Blasting into cyberspace is not always possible!
There are many different things to consider when moving overseas such as the cost of living, accommodation, employment, social life and medical care but one thing which many people miss when moving away is their homeland TV. There is a post on the American forum about how expats can watch UK TV programmes in America and keep abreast of what’s going on in their favourite soaps such as Eastenders, Doctor Who, Coronation Street, etc.
While this may seem slightly pedantic, many people such as expats like to watch their favourite programmes from home and are open to suggestions.
Background to the post
The background to this post is fairly simple and starts with somebody asking how to download UK programmes such as Eastenders because the BBC iPlayer does not allow overseas users to access program data. You will be surprised to see how such a simple question has brought so many different answers, opportunities and opinions – both legal and illegal!
The iPlayer
The BBC iPlayer has taken the UK by storm offering the chance to watch a growing number of BBC programmes at your convenience online. While it has been a great success, and continues to grow in popularity, there have been concerns raised regarding the amount of bandwidth it uses with some people actually blaming the likes of YouTube and the BBC iPlayer for the proposed increase in broadband costs!
Whether this is the case remains to be seen but there is no doubt that the massive number of iPlayer fans are using significant bandwidth in the UK.
Torrents
While the Internet has introduced many new and exciting services and opportunities to people around the world it has also opened up a number of potentially illegal websites and web sectors. Torrents are basically peer to peer file transfer websites which allow the, often illegal, transfer of copyrighted files to torrent website members. This is one method used by some people to access TV programmes around the world which are not normally accessible outside of their domestic region.
Sling Media Slingbox
The Sling Media Slingbox range of digital media is one of the more popular technological advances of late. Using the Internet, and broadband in particular, the latest Slingbox machines allow you to “host” your Slingbox at home and access anything which is available from your home TV anywhere around the world. In effect this could mean accessing UK TV programmes in America, or anywhere around the world, so long as you have a UK host.
For many expats the obvious candidates to host a Slingbox machine would be friends and family who they left behind in their home country. However, there is one particular downside, the use of broadband bandwidth, but as long as you’re family or friends are happy for you to use their bandwidth then you have the potential to be able to access TV from your homeland, anywhere around the world using a perfectly legal system.
Proxies
The iPlayer is just one of a number of worldwide online media systems which are proving more and more popular. However, for example those looking to access the BBC iPlayer from America will not be able to because of their US IP address. Anybody who has looked at the Internet will be aware there are literally hundreds of thousands of proxy sites on the World Wide Web which effectively allow you to mask the area and the country from which you are accessing the Internet and potentially, if you use a UK-based proxy server, fool the likes of the BBC into letting you use their iPlayer.
This will then allow you to access program material on a regular basis even though officially it is illegal and you could get into serious trouble.
Cable TV
For those who are happy to access their favourite homeland TV programmes via alternative, and legal, routes there is the opportunity to sign up to various cable TV channels. Eastenders for example is a program which is broadcast in America, even though of late a number of US broadcasters have taken the program off their schedules. The one downside to these particular systems is the fact that very often they can be years behind the times therefore you may have to sit through a number of episodes which you have already seen.
Online media in the future
While the online media services available today are often restricted to local regions there is every chance that in the future, once some kind of payment system has been created, you will be able to access any TV programme, anywhere around the world all within the law. This is the future of media and this is the future of the Internet, something which Internet providers and major corporations will be only too quick to grasp once they have organised a reliable and lucrative payment system.
Watching TV within the laws
There are many ways to watch online TV while unfortunately at this moment in time many of these are potentially illegal and could see you feel the full force of the authorities. In the UK there has also been a move towards banning those who continuously view or transfer copyrighted material in an unlawful manner. The three strikes and you’re out system, which had been introduced by the UK government, has not yet come into play although there is significant pressure on Internet service providers to come down hard on those proved to have accessed copyright material via unlawful channels.
Conclusion
Isn’t it strange that no matter how far away we are from home there seems to be a pull towards our traditional TV programmes and TV news. Despite the millions of millions of people who emigrate around the world each and every year the vast majority of them still have a soft spot for home even though it could be literally thousands of miles away. For many people, TV programmes offer the perfect opportunity to relive and experience home life again while still enjoying their new life overseas.
While it may be frustrating and annoying not to have access to your homeland TV programmes you must at all times refrain from illegal activity as this could potentially land you in trouble with the authorities and see your Internet lifeline disconnected forever. DVDs, satellite TV channels, Slingboxes and traditional TV mediums may or may not be available in your area but one thing is for sure, the constant improvement in Internet technology will at some stage further widen the audience for TV programs in each and every country around the world.
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