How to bypass country restrictions on video sites

It is possible to bypass region-specific website restrictions

We're spoilt with high-quality film and television nowadays, and there are an increasing number of websites on which you can watch the content you're after. Sometimes, however, websites and content are restricted based on the country in which you live. This article explains how you can bypass these restrictions.

The very fact that video content on websites is often restricted by region demonstrates a discrepancy between the principles of the open, distributed Web and the ingrained licensing models of the TV and movie industries. As ever, though, demand coupled with the capabilities of the technology means that where there's a will there's a way. If you're inclined to try any of the below methods, be sure to familiarize yourself with the relevant legislation in your country.

Proxy browser extensions

The quickest and easiest approach to accessing region-restricted videos is to install a browser extension, although proxies can be unreliable, insecure and slow. There are a number of browser extensions available that allow the user to access websites via a proxy server based in another country or region.

Hola is a popular choice and has extensions for Chrome and Firefox (as well as apps for Windows, Mac and Android). Users simply need to install the the relevant extension and Hola should be begin unblocking sites automatically without the need to restart your browser. Users can click on the extension button in their browser to manually adjust the settings.

Another well-regarded option is Proxmate, which also has extensions for both Chrome and Firefox. The installation process for Chrome is a little more complicated, with users having to download the file from the Proxmate website and install it via Chrome's extension gallery, but it still works well. Proxmate also serves ads, but these can be turned off in the settings.

DNS tunneling services

DNS tunneling services provide a faster, more reliable and more secure means of accessing region-restricted content, but they they tend to come with a price tag. In short, the services work by simply telling the destination website that the user is accessing it from within the site's regional restrictions, saving the effort of using proxy servers.

Of some of the more popular options, Unblock-Us offers over 70 channels and Unlocator over 80. UnoTelly appears to offer in the region of 100. All three start at about US$5 per month, with free trials and longer term plans also offered.

How to Download YouTube Videos on iPhone

How to Download YouTube Videos on iPhone is a post by Craig Lloyd from Gotta Be Mobile.

YouTube is the most popular video hosting website on the internet, with 100 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute. Furthermore, over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube, and 40% of those hours are spent on mobile devices.

This means that 2.4 billion hours of YouTube videos are watched on mobile devices every month. That’s a lot of bandwidth, and it’s going through either a WiFi connection or an LTE/3G connection. However, there are times when you just can’t get a signal, such as during a flight. If there’s a YouTube web series that you enjoy watching, there are ways to download these videos locally to your iPhone to watch them at anytime, even if you don’t have a internet connection.

There are several apps that you can download from iTunes that allow you to download YouTube videos directly to your iPhone. Unfortunately, they cost a couple of dollars, but they’re worth it if you watch a lot of YouTube videos while on the go.

Instructions

For this demonstration, I’ll be using an app called VIATube. It’s $2.99 in the iTunes App Store and it allows users to download YouTube videos for offline viewing, and it even comes with a handful of nifty features.

Once you have the app downloaded and installed, you can begin browsing and searching for YouTube videos to download. It’s important to note that these apps don’t actually download videos to your iPhone in a format that you can play with the Videos app and export to your computer; you can only view downloaded videos inside of the VIATube app.

When you find a video that you want saved, tap on it to open it up. It’ll begin playing automatically, but simply just pause it to stop it from annoyingly playing.

Next, tap on the + sign in the upper-right corner:

The next screen, you’ll select the playlist to add the video to (if you have more than one playlist). You can also choose whether or not you want the video downloaded in HD or just standard definition. Once it’s good to go, tap on the floppy disk icon in the upper-right corner to save the video:

You’ll get a pop-up that says Video added successfully!. Click OK to continue:

To view your playlist and play the videos that you downloaded, swipe from the left edge of the screen to the right to reveal the navigation menu, and tap on the playlist that you saved a video to:

You’ll see a list of the videos that you saved with a download status bar below each video. When the videos are successfully downloaded and ready to play, the download status bar will say Cached:

Tap on a video to begin playing it. As you can see, I don’t have a WiFi or cellular connection and the video still plays just like if I did have an internet connection:

Again, this app is great for those who enjoy watching YouTube web series while they’re on a flight and need to pass the time. Or if you have a cap on your monthly data allowance, you can use VIATube to download YouTube videos while you’re at home on a WiFi connection and watch them later when you’re out and about.