Watching TV from US on Internet

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

USTVNOW.COM is the best, and you do NOT need a VPN. Very good selection for free but a much larger selection for additional payment.

Lefty

USTVNow is a nice service, made better by it being free for showing the live broadcasts of just the over-the-air networks (ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, NBC, PBS) and not requiring any proxy or VPN.

However, there are limitations. Lately, they've restricted the free, over-the-air station streaming to just low-quality, small size video windows. And of course, the prime time shows in the U.S. show in the early morning hours here, and the free plan includes no DVR service. So it's not the most convenient arrangement, unless one does their main TV watching here between say 7 and 11 am.

Also, last year for example, I tried to watch the Super Bowl via USTVNow... and even though I went to the website very early, I never could get a connection to their site that day, which obviously was either overloaded or limited for free users (as opposed to the paid plan customers).

The drawback with the Hola extension is it gives you access, when it's working, to the streamed content stored on the various networks websites...whatever shows they've posted for people in the U.S. to watch online. But it doesn't give you access to the live broadcasts of the major US TV networks, since they don't stream those generally speaking.

Right now, I'm watching the live broadcasts of the various over-the-air U.S. networks and getting a 20-hour revolving cloud DVR service as well for $8 a month plus tax via the new Aereo service, and I'm liking it very much. I did the free trial and was so impressed I'm now a paying subscriber. The limitation is you have to have a credit card billing address and IP location in one of the various cities they currently serve: New York, Boston, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Salt Lake City, or Denver, with another 20 or so other cities slated to be added within the coming year.

You can either watch any of the non-cable networks live (ABC, CBS, Fox NBC, PBS, Bloomberg, and a variety of others) as they're broadcasting, or set Aereo's cloud DVR via their website to record whatever shows you want and then watch later at your leisure. Just select/subscribe to the show once, and then Aereo records it automatically and saves as many or few episodes as you like in your cloud DVR. Once you've watched a recorded show, you can either keep it in your DVR storage or delete it to free up space for future episodes. They also have an option to expand their cloud DVR storage to 60 hours total content for an additional $4 per month, meaning $12 total plus tax.

I still am a free plan subscriber to USTVNow... But I've never been able to get into the habit of watching primetime TV in the early morning hours. And not having any DVR capability in their free service makes it impossible to catch up on things I may have wanted to watch but missed. You can of course subscribe to one of their paid plans that also includes access to a bunch of the cable networks and DVR access. But those plans run $30 a month for adding access to the cable channels and I believe $40 a month for the cable channels plus a cloud DVR capability (though they have a $10 off offer on both plans for the first 3 months). For those prices, I'll stick with Aereo.

[craigt3365]

You you're right ... Zillions of illegal downloads, 2 legal. Please can you point out the legal ones?

Anyway, Safari refuses to connect because server cannot be found.

Don't know what to say other than do a Google search and perhaps get a different browser?

Hola Unblocker....evidently you are accessing content that is blocked in this country ....by misrepresenting your IP number. You might want to google some more on that.

Some courts have ruled that illegal in the USA, but I am not sure about what they would do to you here in Thailand.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57599275-93/court-rules-that-ip-cloaking-to-access-blocked-sites-violates-law/

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2013/08/21/proxies-illegal/1

Makes you wish you still had a friend who taped TV shows on his VHS recorder, and you could just borrow it.

I don't use a VPN. Never have, never will.

Unfortunately, getting quality TV here is impossible without using these websites. I use to have True, but it's just not worth it and doesn't really have what I want to watch. Lots of reruns.

I was home not long ago and was amazed at the quality of TV there. Mostly hi-def, and a huge selection. Competition is a good thing.

[slipperylobster]

Hula Unblocker has nothing to do with either of our posts.

Ok.. It must have been another sniffdog that posted this...

"It works, but you have use a VPN apparently. I searched through many pages, but couldn't find a legal one." (Said sniffdog)

I suggest you do not post things unless you are looking for good feedback!

Read this link and you will discover how it relates directly to your post.

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/01/hola-lets-you-watch-region-blocked-videos-from-any-country-for-free/

What is your confusion about if not this?????

[StrandedBusinessPerson]

Well, I think it all depends on what you mean by "TV." If it's shows, series, and sitcoms you are more interested in than live news updates, I recommend just bypassing the entire "streaming" strategy (overcoming us blocks with ToR and others) and just download the content using Vuze. For example, you can just download all the seasons of Game of Thrones and watch at once, instead of trying to find a streaming site. The new episodes for popular shows is usually posted within days, if not hours, of airing. The content is commercial free and can be put on your home media server for sharing throughout the house. Well, that's what one American expat does here in Asia, hope it helps.

