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Netflix could soon block VPN & DNS users |
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#26 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Fareham, Hampshire
Posts: 3,751
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Is it against their terms or any laws to use a service like this to get US Netflix? I asked them but all they said is they wouldn't support it if I did. Do you notice any picture or frame rate drop by changing to US?
Many thanks PJ |
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#27 |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kent
Posts: 8,954
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Quote:
Is it against their terms or any laws to use a service like this to get US Netflix? I asked them but all they said is they wouldn't support it if I did. Do you notice any picture or frame rate drop by changing to US?
Many thanks PJ ![]() Of course your not supposed to do it, but the loophole is they allow access the other regions content while 'traveling'. As for PQ & frame rate, there's no difference whatsoever. |
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#28 |
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: South Wales
Posts: 5,865
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Quote:
Is it against their terms or any laws to use a service like this to get US Netflix? I asked them but all they said is they wouldn't support it if I did. Do you notice any picture or frame rate drop by changing to US?
Many thanks PJ |
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#29 |
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Morecambe, Lancs, UK
Posts: 1,525
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#30 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,633
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Not sure how well that'll work, if someone did genuinely travel to the US their PC clock may still be set to a different time zone. Using GeoIP might be fun too, given how poor the data these databases tend to have (as some ISPs don't bother to update it). In an ideal world, the media/movie companies would stop swimming against the tide. Making services like Netflix more difficult to use is only going to drive people back to torrents. The music industry seems to have finally listened to the number of users of services like Spotify |
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#31 |
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,796
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Problem with netflix having different content in different countries, really need to work out how they can change this
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#32 |
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Between Venus and Mars
Posts: 9,023
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If Netflix push this they can be assured of losing a hell of a lot of customers i think, the movie companies are getting out of control now controlling the internet something needs to be done.
Maybe Anonymous could take them down or something or someone like Netflix needs to turn around and say "no enough is enough stop trying to control the internet, either sort your own pricing out or shut up." Edit: looks like a hacker group is ready to attack The Cor-poration @TheCorporation8 8s8 seconds ago @netflixglobal block #dns or #vpn then expect us to block you, we have had enough of #moviestudios controlling the #internet we will strike. |
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#33 |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kent
Posts: 8,954
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http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/03/n...-down-on-vpns/ Quote:
Netflix can only stream the videos that studios make available in a given country, which has led to a booming business in workarounds (such as proxies and virtual private networks) that let you see the company's catalogs in other nations. Heck, one New Zealand internet provider practically built a service around it. However, you might not get to count on that unofficial solution for much longer. VPN operators claim to TorrentFreak that Netflix recently started blocking some users who use these technological loopholes to watch videos that would normally be verboten. The effort isn't widespread and mostly appears to focus on connections with many simultaneous Netflix sign-ins (that is, they're obviously being used for circumvention), but it's a surprise to viewers who were used to having unfettered access.
We've reached out to Netflix to verify what it's doing, and whether or not you expect these blocks to persist or expand in the future. However, the online media firm might not have much of a choice. As TorrentFreak notes, movie and TV producers want Netflix to stop "VPN-pirates" who they believe are depriving them of a livelihood. The company may have to prove that it's at least trying to prevent you from watching out-of-region content in order to maintain deals with nervous media giants, even if those restrictions aren't really effective. We'd argue that the best solution would be to offer that content worldwide (imagine that!), but you probably shouldn't expect that to happen any time soon. Update: Netflix tells us that there's been "no change" in the way it handles VPNs, so you shouldn't have to worry about the company getting tough any time soon. With that said, these blocking errors started showing up in the past few weeks, so it's not clear what would have prompted them. |
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#34 |
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,054
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When I am on nightshift at my workplace I often watch Netflix and the Internet connection there is very weird because it will hop between the UK, France and Germany as your location. So beyond my control I can change regions pretty quick. But when using unblock US at home I always try to stick to a certain region to not make it too obvious. The workplace internet connection does prove as well that some people can change regions unintentionally.
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#35 |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 53,623
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This seems to imply that they're testing various blocking methods ahead of a full rollout
http://torrentfreak.com/netflix-crac...irates-150103/ |
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#36 |
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 5,189
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Why would they wanna do that? They are not officially promoting it. It's a loophole that allows them to attract more users and legally, they are covered. If they block DNS and VPN users, many will cancel their subscriptions and move elsewhere.
