TVCatchup (Live TV) on Irish Iphone?

mike24682

Just noticed that this has gotten rave reviews on many uk message boards. Works the same as the main site - can watch live television on your computer, and now your iphone.

Unfortunately, the old 'spotify' problem is back - 'Unavailable in Ireland at present' . Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to bypass this?

digitaldr

Watching BBC1 right now on my iPhone via TV Catchup - very good quality. I'm using a VPN service which costs €67/year and provides you with a choice of UK, US and Canadian IP address. Very easy to set up on iPhone and PC/Mac. There's lots of providers - I use www.ukivpn.com and have found them very good. Also works for bbc iplayer on iphone and PC.

Tom Dunne

Excellent stuff, never heard of this. Signed up for a UK proxy service for this very reason.

Works fine on the iPhone, just signing up to the PC version now, so I can hook the laptop up to the TV.

digitaldr

There's also a company offering an Irish proxy for RTE player - can't remember the name though - google might help!

TinCool

Wow cool. That's my lunch time in work sorted. Can watch crappy daytime TV

cojomo2

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Excellent stuff, never heard of this. Signed up for a UK proxy service for this very reason.

Works fine on the iPhone, just signing up to the PC version now, so I can hook the laptop up to the TV.

hey Tom,

Im interested in this..is it easy to set up? I have no clue about these things. Are you using tv catch up? Once I sign up to a uk proxy, what next? Is it the exact same as wathing live tv, or is it more like rte player?

Cheers

Also, does it work over wifi,3g and edge? My package with meteor only covers 250 mb! I'm guessing I would have to upgrade to the 10 gig 'unlimited' pack yeah?

TinCool

It definitely works over 3G/Edge. Was watching it during my lunch break. I'm in UK on an O2 contract so have unlimited internet usage anyways. I'd say it's pretty heavy on data usage and 250mb just wouldn't cut it.

cojomo2

TinCool wrote: »

It definitely works over 3G/Edge. Was watching it during my lunch break. I'm in UK on an O2 contract so have unlimited internet usage anyways. I'd say it's pretty heavy on data usage and 250mb just wouldn't cut it.

cool. Is it actually live tv, i.e the exact same as wathing your tv at home or is it just a cath up service that has older programmes from earlier in the day/week?

digitaldr

Actually live TV - BBC iPlayer is catchup only with the added bonus of being able to download some programs in iPhone format using iplayerdownloader.

cojomo2

mike24682 wrote: »

Just noticed that this has gotten rave reviews on many uk message boards. Works the same as the main site - can watch live television on your computer, and now your iphone.

Unfortunately, the old 'spotify' problem is back - 'Unavailable in Ireland at present' . Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to bypass this?

From the 19th December(or before), this will be available in Ireland, and all European countries.:)

mossym

cojomo2 wrote: »

From the 19th December(or before), this will be available in Ireland, and all European countries.:)

any source for this information?

Tom Dunne

cojomo2 wrote: »

hey Tom,

Im interested in this..is it easy to set up? I have no clue about these things. Are you using tv catch up? Once I sign up to a uk proxy, what next? Is it the exact same as wathing live tv, or is it more like rte player?

It is extremely easy to set up. Though I should point out, I am using a VPN connection, not a proxy. Don't know if it will work with a proxy, tbh.

It is essentially live TV.

cojomo2 wrote: »

Also, does it work over wifi,3g and edge? My package with meteor only covers 250 mb! I'm guessing I would have to upgrade to the 10 gig 'unlimited' pack yeah?

I use it over WiFi, so don't really know how it would work on 3G/EDGE. I would imagine it would utterly devour your data allowance, if I knew the bit rate, I could work out how much it would actually take up.

Assuming it is 128Kbps that is 16Kb per second (128/8). Times 60 gives gives 960Kb per minute, which is just under 1 Meg. So, 250Mb would give you 250 minutes (remember, this is a very rough estimate, based on a 128kb stream. The stream could really anything up to 512kbps).

cojomo2

mossym wrote: »

any source for this information?

yep,

I emailed them and asked them.

mossym

cojomo2 wrote: »

yep,

I emailed them and asked them.

sweet , thanks for that...this is one i would like, just in time for xmas as well

anoble66

nice, looking forward to getting this working.

mossym - your in killaloe too....small world :pac:

mossym

aye, born and bred, although i did move away for a while...

digitaldr

Found this forum post Roll on 19th of December!

cojomo2

Dec 19th is nearing...this service still doesn't work, fingers crossed it will be in 2 weeks or so!

culabula

cojomo2 wrote: »

Dec 19th is nearing...this service still doesn't work, fingers crossed it will be in 2 weeks or so!