[TwentyBaht]

Media Hint, a Firefox browser extension mentioned in an above post, works quite well for viewing CBS Sports.

[craigt3365]

We're getting on a slippery slope here. Per forum rules:

9) Not to discuss proxies or other methods of bypassing government blocking of websites.

Seems we're mainly discussing the US. But I've bumped this up to the higher authorities here to make sure we are OK. Don't want to run afoul of the law here.

[craigt3365]

A few posts have been removed from view. Please do not post in all capital letters.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Craig, AFAIK, the things we're discussing here are entirely unrelated to trying to access any websites that are blocked by the Thai government, or any other government, for that matter. And yes, the thread really is about watching U.S. TV content... not anything local here.

This is all about business-oriented restrictions, not government ones.

[LUCKYDOG123]

slingbox is a 100% legal item , no worries about that .

[k9guy62]

Try using the following links;

http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/search/

tubeplusme.com

Both of these links work great. You can watch both movies and all your favorite TV shows from USA or UK. Quality is very good. Just make sure you have a good internet service provider where you live and there should be no problem. I watch all my favorite shows when I am in Thailand on these two websites.

[hawker9000]

You need a USA VPN.

You're being blocked.

Same problem I had for watching UK TV.

Now I have a VPN I can watch whatever I like, both live or playbacks.

Or even better, a VPN which gives you a choice of VPN servers located in cities around the world. That way you can watch US TV, UK TV, or whatever - just reconfigure your connection setting to the new server (easy once you've done it a few times).

'Can't even get to my email from Thailand or Philippines (most of the time) without using a VPN... I'm not so sure it's necessarily always about being "blocked" - there just seems to be something about router configurations or something over here that introduces excessive latencies which cause connection attempts to time out & fail. I think if you're actually being "blocked", you get a screen alert about it from the relevant thai ministry. I just get timeouts & failures of pages to load.

[guruavi]

google: XBMC , watch some youtube videos about it aswell... no need for vpn, tons of channels from all around the world (including alot of paid channels)

[Crossy]

Craig, AFAIK, the things we're discussing here are entirely unrelated to trying to access any websites that are blocked by the Thai government, or any other government, for that matter. And yes, the thread really is about watching U.S. TV content... not anything local here.

This is all about business-oriented restrictions, not government ones.

Indeed, please ensure we stay on the topic of watching our home country's TV and avoid anything which could be construed as bypassing Thai government blocks.

A post discussing moderation has been removed, I suggest our newer members read the forum rules.

[brucegoniners]

USTVNOW.COM is the best, and you do NOT need a VPN. Very good selection for free but a much larger selection for additional payment.

Lefty

USTVNow is a nice service, made better by it being free for showing the live broadcasts of just the over-the-air networks (ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, NBC, PBS) and not requiring any proxy or VPN.

However, there are limitations. Lately, they've restricted the free, over-the-air station streaming to just low-quality, small size video windows. And of course, the prime time shows in the U.S. show in the early morning hours here, and the free plan includes no DVR service. So it's not the most convenient arrangement, unless one does their main TV watching here between say 7 and 11 am.

Also, last year for example, I tried to watch the Super Bowl via USTVNow... and even though I went to the website very early, I never could get a connection to their site that day, which obviously was either overloaded or limited for free users (as opposed to the paid plan customers).

The drawback with the Hola extension is it gives you access, when it's working, to the streamed content stored on the various networks websites...whatever shows they've posted for people in the U.S. to watch online. But it doesn't give you access to the live broadcasts of the major US TV networks, since they don't stream those generally speaking.

Right now, I'm watching the live broadcasts of the various over-the-air U.S. networks and getting a 20-hour revolving cloud DVR service as well for $8 a month plus tax via the new Aereo service, and I'm liking it very much. I did the free trial and was so impressed I'm now a paying subscriber. The limitation is you have to have a credit card billing address and IP location in one of the various cities they currently serve: New York, Boston, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Salt Lake City, or Denver, with another 20 or so other cities slated to be added within the coming year.

You can either watch any of the non-cable networks live (ABC, CBS, Fox NBC, PBS, Bloomberg, and a variety of others) as they're broadcasting, or set Aereo's cloud DVR via their website to record whatever shows you want and then watch later at your leisure. Just select/subscribe to the show once, and then Aereo records it automatically and saves as many or few episodes as you like in your cloud DVR. Once you've watched a recorded show, you can either keep it in your DVR storage or delete it to free up space for future episodes. They also have an option to expand their cloud DVR storage to 60 hours total content for an additional $4 per month, meaning $12 total plus tax.

