Tag: netflix

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Another way to watch Netflix from anywhere in the world

overplay vpn

I go through phases of loving and not-so-loving Netflix, depending on what’s available and what I’m in the mood for. Right now we’re in the middle of a serious Alias binge (can’t believe I never saw it the first time round!) and at some point in the future we might try and get back into Breaking Bad (we loved the first season but never got into the second season properly). However, we’re in the UK and as you probably know if you’re reading this, the UK library kind of sucks. Thankfully there’s plenty of online services that legally sidestep the regional Netflix restrictions and I wrote a quick guide to a couple of the most popular ones last month.

overplay vpnI’d been telling a friend recently about how Unblock Us works and how we’re getting much more value from our Netflix sub with it, and he asked if it would work on websites other than ‘streaming media’ sites or offer any VPN functionality.

I actually didn’t know as all I use it for is switching Netflix libraries but it turns out the answer to his question is “not really”. They specialise in getting you into sites like iTunes, Vudu, iPlayer etc, but not things like Facebook or Twitter. I did a little Googling and came up with Overplay who, for $4.95, offer an identically-priced called SmartDNS which is similar to what Unblock Us does but will gain you access to a lot more geo-fenced websites, and has servers in more countries. And yes, it also does a proper encrypted VPN service for a slightly higher price of $9.95. Passed on the link to my friend, problem solved.

Personally I’m happy with Unblock Us as it covers almost all the streaming media sites you could ever want to access, and there aren’t that many regular folk who need an encrypted VPN. Also, unlike its rivals Overplay doesn’t offer a 7-day trial. And call me picky but their website is a bit… blah. I know, I know, that’s got nothing to do with the service they offer, but a bright friendly website was the deciding factor when we subscribed to Unblock Us.

On the other hand, if you want or need access to regular geo-fenced sites, and an encrypted VPN that can place you pretty much anywhere in the world as far as the internet is concerned, Overplay could be exactly what you’re after. Hope this helps!

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Other how-tos

How to watch US Netflix from anywhere in the world

us netflix from uk
You can switch region on the Unblock US homepage

us netflix from uk
You can switch region on the Unblock US homepage
We subscribe to Netflix in the UK from our Apple TV but let’s face it, the selection available is pretty lousy – just flicking through the InstantWatcher database (a library of everything available on the US library) is enough to really make you consider cancelling your UK Netflix sub.

Enter Unblock Us to save the day!

Being a bit of a geek I was pretty sure there’d be a way around the Netflix ‘geo-fence’ and sure enough Unblock Us did the job. It’s a $5 monthly service that lets you pretend to be pretty much anywhere in the world and receive that country’s Netflix library. So if you’re in the UK and want the US library, no problem. And, of course, vice versa 🙂

Make the most of your Netflix sub!


I’d seen a lot of references on some forums I frequent (mainly Eurogamer and AV Forums) to two services in particular: Unblock Us and Blockless. Both cost the same, about $5 a month, work on any device you use Netflix on, and setup really boils down to plugging some numbers into the DNS field on your device and restarting. If you want to switch library to another country you just change the country you want to appear to be in on the Unblock Us or Blockless homepage. It’s very easy and we found that in practice we loaded up the US library and rarely changed that setting.

But hey – you’ve got the power to watch any Netflix library at all, so make sure to check out what’s available elsewhere as you might be surprised! For example, at the time of writing neither the US nor UK have The Dark Knight Rises, but the Swedish and Norwegian subscribers have had it all month. (If you’re reading this in 2015 you might not think that’s so amazing, but in August 2013 it’s pretty cool).

So which one to go for? Well it’s up to you. Both have a 7-day free trial so give them a go and see what floats your boat. The two services were essentially identical for our needs, so I’m afraid in the end I made my mind up based on which homepage I preferred the look of, and Unblock Us won.

How to search the world’s Netflix libraries

So once you’ve got access to those libraries how do you find out what’s available and where it is? I use a really cool website called MoreFlicks. You tell it what movie or TV show you’re looking for and it searches the global libraries of Netflix, Vudu, iTunes, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Fox and Crackle and tells you where, if anywhere, it’s available. You can restrict searches to particular services or search by genre or other keyword if you don’t have a particular title in mind.

Once you’ve found the movie or show you want, check which Netflix library it’s in, switch to that region using the unblocker service, restart Netflix and you’re done.

How does it work?

us netflix uk blockless
You can switch region on Blockless too, but only when logged in
You don’t really need to know this stuff to use one of these sites, but anyway: websites like Netflix determine where you are using the DNS address each device is given when it connects. It’s a series of numbers in the form xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx that work as a kind of location ID. If you’re in the UK, your connection passes through a UK-based DNS server and you get the UK Netflix library.

Unblock US and Blockless provide you with a new DNS address you can enter in your router or connecting device that will make your device appear to be anywhere in the world that you want to be by setting that location on their site whenever you want. And it’s useful for much more than just Netflix – most media-related websites that restrict access based on your apparent location should be available, including BBC iPlayer, Vudu, Hulu and MLB.

It is, as they say, pretty cool!

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How to watch Classic Doctor Who on Netflix from the UK

netflix classic doctor who

netflix classic doctor who

The problem with Netflix is that they don’t have permanent rights to any of the films and shows on there (apart from their own creations like House of Cards and Arrested Development 4 of course) and they don’t like to tell anyone how long is left on any given show. So when almost all the classic Doctor Who Netflix episodes were suddenly removed from the UK library in April, a lot of subscribers were pretty unhappy and many considered ending their Netflix sub.

While there’s now only a handful of classic Who eps on UK Netflix, there’s still dozens on US Netflix. In fact, the UK Netflix is pretty lousy across the board, especially compared to what’s available in other countries. If only there was a simple, cost-effective way to watch any Netflix title from anywhere in the world…

And there is! There’s a fantastic service called Unblock Us that costs just $4.99 a month (with a free 7 day trial) and gives you access to not just global Netflix, but any website or video service anywhere in the world, from whichever device you like.

And that means that a wealth of classic Doctor Who episodes are suddenly yours to watch again, mostly spread across the US and Canadian Netflix libraries. For an up-to-date list of what classic Who stories are available and where, check out this custom search at MoreFlicks.com then head over to Unblock Us and set your account to the relevant territory – easy peasy.

Welcome back, Doctor – it’s about time!