstly pay the money to join the site - which is just a series of links to the various players mentioned above.

THEN you have to subscribe to a separate VPN service.

Plus they make a big deal about paying just a month at time to "keep the bandwidth free" - and sneakily then go and submit a recurring subscription to your CC or PayPal account. Then, after you have already paid for one month but have cancelled the recurring payments (as I immediately did) you'll find your account closed immediately and your password cancelled.

I have emailed them about this now 4 times and no reply, so have now started a claim to get a refund from PayPal.

Don't bother with these people. http://lsh.lshunter.tv is free and gives you exactly the same thing.

R

Screenshots here from screen clutter with free TV, then full-screen difference between freeTv and UKTV no comparison! (screen cap from 21" monitor.)

Edited November 17, 2011 by robsamui

[robsamui]

Month trial finished yesterday. Was given extension 'till 1st December. Now all that's there is a demo channel? any ideas?

cheers

Phone Gunter and tell him. Simple. He'll extend your trial.

Why ask here instead of contacting the Samui rep?

R

As stated. I WAS given the extension and it worked again. then all i got was a demo channel. I was merely asking if anybody had the same- only a demo channel.

Yes - you'll get a demo channel if your month has expired. Then you contact Gunter . . . . .

[daveb1]

Re saving stuff toyour hard drive I suspect that UKTV like all other UK TV type players probably has a licensing deal that prevents them from doing that, you can't save and copy on BBC i player or ITV or Channel 4 or 5's UK players. Like you I think UKTV is the best I have found, really love their service.

THE LOWDOWN.

I have spent the last month and about 5,000 baht trying every option known to man to check out ways to watch English TV on Samui.

Alternatives are (no UK channels):

1. UBC =2,000 plus a month. Another 6-12K baht for the hardware.

2. Samui Cable - 500 baht.

3.All sorts of hints and tips with "free" UK TV websites that i) spend 20 seconds every 30 seconds at a halt and buffering and ii) have an advert that covers the screen first and iii) end up with a matchbox-size image that stutters and stops and halts.

I have paid for a proxy server and aslso a 1Gbit VPN server so that I can watch Brit TV on BBC iPlayer and ITV iPlayer. Again, with the FLASH streaming video which all of these use, there is no way to stop buffering or to build up a reserve by pausing it.

I have now researched this and found that as soon as you pause a flash-streaming vid it starts all over again. You can't escape buffering. Even with a mega-fast broadband connection you are still subject to the speed of the server you are connected to.

I have gone into Windows and disabled hardware acceleration and shifted my swapfile to a different drive, modified the registry and installed a better graphics card and more RAM (really!)

I've listened patiently to guys here who have recommended sites that have tiny, stuttering images that they swear by, and have gone and tried each one of them. If you're happy watching a matchbox image (or a big fractured full-screen picture that has a picture quality worse than VHS ever was in the '80s) then you can stop reading now.

UKTV is the only option.

First, it doesn't ever buffer, even with a slow 2 Gb connection. It's a constant smooth flow. With a 6 Gb connection is actually loads-into buffer faster than the broadband connection receives it. (I have used meters and charts to check this.) There is no buffering. But - if your TOT connection goes to sleep for 15 mins - you already have 15 mins in buffer ready to watch. So no break in the picture, ever.

ALSO - pausing the program allows the buffer to accumulate - which no streaming online TV can do.

The quality is as good as standard UBC or Cable. (HD it is not.)

Additionally you get a full program guide onscreen for all the broadcasts across all the 18 channels - 5 days behind that's accessible and 3 days in front so you can see what's coming. A click on any program brings up a synopsis. you can record it also without the need to actually watch it. And double-click starts the broadcast. And there's also a search-box to find keywords or genre (sports, documentaries, drama etc.)