I still am a free plan subscriber to USTVNow... But I've never been able to get into the habit of watching primetime TV in the early morning hours. And not having any DVR capability in their free service makes it impossible to catch up on things I may have wanted to watch but missed. You can of course subscribe to one of their paid plans that also includes access to a bunch of the cable networks and DVR access. But those plans run $30 a month for adding access to the cable channels and I believe $40 a month for the cable channels plus a cloud DVR capability (though they have a $10 off offer on both plans for the first 3 months). For those prices, I'll stick with Aereo.

Aeero didn't come up for me. Didn't load.

[brucegoniners]

Does anybody know of a service that offers MLB Network?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Aeero didn't come up for me. Didn't load.

In order to use the service, you need to have an IP address that's based/listed in one of the cities Aereo serves, along with a credit card with a billing address in that same city.

But the public Aereo website is loading just fine from here...

https://www.aereo.com/

PS - You can subscribe to MLB.com for their live streaming and on demand games. I bought a subscription to MLB.com as a gift for my father last season at the All-Star break when they had discounted full online access to the entire second half of the regular season to less than $100. That's every regular season game for every team for the second half of the season.

Or there's this for the off season period:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp?product=mlbtv&affiliateId=MULTIMEDIAGUIDE

[Gandtee]

I just wonder why you would want to?

[Chicog]

Hola unblocker is great, I have been using it for Pandora for some months now. Another great device is ZenMate, a free VPN that is an extension on Chrome browser (Firefox version is in the works). Truly easy to use, no installation hassles. Currently has server locations in New York, London, Zurich, Frankfurt and Hong Kong, quick and simple switch if you need a "location presence" in any of those places eg. London for BBC iPlayer.

It is nice but only free "during our launch phase".

Unless they do a Hotspot Shield it will probably turn into another pay VPN.

[Jingthing]

I just wonder why you would want to?

I am the one who knocks!

[Crossy]

a post with racist generalisations has been removed

[KuhnPaen]

A friend of mine says using torrent sites are the best way to watch your favorite shows as they are usually uploaded a few hours after they air. This friend often does this while staying in Bangkok and the torrent sites are not blocked.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I know it works as a solution for a lot of people.

But I'm more than a bit leary these days of downloading onto my PCs large files that contain who knows what and originate with who knows whom.

I have too much serious stuff on my PCs, so I prefer not to take those risks and potentially muck up one of my machines.

Not to mention, at least in some places, torrenting is considered violation of copyright laws and illegal.

[sniffdog]

And I suggest you to read the thread again. Craig and myself talked about blockage of eztv.it (a torrent site he suggested). Hola Unblocker has nothing to do with a VPN. They are two different things. They might serve the same purpose, but work differently.

I suggest next time you try to make a clever post, you visit Wikipedia first and wipe the sh*t out of your eyes.

Hula Unblocker has nothing to do with either of our posts.

Ok.. It must have been another sniffdog that posted this...

"It works, but you have use a VPN apparently. I searched through many pages, but couldn't find a legal one." (Said sniffdog)

I suggest you do not post things unless you are looking for good feedback!

Read this link and you will discover how it relates directly to your post.

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/01/hola-lets-you-watch-region-blocked-videos-from-any-country-for-free/

What is your confusion about if not this?????

[Cuban]

http://ufreetv.com/1abc.html

This is a good link for ABC, you will see the other channels offered, most work - some do not due to copyright holder action.

The site is TOTALLY driven by adverts - if you do not ENGAGE brain before visiting the site you will get more spam crap on your PC than you want.

I STRONGLY suggest that you install an ad blocker and LEARN not to blindly click on every pop-up that appears - and also not believe every message that suggests a new codec is required.

Some people will not understand this - then using such services is not for you - or seek some 1 on 1 guidance from someone more internet aware than you are.

Otherwise the site is 100% safe and I use it frequently.

Don't be stupid on-line.

[ericthai]

I use a sling box. I set it up at my brothers house and it's connected to his satellite. I then access the box with my computer and get all the channels he gets.

There are different sling boxes depending on what you want to do. It's a one time fee to buy the sling box.

[justsumhelp]

http://eztv.it/

It's great for TV shows.

Can WE do this too now?

[Cuban]

But I'm more than a bit leary these days of downloading onto my PCs large files that contain who knows what and originate with who knows whom.

I have too much serious stuff on my PCs, so I prefer not to take those risks and potentially muck up one of my machines.

At least you have identified yourself that you do not have the computer skill-set to tell good from bad.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Nice joke.... but as you know, you don't have the ability to know what's in a file, or scan it, until you've actually downloaded it onto your PC.

I don't click web links in email. I don't open emailed file attachments from unknown sources. And I don't download files from sources I don't know or trust.

