24 replies to this topic

[jimtaylor]

If you have a decent broadband connection, you can get up to 70 TV channels on you computer, including BBC2 (which I know is a problem to those with satellite dishes). I've recently been testing the various options, and have satisfied myself as to which is best (Margaret is now watching Egg Heads on BBC2 every evening!).

One of the options was referred to on another forum recently, and then appeared in Computer Active magazine and, as a result is, in my opinion, quite likely to be blocked in the near future.

My preferred option uses Windows Media Player to show the programs, so there is no need to install a dedicated player, and it plays at full screen. The installed program is only a third of a meg and, although it puts itself in your startup programs, you only need to use msconfig to disable it from startup.

I'm not going to give details on this forum, but if any forum member wants details, they can PM me for the information. I only ask that anyone who asks for the information then keeps it to themselves.

The only drawback I've found so far is that Margaret watches programmes I don't want to listen to!

I should point out that you need Microsoft Windows, so those of you running Macs will have to do their own research.

[Landlady]

Works fine on my mac using XP and parallels

[coolrunner]

nice one jim,works on my 1 meg..

[Jedi]

Hi Jim

Followed your instructions and its working fine

Im using Windows Vista*



regards

[graham1]

There is always the option of dowloading the odd program from the internet that you miss on BBC2. Websites such as www.uknova.com put most of the main terrestrial shows on with 24 hours of them being on. Once downloaded, if you want to watch on your TV, you can buy a cheap media player - from €50, plug into the TV and with remote use the same as an old video - press play!

One advantage of doing it this way is that you can watch at your convenience.

Alternatively - for those with dishes who cannot be bothered with this, now BBC HD is active some of the more popular content on BBC2 - such as Top Gear is being shown on this channel, which is easily receivable, providing you have an HD sat receiver.

It does appear that the HD channels are on stronger frequencies, this also applies to Sky subscription content - hopefully as more free to air programming goes HD we'll be able to pick it up.

There was talk of channel 4 & 5 going HD free to air (you can get channel 4 HD on Sky) though there seem to be issues of space on the current crop of satellites, which has delayed matters.

Paul

[jimtaylor]

Unfortunately the broadcasters have found out and are now encrypting their streams, probably as a result of the article in Computer Active about a different program. I'll keep monitoring the situation and post if I find another easy way of doing it.

[Landlady]

As Jack Bauer from series 24 would say - Damn it!

[jimtaylor]

Too true, Jan. Thought I'd cracked it, but apparently the system I found uses the same streams as BritishTV, which is the one that appeared in the magazine. I was originally using British TV, but when it started appearing in a few forums, I promptly started looking for an alternative. To put it mildly, I'm teed off, particularly at those people who spread the word about BritishTV in spite of the fact that its creator specifically asked that it not be posted on any other forums.

[KeithT]

Hi

Try 'zattoo.com' quite a few UK channels but other countries as well.

It works OK-ish in UK not sure about in Spain (not tried - download speed not fast enough) but there's no reason why it shouldn't work.

By the way, Jim, thanks for all your tips etc. - I'm thinking of cancelling my subscription to Computeractive and saving a fortune!! lol

Regards

Keith

[jimtaylor]

Thanks, Keith
I actually had a play with this a while ago. I ran it Sandboxed (see my post re this) so as not to make any changes to my computer. Unfortunately there weren't any UK channels available for view in Spain, and I couldn't be bothered messing about trying a proxy IP to kid it that I was in the UK. I may have another go if Margaret gets withdrawal symptoms from not watching Eggheads!

Thanks also for the kind words re my posts. The reason for so many in a short period is that I'm in the process, time permitting, of sorting out all my computer info. Whilst sorting, anything I think may be of interest I bung on the forum. I've already got more lined up to post, but I need to tidy up quite a bit first, as a lot of it is in my 'shorthand'. Watch this space!

cheers
Jim

[bealerDSB]

Thanks, Keith
I actually had a play with this a while ago. I ran it Sandboxed (see my post re this) so as not to make any changes to my computer. Unfortunately there weren't any UK channels available for view in Spain, and I couldn't be bothered messing about trying a proxy IP to kid it that I was in the UK. I may have another go if Margaret gets withdrawal symptoms from not watching Eggheads!

Thanks also for the kind words re my posts. The reason for so many in a short period is that I'm in the process, time permitting, of sorting out all my computer info. Whilst sorting, anything I think may be of interest I bung on the forum. I've already got more lined up to post, but I need to tidy up quite a bit first, as a lot of it is in my 'shorthand'. Watch this space!

cheers
Jim

Jim - I also use a Website called thebox.bz
It's like UKNova but it has all the programs that UKNova doesn't show, due to DVD rights and so forth.
I have a few invites if you would like to try it out.

The only snag with it, on non Neutral Torrents, is that you top up your GB with paypal, unless of course your Ratio Upload is healthy.
(Charges the leachers basically)
But if you're like me and must have certain programs it's not that much of a problem.
There database is massive, and I mean massive..

DSB.

Edited by bealerDSB, 05 February 2010 - 04:45 AM.

[jimtaylor]

DSB - kind of you, but I've already got access to thebox, and I agree it's very good. As you say, you need to maintain a healthy ratio, or they ban you!

Unfortunately, my torrenting ground to a halt a while ago. Nothing I've done, and can't run them on my wife's machine - I can only assume that Telefonica have put the blocks on, possibly because of limited bandwidth in the rural area where we live(?)

