hulu etc. outside of the US -- MediaHint

[Darren Dirt]

http://thenextweb.com/media/2012/11/06/awesome-this-service-lets-you-use-netflix-pandora-hulu-and-rdio-from-any-country/ ( https://mediahint.com/ )

the above also mentioned "Hola"
http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/01/24/sweet-hola-lets-you-use-hulu-pandora-netflix-cbs-fox-bbc-iplayer-tv-and-itv-from-any-country/ ( http://hola.org/ )


Has anyone used these thingies? How do they work, exactly, since they're just browser extensions?


I'm doing a test right now, as an example the most recent SNL: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/may-11-kristen-wiig/n36760/

EDIT: MediaHint = quick+easy Chrome install, and it WORKED; before playing the video there apparently was supposed to be a 60 second commercial displayed, but since I'm in Canada it was just a black screen with text saying it couldn't show the ad -- once the 60 second countdown finished it started playing the video... including allowing me to jump ahead (but if I jumped past a marker showing commercial breaks then I had to wait for the countdown again, oh well, at least it's like an automatic "mute" button ) see you @ lunchtime,  http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/ !

[Darren Dirt]

On the same topic of [consumption of] video media, YIKES: [Netflix + YouTube] >>> the entire rest of internet bandwidth usage
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2013/05/netflix-youtube-traffic/65210/


and a claim by Netflix: torrent usage has dropped as a result of legit streaming sources like Netflix -- do you believe this, or call BS like BT has done?
http://o.canada.com/2013/05/14/since-netflixs-launch-canadian-bittorrent-usage-has-decreased/
http://blog.bittorrent.com/2013/05/06/reports-of-our-death-have-been-greatly-exaggerated/

[Mr. Analog]

Those claims are highly disputed, so take with grain of salt

[Darren Dirt]

Has anyone used these thingies? How do they work, exactly, since they're just browser extensions?


I'm doing a test right now, as an example the most recent SNL: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/may-11-kristen-wiig/n36760/

EDIT: MediaHint = quick+easy Chrome install, and it WORKED; before playing the video there apparently was supposed to be a 60 second commercial displayed, but since I'm in Canada it was just a black screen with text saying it couldn't show the ad -- once the 60 second countdown finished it started playing the video... including allowing me to jump ahead (but if I jumped past a marker showing commercial breaks then I had to wait for the countdown again, oh well, at least it's like an automatic "mute" button ) see you @ lunchtime,  http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/ !

So, time has passed... has anyone else gotten around to trying the above? Experiences?



Also have you heard of these add-ons that apparently take a different approach?

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/x-forwarded-for-header
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/add-x-forwarded-for-header

[Mr. Analog]

I really haven't had the need for it so no 

[Tom]

I set up unblock-us for my roku.

[Darren Dirt]

So looks like perhaps MediaHint is going the way of LogMeInFree ...


Still works right now (watching Daily Show and Colbert at lunch, without creating a login) but ...
http://www.ghacks.net/2014/04/03/media-hint-requires-account-now-launches-premium-accounts/

As of today, all users of Media Hint are required to sign in to an account to use the service. According to the company, this is to provide a personalized service, support and make available paid plans.

Update: Shortly after we have published the review the company made another important change. It removed free accounts completely leaving users with a 7 days trial before requiring them to sign up for a monthly or yearly plan to continue using the service. A free alternative is Hola Unblocker. Check out this guide to prevent the application from injecting ads into websites you visit.

Update 2: The company seems to have removed the account sign in for users who downloaded and installed the browser extensions directly, at least for now.

There is no mentioning of paid plans on the homagepage though, but once you have signed in, you see them listed on the account page.


...


The free account gives you access to location restricted contents and use Chrome or Firefox to do so. The premium account on top of that offers unlimited daily use, premium support and soon to come support for other apps, browsers and devices.

A premium account starts at $3.95 per month. The unlimited daily use feature of the premium account seems to suggest that free accounts are limited in terms of daily use.

The website does not offer information about that, but if you head over to Twitter, you will notice a statement by the site operators that free accounts are not limited in daily use either. It unclear why unlimited daily use is listed as a premium feature then.

The main change for free users is that you need an account now to use Media Hint. According to the company, you only need to sign in once a month if you do not delete cookies before.

Some users of the service may find this inconvenient, but considering that nothing else changes, it is likely something that the majority can live with.

Seems like the usual "no difference between free and lowest-tier paid service ... FOR NOW" situation.

If in 6 days I am FORCED to create a login I guess it's time to say Hello to Hola. 

[Darren Dirt]

If in 6 days I am FORCED to create a login I guess it's time to say Hello to Hola. 

Forced to login today.

Trying out Hola today.


Edit: works, a little weird interface-wise but seems to be a bit more flexible when it comes to selecting proxy servers etc.

Yay, now I can watch Parks & Rec while taking my morning "coffee" break... not too much to ask now is it, Internet?

[Mr. Analog]

The quotes imply so much...