Erm, what part of December the 19th are you struggling with? :-)

cojomo2

culabula wrote: »

Erm, what part of December the 19th are you struggling with? :-)

sorry, I should have been more clear...I emailed them a few months ago and was told that Dec19th was the worst case and that it may well be available in Ireland before that date..depending on some E.U directive which is due to kick in on the 19th but was expected to be brought forward..

culabula

cojomo2 wrote: »

sorry, I should have been more clear...I emailed them a few months ago and was told that Dec19th was the worst case and that it may well be available in Ireland before that date..depending on some E.U directive which is due to kick in on the 19th but was expected to be brought forward..

Clearly they are up to something: there are now 25 channels on iPhone instead of the original 12 and I am no longer getting the "sorry" message. Instead, it attempts to log on and fails (which amounts to the same of course) but it looks as though there will be changes imminently.

Of course, I have eyeTV, which rocks.

Gibs

mossym wrote: »

any source for this information?

http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/reg/avms/index_en.htm

ScrubsfanChris

iPortal does the same job if you want to watch TVCatchup or BBC iplayer on your PC expect its FREE and pretty easy to set up, all you need is an email address.

culabula

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

iPortal does the same job if you want to watch TVCatchup or BBC iplayer on your PC expect its FREE and pretty easy to set up, all you need is an email address.

TVCatchup is free and extremely high quality.

culabula

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

iPortal does the same job if you want to watch TVCatchup or BBC iplayer on your PC expect its FREE and pretty easy to set up, all you need is an email address.

And the beta is "full".

branners69

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

iPortal does the same job if you want to watch TVCatchup or BBC iplayer on your PC expect its FREE and pretty easy to set up, all you need is an email address.

iPortal isnt free anymore, I got an email last week to say I would need to start paying to use the service!

ScrubsfanChris

branners69 wrote: »

iPortal isnt free anymore, I got an email last week to say I would need to start paying to use the service!

Ya, I only got that email yesterday.
Bit dissapointed but you can't blame them trying to make a profit.

culabula wrote: »

TVCatchup is free and extremely high quality.

You still need a UK IP address.

culabula

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

You still need a UK IP address.

Yes, but only for another 6 days, all things being equal. My point being that the quality on an iPhone is astonishing.

digitaldr

Here's a few screenshoots of TVCatchup running on my iPhone over a VPN:

cojomo2

digitaldr wrote: »

Here's a few screenshoots of TVCatchup running on my iPhone over a VPN:

looks quality.

Couple of questions:

does this workk over 3g, if so whats the bit rate?

What vpn do you use, how much does it cost?

Have you been using it long, as tvcatchup state they can tell who is using a vpn and will ban people they suspect are not resident in the UK...

digitaldr

Works well over 3g not sure what the bitrate is but looks to be the same quality as wifi.

I use www.ukivpn.com they have various plans all very reasonable. They've also added an Irish server

Don't use tvcatchup much prefer BBC iplayer but never had any problems. US tv sites eg hula seem to be much more vigilant about blocking VPN IPs. ukivpn occasionally change their US servers but hula etc seem to block them again fairly quickly. Luckily Pandora don't seem to be that bothered nor do spotify (uk based free service).

cojomo2

digitaldr wrote: »

Works well over 3g not sure what the bitrate is but looks to be the same quality as wifi.

I use www.ukivpn.com they have various plans all very reasonable. They've also added an Irish server

Don't use tvcatchup much prefer BBC iplayer but never had any problems. US tv sites eg hula seem to be much more vigilant about blocking VPN IPs. ukivpn occasionally change their US servers but hula etc seem to block them again fairly quickly. Luckily Pandora don't seem to be that bothered nor do spotify (uk based free service).

ok, I wonder if you could let me know where I'm going wrong here:

went to : anonymitynetwork.com and signed up for a 3 hour free trial...

entered all the info into my iphone: for 'Server' I had a choice eg xxx.anonymitynetwork.com

xxx being either uk, eu etc etc so i tried it with both eu.anonymitynetwork.com and also with uk...does this matter?

anyway after entering all the settings, its asks for my password which i enter, it then connects and i see a little 'vpn' logo at the top of my screen to show the vpn is connected.


However, when tying to sign up for tvcatchup it says the usual 'you country is not supported...?

know where I'm going wrong?

Thanks

digitaldr

First you should check that the VPN is working by going to http://whatismyipaddress.com/ If a UK IP address is detected it may be that tvcatchup is blocking anonymitynetwork - probably quite popular owing to free trial! You could also try checking it with BBC iplayer works on 3g too.

cojomo2

digitaldr wrote: »

First you should check that the VPN is working by going to http://whatismyipaddress.com/ If a UK IP address is detected it may be that tvcatchup is blocking anonymitynetwork - probably quite popular owing to free trial! You could also try checking it with BBC iplayer works on 3g too.

hmm, just tried it with bbc iplayer over wifi and it works....so i guess that been tvcatchup are blocking this vpn as you say..ahwell

Also just tried it with a different vpn (watchuktv.co.uk) who specefically claim it works with tvcatchup...and guess what-it doesn't! bah

Leiva

Is it just me or am I the only 1 that is sceptical about Dec 19th , and having all such sites open to all E.U citizens.
Surley there is alot more involved opening up your site to all E.U countries , ( server volume etc. )when previous you only needed to cater for domestic users.