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#37 |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 53,623
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Why would they wanna do that? They are not officially promoting it. It's a loophole that allows them to attract more users and legally, they are covered. If they block DNS and VPN users, many will cancel their subscriptions and move elsewhere.
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#38 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,250
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This seems to imply that they're testing various blocking methods ahead of a full rollout
http://torrentfreak.com/netflix-crac...irates-150103/ Why would Netflix want to block? Makes zero sense, Netflix is all about being the best and providing the fastest service, hence why its been seen now that various devices have started to use Google DNS, its to do with speed. Google DNS are known as the fastest DNS available (publicly) so it makes sense for the apps to use these DNS over any others including your ISP's. |
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#39 |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 53,623
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Nothing but scaremongering and even the Netflix T&C's quoted are out of date.
Why would Netflix want to block? Makes zero sense, Netflix is all about being the best and providing the fastest service, hence why its been seen now that various devices have started to use Google DNS, its to do with speed. Google DNS are known as the fastest DNS available (publicly) so it makes sense for the apps to use these DNS over any others including your ISP's. |
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#40 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The Sunny Side Of The Street
Posts: 40,099
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Should they do this, I will just cancel my account. I prefer US Netflix as it is superior to the mess that is the UK one!
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#41 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,250
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As I said, it's likely down to the studios pushing them to do so. We can't have a world where content is freely and legally available to whoever wants it, regardless of where they are, of course, so the studios have to impose stupidly prehistoric demands on providers such as netflix to make sure that doesn't happen.
If these companies really wanted to block access to their services by customers who use DNS or VPN's they could, and simply using Google DNS is not going to work. Why can't we have a world where the content is freely and legally available, if the person accessing that content is paying for it? Fair enough if people are trying to get the content for free, as that then is no better than using torrents to download the content. Those that are paying for it, aren't stealing it. So what if for example I watch a film on Netflix from a region that is new out before its shown on Sky here in the UK, I still pay for my Sky movies sub, so sky still get there share from me. Same goes for Hulu, I pay my own Hulu sub and I can watch content on there and also watch the same content on Sky which I also pay for. Maybe I'm the mug for paying twice you might say, but its my choice how I choose to watch the content. The rules that the big studios, which most are owned by News Corporation (Sky) are prehistoric and all this talk of blocking this that and everything is just going to hit them in there pockets as it will force people back to Torrents again, where everyone will lose out. |
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#42 |
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 20,366
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The rules that the big studios, which most are owned by News Corporation (Sky) are prehistoric and all this talk of blocking this that and everything is just going to hit them in there pockets as it will force people back to Torrents again, where everyone will lose out. The rest are:- Paramount - Viacom Sony - Sony and MGM Time Warner - Warner and New Line NBC Universal - Universal Disney - Disney and Buena Vista |
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#43 |
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Essex, UK
Posts: 6,238
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Should they do this, I will just cancel my account. I prefer US Netflix as it is superior to the mess that is the UK one!
I had a feeling something like this was on the cards, the big guns were not going to sit back and just watch it happen. It all comes down to what Netflix does now, its true that they rely on the big companies to provide the content but lets be honest, its not just Netflix benefiting - more people are cancelling their TV subscriptions due to online viewing and as Netflix is the most popular streaming service around, companies should be lining up to get their content on there. If it does go ahead and they do take "action", what exactly are they going to do? send letters to everyone who used a DNS service and threaten them with legal action or ban the user from using Netflix completely? I always thought it was completely legal to use either a VPN or a custom DNS service, why should we have to change what we are using purely because a service demands us to? |
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#44 |
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,796
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This is probably partly down to Murdoch, he's probably angry at sky movies losing customers to netflix, probably thinks if people lose vpn access maybe they'll leave Netflix. Maybe he should put down the price of sky movies instead.
I have seen improvements in Netflix in the Uk of late, 1) Less time between a film landing on DVD and then showing up on netflix, in some case two months or so, also we are getting some on demand films before they're on dvd like Draft Day 2) Getting the UK rights to Pretty Little Liars, this is big imo, this is one of several big US shows which doesn't show in the UK or if does appears on a channel that very few people watch. I'm hoping more of this happens this year, Once Upon A Time is certainly a show Netflix could get the Uk rights to. 3) Netflix could be doing deals with other distributors, I've heard from the VODzila site that Les Mis is coming later this month, that's a film distributed by Universal, so maybe Netflix have done a deal with them |
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#45 |
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Essex, UK
Posts: 6,238
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This is probably partly down to Murdoch, he's probably angry at sky movies losing customers to netflix, probably thinks if people lose vpn access maybe they'll leave Netflix. Maybe he should put down the price of sky movies instead.
