streaming video in Europe
 

two years ago when we went to Portugal we were advised that we would be unable to use our usual streaming suspects (Netflix and Amazon) so we downloaded shows onto computers. That is proving more difficult to do this year (greedy buggers) - so wondering if anything has changed in terms of access to such sites as Netflix.

Good question. I will be in France when Game of Thrones episodes 6-8 air. I hope my HBO Go account streams there, otherwise there will be a hostage situation.

You need a VPN, which will make your computer look like it is in the US - or anywhere else you choose. i use witopia.

exactly Edward - this is a dire(wolf) situation (:

My daughters have access to several streaming sites. They do watch series, and mostly in English. So it must be possible.

Man, talk about #FirstWorldProblems...


Anyhoo, some of your options (in order of cost):

1. Enjoy your holiday and catch up on your precious shows when you get back home.

2. Download the shows onto your computer, tablet, or phone.

3. Set up your own VPN.

4. Netflix has a presence in the UK, Germany, France, Czech Republic and other European countries now. Your login details are the same but the program offerings will be different (for instance Longmire is not available on Netflix UK). You will likely have to contend with foreign language menus, but at least you have Netflix.

5. Buy Amazon Prime for the country you will be in and enjoy the free Prime shows and movies available.

As someone mentioned, sign up for VPN. I have been using Witopia. They have 24 hours customer service.

For a VPN, I use Tunnel Bear.

I would not be so quick to recommend a commercial VPN service because Netflix has been working their way through them and blacklisting the. Looks like Witopia is still usable. If you want a VPN, the better course of action is to set one up yourself.

Relevant: https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/c...etflixs_block/

I like point 1 of your post Spark.
But... alas... My daughter spent more time on her laptop in Playa Del Carmen than on the beach. Spoilt kids...

ditch the tech, enjoy the holiday, I take a little phone so I can manage assets for all of 4 minutes a day, other than that it's party time.

Darn tootin' Bilbo!

Even with a VPN Netflix may not work. They are aware of such things and don't like them. They have been known o not allow service over a VPN.
There is talk of them allowing a certain period of "out of zone" viewing, but whether it will happen I can't say.

Watch GoT when you get home . . .

Enjoy real Europe, not fantasy.

ah my friends watch the judgment. we do intend to totally enjoy the real thing, but we like to watch an hour of tv before sleep just to chill and while we can enjoy BBC to our hearts content - our Greek just isn't that good. We tried the download option and couldn't access it through Amazon except on phones which isn't really something we want to do. We will check into the VPN option which seems the most flexible. Thanks for the advice

so just to report back in. We did download the Witopia and although haven't done much streaming (just one show really) as internet has been spotty - it has really helped speed things up with checking emails and providing security for checking credit card and bank accounts, so we are pleased with it and thank you for the recommendations. cheers

<i>and providing security for checking credit card and bank accounts</i>

You know, https does that too...

spark, but to get to the secure portion of the financial websites, securely, you need VPN. I wouldn't do financial transactions overseas without a VPN.

<i>but to get to the secure portion of the financial websites, securely, you need VPN</i>

No you don't. I do it all the time.

If you sleep better at night using a VPN, go right ahead.

Many streaming and TV catch-up services are wising up to the use of VPNs, and block them when used with recognisable internet addresses. In that case you may have to play around with 'random' IP addresses or 'virtual' ones located away from your home country. You will have to play around with them as different providers block some but not others. Also some establishments block the use of VPN or proxy server, or limited the bandwidth available on wifi or wired broadband. Even if they don't, when the internet traffic is busy, you will face a lot of buffering or can't connect at all.