Non-motoring > Watching BBC overseas Miscellaneous
Thread Author: CGNorwich Replies: 10

 Watching BBC overseas - CGNorwich
Ive got a couple of holidays coming up and would like to have access to BBC. TV. Now as I understand it I would need to subscribe to a VPN and I could then watch TV on my iPad.

What I would really like is to watch it on the TV screen in the apartments. Now the apartments I am renting have TVs but not smart TVs so my plan was to get a Lightning Digital AV Adapter, plug in a HDMI cable and plug that into the HDMI port and all would be good.

Having googled a bit I now find that the BBC have blocked that particurlar route (as have Amazon Prime) so it look like I will have to view on the iPad.

Unless anyone knows better?
 Watching BBC overseas - Fursty Ferret
You need a VPN and the cheapest Amazon Fire TV stick you can find. This is what most people I work with use if they want to catch up on TV outside the UK.
 Watching BBC overseas - sherlock47
NordVPN is currently my choice. Installed on Firestick. Very rarely fails.

I moved from Express VPN 15 months ago which although working most of the time seemed to get blocked by BBC fairly regularly. That then required searching for a working node. Reports say it is now better than it was.
 Watching BBC overseas - smokie
As far as I can see the Adapter simply connects your iPad to the telly (with an HDMI cable). ()NB some older TVs in places I've stayed haven't had an HDMI port...)

In my experience, the VPN is the crucial bit. I think the Beeb learns the addresses of the common VPN servers and blocks them, sometimes. I say sometimes as my regular VPN which I use all the time here was OK last time in Portugal (and NordVPN, and probably others, have obfuscation and other settings you can try).

But on a previous few visits when I'd had problems with NordVPN I used Unlocator Smart DNS, which works in a slightly different way unlocator.com/setup/ . As it says on that page, you simply change your DNS change your DNS to 185.37.37.37 & 185.37.39.39. If you subscribe you get a different DNS as that will expire.

They do say you might also need Unlocator VPN if in a hotel, but I didn't.

They had a free trial which I used but the monthly cost wasn't that much, and you can do it once you know it's working.

EDIT: I'm assuming you already have BBC iPlayer to receive the telly therefore a Firestick not required.
Last edited by: smokie on Mon 29 Aug 22 at 19:33
 Watching BBC overseas - Zero
>> As far as I can see the Adapter simply connects your iPad to the telly
>> (with an HDMI cable). ()NB some older TVs in places I've stayed haven't had an
>> HDMI port...)

HDMI can include content security.

The choices are VPN and watch it on your pad, or a VPN on a firestick. VPN of choice is NordVPN, using one of the many cheap offers flying around. With one fee you can install it on your pad, your firestick, your PC and it all works well. (occasional fall in bandwidth but not too bad)

 Watching BBC overseas - CGNorwich
Thanks Zero.

That confirms what I gleaned about HDMI.Will go with the VPN for time being.
 Watching BBC overseas - Kevin
I'm struggling to think of how bad a holiday would have to be before I wanted to watch BBC.
 Watching BBC overseas - Dave_
We’ve tried and failed with the VPN route; many BBC programmes are uploaded to YouTube by persons unknown shortly after broadcast (Eastenders certainly is) and that keep her indoors happy on holiday. Fortunately I rarely get invested in must-watch programmes to that degree.
 Watching BBC overseas - Clk Sec
Or any television, come to that...

Edit. In response to Kevin's post.
Last edited by: Clk Sec on Tue 30 Aug 22 at 06:52
 Watching BBC overseas - CGNorwich
>> I'm struggling to think of how bad a holiday would have to be before I
>> wanted to watch BBC.
>>


Off to Croatia for a fortnight this week and four weeks in The Canaries in February.
I can’t go clubbing every night.I have to pace myself these days.
 Watching BBC overseas - CGNorwich
Well I subscribed to Express VPN from here in Croatia Very easy to set up works very well.
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