I have seen improvements in Netflix in the Uk of late, 1) Less time between a film landing on DVD and then showing up on netflix, in some case two months or so, also we are getting some on demand films before they're on dvd like Draft Day 2) Getting the UK rights to Pretty Little Liars, this is big imo, this is one of several big US shows which doesn't show in the UK or if does appears on a channel that very few people watch. I'm hoping more of this happens this year, Once Upon A Time is certainly a show Netflix could get the Uk rights to. 3) Netflix could be doing deals with other distributors, I've heard from the VODzila site that Les Mis is coming later this month, that's a film distributed by Universal, so maybe Netflix have done a deal with them I agree that the UK content is improving, but its still a very slow process. I too would love to see "Once Upon A Time" on the service. I guess what Netflix should be asking themselves is not how we can stop people using VPN/DNS but why we chose to unlock the other regions in the first place. |
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#46 |
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 20,366
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Quote:
This is probably partly down to Murdoch, he's probably angry at sky movies losing customers to netflix, probably thinks if people lose vpn access maybe they'll leave Netflix. Maybe he should put down the price of sky movies instead.
Of course if Netflix got the first run windows that Sky have, then their prices would rocket. £8 for Sky Movies (if you take sport, which the majority of Sky Movies customers do) is not bad. You get 3D too. |
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#47 |
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 5,189
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I think you could be right regarding Murdoch.
I agree that the UK content is improving, but its still a very slow process. I too would love to see "Once Upon A Time" on the service. I guess what Netflix should be asking themselves is not how we can stop people using VPN/DNS but why we chose to unlock the other regions in the first place. No matter how much UK Netflix is going to improve in the future, the US version will always have better content and people will want to watch it over any other version of the service available. Netflix therefore can't do much to bring the UK service to be up to par with the US service. The only way for Netflix, as I previously said, to attract new members, is to have the VPN/DNS loophole open and enable users in the UK a backdoor for watching the US content. Officially, Netflix did not enable free viewing of the content other than their official UK site, but at the same time, everyone who wants to watch US Netflix can easily find the way how to do it online. Should Netflix decide to block VPN/DNS, not only Netflix will lose its share of profit, but also big studios who are receiving big money from Netflix for copyrights. In the end, I don't think that people who would eventually cancel Netflix subscription would go back to Sky and Sky Movies. People who use Netflix, use it because it's portable, convenient and relatively cheap in comparison with other content providers. |
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#48 |
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Join Date: Jan 2006
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Murdoch is only a minority shareholder of Sky, he doesn't run the company.
Of course if Netflix got the first run windows that Sky have, then their prices would rocket. £8 for Sky Movies (if you take sport, which the majority of Sky Movies customers do) is not bad. You get 3D too. |
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#49 |
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,054
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Same here. The content on the UK version is dire, so much so that I don't understand why anyone would want to stay on past their free trial.
I had a feeling something like this was on the cards, the big guns were not going to sit back and just watch it happen. It all comes down to what Netflix does now, its true that they rely on the big companies to provide the content but lets be honest, its not just Netflix benefiting - more people are cancelling their TV subscriptions due to online viewing and as Netflix is the most popular streaming service around, companies should be lining up to get their content on there. If it does go ahead and they do take "action", what exactly are they going to do? send letters to everyone who used a DNS service and threaten them with legal action or ban the user from using Netflix completely? I always thought it was completely legal to use either a VPN or a custom DNS service, why should we have to change what we are using purely because a service demands us to? |
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#50 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Sandy Heath, Beds. UK
Posts: 10,374
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I did notice that the Netflix T&Cs had changed recently, and it includes a clause about only watching content licensed in your region. Maybe it said that before.
I use Unblock-US, and I've even paid for a years subscription up front. However, I fully accept the possibility that Netflix will more rigidly enforce regional rights for content, as is their right. I note that Captain America; the Winter Soldier is available on Netflix in the Netherlands before even the U.S. so the international licensing deals are odd. |
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