Non-U.S. users frequently encounter the annoyance of geo-blocked content when trying to access popular sites like Hulu, but every now and then we feel the burn in the States, too. Reader hengehog details how to access BBC's iPlayer from outside the U.K.
hengehog was kind enough to create a Google Wave gallery highlighting this process, but since not everyone's got access to Wave just yet, we've republished his all-image step-by-steps (for both Firefox and Chrome) below.
[gallery 5504673](See the all image, non-gallery version here.)
(See the all image, non-gallery version here.)
In a nutshell, he details how to set up a proxy using FoxyProxy with Firefox or an extension called Proxy Switchy! with Chrome. In each case, he sets up the extension in use with a proxy located in the U.K. to access the iPlayer.
Update: Some people reported problems with the proxy server the reader used in the screenshots. Remember, if you're having trouble, you should be able to simply turn the proxy off. Most people having trouble appear to be using Chrome, so with Proxy Switchy, that means you'd simply switch back to Direct Connection. I haven't been able to recreate any of the problems reported by some readers, but as far as I can tell that should take care of the problem. As detailed below, you can always go hunting for another proxy that will work.
All in all, it's a good primer for using proxy extensions inside Firefox and Chrome, whether or not you want to access the BBC iPlayer. The same basic steps, with a different proxy substituted depending on where you wanted to access content, should work almost anywhere, as the author points out:
If you want to access this to get in to Hulu or another site that only lets you in if you are in a certain geographical area you just need to search google for [insert target country here] proxies. Then put the IP address and port number in the correct places.
Thanks hengehog!
[via #tips]