I will eat my balls if I wake up Dec 19th and able to go straight to tvCatchup and watch t.v using my Irish I.P .

My 2 pence worth .

M.

culabula

mixednuts wrote: »

Is it just me or am I the only 1 that is sceptical about Dec 19th , and having all such sites open to all E.U citizens.
Surley there is alot more involved opening up your site to all E.U countries , ( server volume etc. )when previous you only needed to cater for domestic users.

I will eat my balls if I wake up Dec 19th and able to go straight to tvCatchup and watch t.v using my Irish I.P .

My 2 pence worth .

M.

Mixed nuts? Eat my balls? Couldn't you just eat your hat like most people? :-)

ScrubsfanChris

mossym wrote: »

any source for this information?

Here:
http://forums.tvcatchup.com/showthread.php?t=5442

Leiva

culabula wrote: »

Mixed nuts? Eat my balls? Couldn't you just eat your hat like most people? :-)

Hats =Boring

Genitals = Exciting

cojomo2

I mailed TVC recently to ask if it would be up and running in Ireland before the end of the month.

I got a reply just now ''[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]You need to speak to your ISP and ask them to peer with us and then you will have no problem.''

I rang my two ISPs and , explained the story, asked them could they peer with TVCs provider (Netrino) so I could access their site.

Smart telecom didn't have a clue what I was talking about, UPC seemed to know, and said they would look into it further for me.

Probably have to ask Meteor also if I want to access the site via 3G....
[/FONT]

Leiva

cojomo2 wrote: »

UPC seemed to know, .

[/font]

Did they say they would do it ?

cojomo2

mixednuts wrote: »

Did they say they would do it ?

not exactly, he said we would have to pass it on the the appropriate person to deal with it, and that someone would be back in touch with me...

edit..after doing a bit more research it seems that Smart and UPC are already peered with TVCs provider (Netrino) . Not directly, but they are peered with LINX(London Internet Exchange Ltd) who are peered with Netrino.

cojomo2

Ok I have just found out for sure, UPC are not peered with netrino and so will not work with tvcatchup even if they grant European access on Sunday ... Smart telecom are though, so no problems there .

Luckycharms_74

cojomo2 wrote: »

Ok I have just found out for sure, UPC are not peered with netrino and so will not work with tvcatchup even if they grant European access on Sunday ... Smart telecom are though, so no problems there .

Ahhhhh. Is that 100% Cojomo2 that UPC not gonna be peered with Netrino. Is there gonna be anyway around this to get access to tvcatchup if you on UPC.

cojomo2

Luckycharms_74 wrote: »

Ahhhhh. Is that 100% Cojomo2 that UPC not gonna be peered with Netrino. Is there gonna be anyway around this to get access to tvcatchup if you on UPC.

yep I'm afraid so..I'm with UPC too...apparently Netrino doesn't meet whatever criteria UPC have set in order for peering to happen....

Yeah there is a way around it, if you pay for a VPN, about 70 euro/year ..there always a possibility that the VPN may be blocked by Tvcatchup at some point though.

Eircom doesn't work either. So far, the only ones I know that do work are Smart and Perlico.

dazedandlost

Anybody know if O2 Ireland will work? Not O2 Broadband but for iPhone O2 users, using over 3G...

Leiva

cojomo2 wrote: »

Ok I have just found out for sure, UPC are not peered with netrino and so will not work with tvcatchup even if they grant European access on Sunday ... Smart telecom are though, so no problems there .

Good work cojomo , typical UPC they would probably see tvcatchup ss a threat ?

cojomo2

mixednuts wrote: »

Good work cojomo , typical UPC they would probably see tvcatchup ss a threat ?

I don't know if they would see it as a threat really, but I for one will be looking to change ISP if/when TVC becomes available in Ireland...I already asked them to peer , they said they would get back to me , they never did (surprise surprise)..but one of the admin over on tvcatchup.com was on to them and they confirmed they would not be peering at present..

cojomo2

Well, Dec 19th is here..and it's not working:(
I doubt it will be anytime soon either tbh

Leiva

cojomo2 wrote: »

Well, Dec 19th is here..and it's not working:(
I doubt it will be anytime soon either tbh

Chewing on my Balls as we speak ! :P

digitaldr

Here's some (bad) news http://forums.tvcatchup.com/showthread.php?t=5442&page=17

smackyB

Eircom are not peering with the service at the moment. Has anyone contacted them about this? Also, anyone know if vodafone or o2 are peered with them?