Yes, 90% of what is on UK land-based TV is crud - serials, soaps and antique movies. But there's F1 live, rugby, live, Rugby World Cup, league footy, internationals and EuroChamp matches, plus there's going to be the Olympics next year, too. There's BBC documentaries - like the tribute to Jimmy Saville or David Dimbleby's Frozen Planet series or Billy O'Connell's route 66. Top Gear and Jonathan Ross and Jools Holland. Sure, you can get most of these via the Torr**ts sites. But try to find "The history of Film: an Odyssey" (4 hours) or the already-mentioned J Saville tribute. No can do. As a rule if I now spot something I like the look of then I download it and save it via other means. The special programs, the unique one-offs, I screen-capture and save. (Perhaps the only nasty thing about it is that you cannot export saved programs to your hard drive. They remain "saved" for only as long as you continue your subscription, then they are deleted. Personally I find this mean and unpleasant and can see little reason for it. And anyway it's easy to get round this with screen-capture software, so they're doing themselves no favours at UKTV by being silly about this, especially when it's so easy to sidestep it. Peter in Pattaya please take note.)

It's going to be a little over 1,000 baht when it starts for real on the 1st December. Already 2 of my friends have cancelled their UBC subs in favour of this. Plus you can watch it in your house, on the balcony or in the bedroom, or anywhere else where there is a WiFi connection, even on the beach. Full-screen, no buffering or pauses, no breaks because it's raining, clean and crisp. It's expensive but it's the best and there really is no comparison outside of Cable or UBC (and then you're tied to your TV and when it rains it cuts). I haven't wanted "TV" in my house for 3 years now. My home cinema system is gathering dust. But this I can watch anywhere and even cable it to my 32" flatscreen.

So there it is. Chuck your UBC, buy a little laptop and use it with your LCD TV and take it to the beach if you fancy it. (Laptop, not big TV.)

I originally wasn't going to lay-out 1,000 a month for it - too much money. But now I am. It could really do with a few extra channels and some more sport. But what the heck. You pay your money and you get what you pay for, most of the time, anyway. In this case you really do.

And I have no connection with these guys at all. In fact I was strongly critical of them to begin with. But not now I've tried all the other alternatives.

This is excellent!

R

Edited November 17, 2011 by daveb1

[taninthai]

seems a good service however i dont see the point of having bbc 3 and 4 if its not listed on the tv guide pretty poinyless if you can only watch it live

[Darrel]

I have paid for a proxy server and aslso a 1Gbit VPN server so that I can watch Brit TV on BBC iPlayer and ITV iPlayer. Again, with the FLASH streaming video which all of these use, there is no way to stop buffering or to build up a reserve by pausing it.

I have now researched this and found that as soon as you pause a flash-streaming vid it starts all over again. You can't escape buffering. Even with a mega-fast broadband connection you are still subject to the speed of the server you are connected to.

You are doing it wrong.

Get a VPN. This can be a free one like Expatshield, or a pay one like the forum sponsor or others. I pay USD5/month for mine.

Start the VPN and connect to a UK node.

Use your browser to get to the official BBC Iplayer website.

Find the programme you want. Do NOT play it, just click on the little "download options" button and select the WMV version.

Once the download has started you can pause it, then disconnect the VPN, then unpause it. It will continue at full speed.

Once the download has finished, reconnect your VPN to a UK node. Open the downloaded file in WMP.

The job is done: perfect quality (even HD) and no buffering whatsoever, no matter how crappy your internet connection is.

[robsamui]

THE LOWDOWN.

I have spent the last month and about 5,000 baht trying every option known to man to check out ways to watch English TV on Samui.

Alternatives are (no UK channels):

1. UBC =2,000 plus a month. Another 6-12K baht for the hardware.

2. Samui Cable - 500 baht.

3.All sorts of hints and tips with "free" UK TV websites that i) spend 20 seconds every 30 seconds at a halt and buffering and ii) have an advert that covers the screen first and iii) end up with a matchbox-size image that stutters and stops and halts.

I have paid for a proxy server and aslso a 1Gbit VPN server so that I can watch Brit TV on BBC iPlayer and ITV iPlayer. Again, with the FLASH streaming video which all of these use, there is no way to stop buffering or to build up a reserve by pausing it.

I have now researched this and found that as soon as you pause a flash-streaming vid it starts all over again. You can't escape buffering. Even with a mega-fast broadband connection you are still subject to the speed of the server you are connected to.

I have gone into Windows and disabled hardware acceleration and shifted my swapfile to a different drive, modified the registry and installed a better graphics card and more RAM (really!)

I've listened patiently to guys here who have recommended sites that have tiny, stuttering images that they swear by, and have gone and tried each one of them. If you're happy watching a matchbox image (or a big fractured full-screen picture that has a picture quality worse than VHS ever was in the '80s) then you can stop reading now.