[bealerDSB]

DSB - kind of you, but I've already got access to thebox, and I agree it's very good. As you say, you need to maintain a healthy ratio, or they ban you!

Unfortunately, my torrenting ground to a halt a while ago. Nothing I've done, and can't run them on my wife's machine - I can only assume that Telefonica have put the blocks on, possibly because of limited bandwidth in the rural area where we live(?)

Jim - Your welcome Sir.
OMG ! Blocked the Torrent's ! Thats not good news at all for me at all
I read in a recent news story from Spain that a Woman was taken to the Spanish Courts by the American film makers for downloading movies, the Spanish Judge threw the case out as she was not 'publically displaying' or profiteering from it / lol..

So, why are Telephonica blocking it ? Do you use Vuze ? I wonder if your listening port has been shunned ? (Change it?)
Let me know Jim, as this is not good news.

(Anyone else confirm on the Urb that Torrents don't work anymore?)

DSB.

[Landlady]

No problem on the urb - or with telefonica (Jim lives in the countryside)

[jimtaylor]

DSB
I can only assume, by a process of eliminating everything else, that I've been blocked. I'd originally set up port forwarding, set this and BitTorrent as firewall exceptions etc, and all ran perfectly, then one day it just stopped. Changed the port, and no difference. Tried other things with no effect.

When I try to check if the ports are open with, eg, canyouseeme.org, I get an error message saying connection refused. I haven't set a static IP, because mine is always the first machine switched on, so it always gets the same IP address.
I tried setting it all up on my wife's machine, and same result

Gave up at that point, then after a few weeks the router packed up. On the new router, I again set up port forwarding etc, and torrenting worked fine for a few days, then stopped again.

I'm a wrinkly, and struggle with router technology, and some of the torrenting technology. Also, I'm the one who helps friends with computers - I've no-one to pick the brains of, so until I've time to devote to teaching myself, I'm in a work-stop situation as far as torrents are concerned. I understand there's a way to hide the fact that you're downloading torrent traffic, and I'll research that when I've time.

As Jan says, we live out in the sticks, and are a few Km from the nearest exchange, and in this area they've never heard of fibre optics (you ought to see the state of the phone wires hanging from the poles). Because of that, I'm inclined to think that it mey be Telefonica.

Anyway, I've other things to do at the moment. Current project, which only cropped up yesterday, is to find a way to turn AAX files for audio books into MP3, in order to get round DRM protection. Oops - shouldn't have said that! (But, if I can buy an ordinary book, and pass it on to a friend, why can't someone buy an audio book in .aax format and pass it on to me to read?).

Must go - my whisky glass is empty.
cheers
Jim

[bealerDSB]

Interesting - You may want to change your mac address
P.S:
http://askbobrankin....rm_removal.html

dSB.

[Landlady]

Found this, don´t know if it will help though.

• if you change ports and ensure that encryption is used, you should be able to get around the capping. Let me know if this works.
• Thanks for the tip - I have tried changing ports although not sure what you mean by using encryption? You mean on my wireless connection?

• No, in your torrent client. If you're using uTorrent, select 'Force' in the encryption settings and you won't have any unencrypted connections with anyone. Your ISP won't be able to see what type of data you're transferring. You will find that there are fewer available sources but the overall quality of transfer should be higher.

[Landlady]

Anyway, I've other things to do at the moment. Current project, which only cropped up yesterday, is to find a way to turn AAX files for audio books into MP3, in order to get round DRM protection. Oops - shouldn't have said that! (But, if I can buy an ordinary book, and pass it on to a friend, why can't someone buy an audio book in .aax format and pass it on to me to read?).

This is the argument that all p2p sharers put forward. When you think of it, people share their books, Cd´s & DVD´s amongst their friends all the time. What´s the difference? Some would argue that you are lending the original purchased item, rather than permitting them to take a copy from it, as is the case in p2p shares, although the end result is the same - the borrower views the film or reads the book without paying for it. What about recording films off the tv, or music off Cd´s for your mp3 players though, isn´t that the same?

Spanish courts have repeatedly ruled that free music downloading is not illegal if it is not for commercial use as you can read in this article and about the p2p site that was taken to court here


So what is your views? An emotive topic I know, but interesting one don´t you think.

[bealerDSB]

Jim - I've simplified your concern regarding DRM Protected MP3's (thought about it last night..)
I'm thinking that you are wishing to do this purely for back storing the data / reference etc.

• Play the item with it's specified player.
• At the same time connect a 3.5mm male2male jack from the headphone socket back into the microphone socket.
• Open up realplayer and click record (input source option checked for mic-input)

Therefore, your DRM file plays out the headphone socket into the mic socket & realplayer records from the mic to an MP3 file.

DSB.

[bealerDSB]

I feel strongly about watching "digits" on my computer, as I call them.
I watch digits daily on a 46" HD Sony thru an Apple Mac Mini / Front Row.

SOAPS, British in specific, should be available to download and view. However I totally understand the legallities with profeteiring and crossing the Channel / EU etc etc /yawn/

As long as I can download my British Shows then I feel it should be allowed. When it comes to Movies, I feel that is was a bit fool-hardy of the Spanish Courts to throw the Case out of Court. Not only from a personal point of view, but on a global scale.

Spain could be the next Russia when it comes to piracy and or Net-Theft..
Smoke break....

DSB.