[Ask HN]: Would you pay to easily access Hulu, Pandora, etc. outside the US? | Hacker News Reader

[Ask HN]: Would you pay to easily access Hulu, Pandora, etc. outside the US?

localock.splashcurve.com

18 pointsandrewcross25 comments

I might consider paying to access iPlayer in the US (I live here now but still have a valid UK license). But I don't think I'd be willing to stick my name on a list of people willing to break site T&Cs and licensing restrictions. That doesn't sound smart.

Makes sense. A lot of us already break the T&C's and licensing restrictions though. There has to be an easier/simpler way than Tor or Hotspot Shield.

I imagine a lot of the people who do this use TunnelBear.

Here's a solution: grab the smallest Linode for $20/month, on Windows, set up Putty to SSH into your box and forward the relevant ports (Google for instructions), enjoy Netflix, Pandora, etc. anywhere in the world! I've used this method to watch Netflix in many countries -- it takes about 5 minutes to pre-buffer, but Instant Watching works fantastically well.

EDIT: Flash used to have a problem where it wouldn't respect your proxy settings, not sure if they've fixed that.

You can get much cheaper VPN/proxy services than a $20/mo linode instance.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SERVICES

http://strongvpn.com/

http://hotspotshield.com/

http://www.hideipvpn.com/

http://switchvpn.com/

The list goes on...

Do note that these companies specifically market themselves as a method of bypassing GeoIP blocks, and will rotate IP ranges to bypass any blocks that are set up. VPS/Server hosts like linode give you one static IP that is easily blocked.

Not sure if this would work. I tried it with amazon ec2 and hulu said I was trying to access it through a proxy server and denied access. I tried getting a new IP several times. Hulu is very proactive about blocking proxies.

I think the answer you're going to get is a foregone conclusion. This is like asking people if they'd like a free lunch... of course. If you plan to build a business on this model, you should consider that you'll likely be violating the Terms of Service for these services and, at a minimum, be blocked. In a worse case scenario, because you're profiting from the act, you'll be hauled in to court for damages. If you do manage to build a customer base, there's a good chance that this could be used to show that the owners of these services were "damaged" as a result of your actions once they shut you down. They'll argue that consumers were misled to believe that they were paying you for access to these services as an act endorsed by the service owners, and that the customer developed a negative view of these companies once their service was shut off.

Sorry to be so negative toward your idea, but this is a pretty scabby business model. Like it or not, the license holders of this media control its method of distribution.

Agreed. I'm sure people would pay for the convenience factor and there's be a boatload of money to be had considering the cost of a VPS account even if you charge something like $5 a month. The catch is that you'd have to run it underground. You'd be in a class with sites like PirateBay. Once word got out the powers that be would make it their mission to take you down and for all you're worth. Good idea though. Keep thinking and maybe you'll come up with an idea that more on the up and up.

I live in Brazil, and yes, not only I would but I do use a service like that: http://unblock-us.com/

No complaints whatsoever so far, I'm three months in. Since the only thing you have to change is your DNS settings, I can watch Netflix in any gadget that connects through my router.

VPN services such as http://www.witopia.net/ are perfect for getting around location blocks. These types of services are commonly used by people in the online ad business/online video business.

Sorry, I wouldn't.

And people over here (Uruguay) have become used to Cuevana (a dubious Netflix/Hulu replacement), Taringa (an Argentinean site that among other things is a link-sharing site), stuff in RapidShare, MegaUpload, various bittorrent clients and other peer to peer stuff (I can't keep track of them, I'm probably several generations obsolete).

The worrying thing is, most people don't even think it's illegal or think they're not the ones infringing. The inprisionment of the people behind Taringa being a bit of a wake-up call, but everyone thinks it's not going to happen to them.

Digression: Are Hulu et al still based on web browser streaming? How would you use something like that with a TV? Do you get 1080p HD quality or is it YouTube-style quality? (I currently use XBMC on a dedicated Mac Mini as a media player.)

You assume I pay to access Hulu, Pandora, etc...

Sure i will .. Jut no more than 15 or 20 per month.

TO include netflix to the list will be nice.

15 to 20 what? Dollars?!?! Wow. I'd go with $5. Maybe this guy is on to something! If I were him I would totally hope all my users thought it was worth that much. Make no mistake, I'm not mocking you at all, I'm just surprised that it would be worth that much to someone. Maybe I'm cheap though.

Yes; dollars .. i really hate to don't have access to some services just because i'm not from USA.

No way. Too many options to turn to. It seems like everyone is offering streaming video now.

My VPN costs £5.99 a month and the service is great. Can you get much cheaper than that?

Probably not too much, but my guess is VPN is too much work for the average user.

I would pay for the opposite, i.e., access to hulu.jp from the US.

Anyone forget about Hotspot shield?? It's free VPN BTW.

just for the sake of completion: I usually went for hidemyass.com as a vpn to get access to any service unavailable with my ip or country.

If it's cheaper than a VPN or a VPS, yes.

Yeah, but how is this not illegal/in violation of the licensing/terms of service?

It's not illegal, but I assume it would be in violation of the terms of service...yet people still do it.

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