UKTV is the only option.

First, it doesn't ever buffer, even with a slow 2 Gb connection. It's a constant smooth flow. With a 6 Gb connection is actually loads-into buffer faster than the broadband connection receives it. (I have used meters and charts to check this.) There is no buffering. But - if your TOT connection goes to sleep for 15 mins - you already have 15 mins in buffer ready to watch. So no break in the picture, ever.

ALSO - pausing the program allows the buffer to accumulate - which no streaming online TV can do.

The quality is as good as standard UBC or Cable. (HD it is not.)

Additionally you get a full program guide onscreen for all the broadcasts across all the 18 channels - 5 days behind that's accessible and 3 days in front so you can see what's coming. A click on any program brings up a synopsis. you can record it also without the need to actually watch it. And double-click starts the broadcast. And there's also a search-box to find keywords or genre (sports, documentaries, drama etc.)

Yes, 90% of what is on UK land-based TV is crud - serials, soaps and antique movies. But there's F1 live, rugby, live, Rugby World Cup, league footy, internationals and EuroChamp matches, plus there's going to be the Olympics next year, too. There's BBC documentaries - like the tribute to Jimmy Saville or David Dimbleby's Frozen Planet series or Billy O'Connell's route 66. Top Gear and Jonathan Ross and Jools Holland. Sure, you can get most of these via the Torr**ts sites. But try to find "The history of Film: an Odyssey" (4 hours) or the already-mentioned J Saville tribute. No can do. As a rule if I now spot something I like the look of then I download it and save it via other means. The special programs, the unique one-offs, I screen-capture and save. (Perhaps the only nasty thing about it is that you cannot export saved programs to your hard drive. They remain "saved" for only as long as you continue your subscription, then they are deleted. Personally I find this mean and unpleasant and can see little reason for it. And anyway it's easy to get round this with screen-capture software, so they're doing themselves no favours at UKTV by being silly about this, especially when it's so easy to sidestep it. Peter in Pattaya please take note.)

It's going to be a little over 1,000 baht when it starts for real on the 1st December. Already 2 of my friends have cancelled their UBC subs in favour of this. Plus you can watch it in your house, on the balcony or in the bedroom, or anywhere else where there is a WiFi connection, even on the beach. Full-screen, no buffering or pauses, no breaks because it's raining, clean and crisp. It's expensive but it's the best and there really is no comparison outside of Cable or UBC (and then you're tied to your TV and when it rains it cuts). I haven't wanted "TV" in my house for 3 years now. My home cinema system is gathering dust. But this I can watch anywhere and even cable it to my 32" flatscreen.

So there it is. Chuck your UBC, buy a little laptop and use it with your LCD TV and take it to the beach if you fancy it. (Laptop, not big TV.)

I originally wasn't going to lay-out 1,000 a month for it - too much money. But now I am. It could really do with a few extra channels and some more sport. But what the heck. You pay your money and you get what you pay for, most of the time, anyway. In this case you really do.

And I have no connection with these guys at all. In fact I was strongly critical of them to begin with. But not now I've tried all the other alternatives.

This is excellent!

R

Agree with you all the way except this

David Dimbleby's Frozen Planet

oops!

[robsamui]

I have paid for a proxy server and aslso a 1Gbit VPN server so that I can watch Brit TV on BBC iPlayer and ITV iPlayer. Again, with the FLASH streaming video which all of these use, there is no way to stop buffering or to build up a reserve by pausing it.

I have now researched this and found that as soon as you pause a flash-streaming vid it starts all over again. You can't escape buffering. Even with a mega-fast broadband connection you are still subject to the speed of the server you are connected to.

You are doing it wrong.

Get a VPN. This can be a free one like Expatshield, or a pay one like the forum sponsor or others. I pay USD5/month for mine.

Start the VPN and connect to a UK node.

Use your browser to get to the official BBC Iplayer website.

Find the programme you want. Do NOT play it, just click on the little "download options" button and select the WMV version.

Once the download has started you can pause it, then disconnect the VPN, then unpause it. It will continue at full speed.

Once the download has finished, reconnect your VPN to a UK node. Open the downloaded file in WMP.

The job is done: perfect quality (even HD) and no buffering whatsoever, no matter how crappy your internet connection is.

Oooo!