That's called safe computing. Here's a good example of the issues involved. It's a set of headaches I prefer not to deal with.

http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/scamsandidentitytheft/tp/how-to-spot-fake-torrents.htm

How to Tell If a Movie Torrent File Is Fake Don't get fooled into downloading viruses and codec scam files!

By Paul Gil

November, 2013

Scammers and dishonest P2P individuals use false torrents to phish people's identities, bilk them for money, or vandalize their computers through trojan infections. Gratefully, helpful P2P users like 'already_dead' and other longtime supporters of Isohunt.com have built up methods of identifying false torrents and avoiding them.

Below are 10 strong suggestions on how to spot fake torrent movie and music files. This list is changing, and will update regularly with changes in torrent swarming technology.

1. Confirm Both the Torrent and the Movie Release Date with a Third Party

For brand new movie torrents, take a minute to visit these two sites:

• www.imdb.com to check release dates
• www.VCDQ.com to confirm that the new movie exists as a torrent

If the torrent does not exist at VCDQ.com, and/or is released before the actual movie date, then do not trust it.

2. You Can Trust .AVI and .MKV Files as a General Rule; Avoid .WMA and .WMV Files

For the most part, true movie files are either .avi (audio video interleave) or .mkv (Matroska files) format. Conversely, the great majority of .wma and .wmv files are fake. While there are some authentic examples, most .wma and .wmv files will link to other sites to get paid codecs or malware downloads.

3. Check for 'Verified' Status on the Torrent

Sites like Isohunt and Torrentbox will actually employ a committee of core users to confirm and 'verify' torrents. While these verified files are small in number, they are very likely true torrents that can be trusted. Keep your Avira antivirus updated and active, and 'verified' files should be safe to download.

4. Always Read the Comments

Some torrent sites like Isohunt.com will capture user comments. Like eBay feedback on other eBay users, these comments can give you a sense of how legit the file is. If you see no comments on a file, be suspicious. If you see any negative comments on the file, then move on and find a better torrent.

5. Beware a Disportionate Number of Thousands of Seeds, but No Comments

Abusive uploaders will falsify the number of seeds and peers. By using software tools like BTSeedInflator, abusers will make their torrents look like 10,000+ users are sharing it. If you see these massively large seed/peer numbers, but there are no user comments on the file, then avoid the file! Any true torrent that has more than a few thousand seeds should also have positive user comments.

6. Beware if Password Instructions, Special Instructions, or Exe Files Are Included

If you see a file in the movie/music torrent that says 'password', 'special instructions', 'codec instructions', 'unrar instructions, 'important read me first', 'download instructions here', then the torrent could be a scam fake. The instigator is likely looking redirect you to a shady website to download a dubious movie player as a precondition to opening the movie file. Furthermore, if there is an exe executable file included, then definitely avoid that torrent download! Executable files for movies and music are a big red flag, as there is no need for an executable file to be present. Exe files and any passwords or special download instructions are likely a sign that you should move on and find a better torrent download elsewhere.

7. Distrust .RAR, .TAR, .ACE Files

Yes, there are legit uploaders who use .rar archives to share files. But for movies and music, the majority of rar and archive files are fake. Abusers use the rar format to conceal trojans and codec scam files. Video is already compressed, so there is no need to compress further.

If you see an attractive torrent movie file that is in .rar, .tar, or .ace format, distrust it and examine its listed file contents before you download. If there is no list of the contents, do not trust it. If the file list is disclosed, but the file list includes an .exe executable file, or text files with the words 'password' or 'download instructions', do not trust it.

8. Avoid Using the Following Software

These torrent software clients have earned a bad reputation for seeding malware, fraudulent codec downloaders, keyloggers and trojans. Avoid using any of the following:

• BitLord
• BitThief
• Get-Torrent
• TorrentQ
• Torrent101
• Bitroll

9. Beware Trackers that Can't Be Found on Google

Open the published torrent details, and copy-paste the tracker names into Google. If a tracker is legitimate, you will see many Google hits where many torrent sites point to the copy-pasted tracker. If the tracker is false, you will find many unrelated hits at Google, often with the words 'fake' as P2P users post warnings on that fake tracker.

10. Only Use the Following Media Players

These are the trusted movie and music players of 2012. Anything other than these products is a candidate for being a trojan or malware tool.

1. WinAmp
2. Windows Media Player
3. VLC Media Plyer
4. GMPlayer
5. KMPlayer

[Cuban]

Apply your same paranoid logic to driving and you would not leave you house.

Torrenting is perfectly safe for those people that think before they click.

If you can't do that then the internet is not for you either.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Haven't had a virus infection or any malware on my computers in years... Because I avoid things with the potential to cause those problems.

I don't have any problem if other people want to take those risks, and engage in what is basically illegal conduct because of copyright infringement...

But I choose not to.