Thanks for this - excellent.

I have to confess that I have never before seen the need to use WMP ... as a movie player it's not a patch on VLC or Media Player Classic. But using it in this way is a new idea to me. I'll have a play.

I have a very fast UK-based VPN so no problem there (I pay about the same as you do.)

Thanks a million for the advice.

R

[robsamui]

I was pointed in the direction of this alternative recently - GBP 9.99 pm - so only 499 Baht.

http://televisionbbcnewstv.com/liveabroad

I have not had time to check this out fully but it does appear to have the Sky Channels.

Has anyone seen this or have any comments on it?

A rip off.

Plus it's slow, constant buffering stop-start-jerky and a post-card image in the middle of your screen surrounded by adverts.

This is one of the ones that I subscribed to, only to find that it is accessing simple iPlayers for ITV avd BBC plus all the free channels here

http://lsh.lshunter.tv

R

Screenshots here showing full-screen difference between freeTv and UKTV no comparison! (screen cap from 21" monitor.)

Edited November 17, 2011 by robsamui

[robsamui]

seems a good service however i dont see the point of having bbc 3 and 4 if its not listed on the tv guide pretty poinyless if you can only watch it live

Well-spotted - I didn't notice this.

I can understand how the live and ongoing BBC World and CNN new services have no schedule, but BBC3 and BBC4 have some interesting arts and music programs and also a full schedule (as I discovered when I went and checked the TV schedules).

I have sent a message to Peter in Payyaya (boss) to ask what this is about.

Thanks for pointing it out.

R

[robsamui]

I have paid for a proxy server and aslso a 1Gbit VPN server so that I can watch Brit TV on BBC iPlayer and ITV iPlayer. Again, with the FLASH streaming video which all of these use, there is no way to stop buffering or to build up a reserve by pausing it.

I have now researched this and found that as soon as you pause a flash-streaming vid it starts all over again. You can't escape buffering. Even with a mega-fast broadband connection you are still subject to the speed of the server you are connected to.

You are doing it wrong.

Get a VPN. This can be a free one like Expatshield, or a pay one like the forum sponsor or others. I pay USD5/month for mine.

Start the VPN and connect to a UK node.

Use your browser to get to the official BBC Iplayer website.

Find the programme you want. Do NOT play it, just click on the little "download options" button and select the WMV version.

Once the download has started you can pause it, then disconnect the VPN, then unpause it. It will continue at full speed.

Once the download has finished, reconnect your VPN to a UK node. Open the downloaded file in WMP.

The job is done: perfect quality (even HD) and no buffering whatsoever, no matter how crappy your internet connection is.

Tried this and it works fine - Thanks a lot. Just the job for saving those one-off broadcasts.

How about ITV?? Have they got the same thing?

R

[Darrel]

Bear in mind that this technique is still subject to the normal Iplayer 7 day window for viewing.

To answer your PM: a few programmes have no WMV download option, and so you have to use the Iplayer desktop app. The procedure is more or less the same, but be careful about running the app if your VPN isnt on as it can cause download problems. Hint: the BBC Iplayer app runs in the background and its icon can be found in the systray.

Never looked at the ITV version, I'm afraid.

[worgeordie]

I use Unblock-us its 4.99 per month Canadian dollars, its not a VPN, ,easy to set up,

just press a key, had it 3 months no problems, can watch BBC iPlayer,ITV Player,4oD,

plus several USA channels , they have a free 7 day trial ,

regards Worgeordie

[samui543]

I use Unblock-us its 4.99 per month Canadian dollars, its not a VPN, ,easy to set up,

just press a key, had it 3 months no problems, can watch BBC iPlayer,ITV Player,4oD,

plus several USA channels , they have a free 7 day trial ,

regards Worgeordie

Was an absolute quality service for the free trial- now the 1st Dec is coming quick. service has stopped ( yes i did get an extension on trial till 1st Dec>l)- now nothing. thought it was all good to be true- back to the uk proxy what not or www.filmon.com good effort son you did try well..............

[robsamui]

I use Unblock-us its 4.99 per month Canadian dollars, its not a VPN, ,easy to set up,

just press a key, had it 3 months no problems, can watch BBC iPlayer,ITV Player,4oD,

plus several USA channels , they have a free 7 day trial ,

regards Worgeordie

Was an absolute quality service for the free trial- now the 1st Dec is coming quick. service has stopped ( yes i did get an extension on trial till 1st Dec>l)- now nothing. thought it was all good to be true- back to the uk proxy what not or www.filmon.com good effort son you did try well..............

Ho hum - me too. I'm getting "Internal Server Error" along the top of the screen. Re-installing the viewer software makes no difference.

Have to wait and see what happens tomorrow . . .

... but I can't be doing with all that proxy stuff, hunting to see what's on, then going onto whatever iplayer then watching a blocky image stagger,stutter and fizzle . . .

R

[daveb1]

Same problem here, launches OK but then wont connect up, Peter sent me and email yesterday saying there was a server problem with 3bb not sure if they use them hopefully it will be back on today again, its such a great service when it works which to be fair is normally all the time. This is the first problem i have had with it. Lets hope they fix it soon

[daveb1]

Same problem here, launches OK but then wont connect up, Peter sent me and email yesterday saying there was a server problem with 3bb not sure if they use them hopefully it will be back on today again, its such a great service when it works which to be fair is normally all the time. This is the first problem i have had with it. Lets hope they fix it soon

All working again now which is great news

[taninthai]

Yep all working again and just received email from Peter saying free trial is extended until dec 31

[samui543]

Yep all working again and just received email from Peter saying free trial is extended until dec 31

Was for me all ok- extension till 31 dec- tonight back to the demo channel getting serious doubts now for 1k a month. good scam or i dont know? www.filmon.com is ok for live- best get back to my proxy what not they call it- who knows out here except james bond?

Regards

[robsamui]

Yep all working again and just received email from Peter saying free trial is extended until dec 31

Was for me all ok- extension till 31 dec- tonight back to the demo channel getting serious doubts now for 1k a month. good scam or i dont know? www.filmon.com is ok for live- best get back to my proxy what not they call it- who knows out here except james bond?

Regards

hey - do you know ... I've been poking about here for a bit and it aint half bad. Buffering is an absolute bitch. As I write the player has been at a standstill for more than a minute and it certainly isn't worth paying money for.

IF IF IF the UKTV people could find some reasonable content - ie not the freeview garbage that they feel is of interest to Brits - then they would have an unbeatable winner. With their presentation and format (the scheduler and the click-on synopsis) there is nothing to touch this product when it comes to portability, (no)buffering and picture quality - plus the built-in 5-days-past viewing option.

Unfortunately I have finally weighed it all up and decided that I'm not prepared to pay 1,000B a month for the privilege of being able to watch garbage - utter rubbish - no matter how brilliant the presentation and packaging is.

UK television land-based channels are not comparable with their German and Swiss equivalents - everything of interest has gone to pay-to-view or to subscription channels like Sky. Arts, culture, sport and movies (good blockbusters, not the rubbish on free TV) are missing from UKTV.

Someone on UKTV didn't do their market research!

Sigh.

R

Edited December 2, 2011 by robsamui

[robsamui]

Yep all working again and just received email from Peter saying free trial is extended until dec 31

Was for me all ok- extension till 31 dec- tonight back to the demo channel getting serious doubts now for 1k a month. good scam or i dont know? www.filmon.com is ok for live- best get back to my proxy what not they call it- who knows out here except james bond?

Regards

Urf - it's not free? What's the crack on payments here? 14.95 quid a month? Are you paying? Is it worth it?

Gimme a crit - tell me about it! I might give it a go!

R

[Totster]

Not sure I see the point at the moment. Most decent programmes are on when most of us are sleeping over here in Thailand, for that reason my current solution to watching UK TV is to download the shows overnight via torrents from a members only site dealing with UK TV and then watch them the next day.

Cost = 0

I will however give it a trial and see if I'm wrong.

Totster

Edited December 2, 2011 by Totster

[robsamui]

Not sure I see the point at the moment. Most decent programmes are on when most of us are sleeping over here in Thailand, for that reason my current solution to watching UK TV is to download the shows overnight via torrents from a members only site dealing with UK TV and then watch them the next day.

Cost = 0

I will however give it a trial and see if I'm wrong.

Totster

With their presentation and format (the scheduler and the click-on synopsis) there is nothing to touch this product when it comes to portability, (no)buffering and picture quality - plus the built-in 5-days-past viewing option

R