2015-11-17, 13:05
http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/bbc-ipl...locks-vpn/
The above for example details what they've done (and are continuing to do I believe). It's just one example, search "iplayer VPN crackdown" or something similar for a ton of variations on the theme.
They are preventing the IP addresses of the VPNs from accessing the iPlayer servers (selectively so it seems), hence the issues. But as the same VPNs may be being used by people within the UK (for privacy reasons or whatever) as well as those outside the UK who just want to fake a UK IP address for access, then all are getting hit and blocked from access.
"Legally" you have to be in the UK to watch iPlayer content, as per the BBC's terms and conditions of usage. I think it's at least partly due to the license fee requirements, but also due to the agreements with the original providers/distributors of some of the materials being shown for copyright and distribution etc. It's fundamentally the same reason why some of the broadcast BBC material is not included at all on iPlayer (e.g. the Family Guy episodes shown on BBC2 are never on iPlayer).
Why the hell would using a VPN make any difference to the colours or audio unless it's allowing access to a different/better stream source?
Editted to add - oh, and don't take this as an endorsement of the policy - personally I think it's crazy too both that I have to pay again to obtain access to programmes that my license fee helped to fund the making of originally, and also that when I go overseas on business that I can't access iPlayer to watch stuff (ok actually I can as I have a personal VPN server at home so I can link via my home IP address, but we're talking the general commercial public VPN case here)
The above for example details what they've done (and are continuing to do I believe). It's just one example, search "iplayer VPN crackdown" or something similar for a ton of variations on the theme.
They are preventing the IP addresses of the VPNs from accessing the iPlayer servers (selectively so it seems), hence the issues. But as the same VPNs may be being used by people within the UK (for privacy reasons or whatever) as well as those outside the UK who just want to fake a UK IP address for access, then all are getting hit and blocked from access.
"Legally" you have to be in the UK to watch iPlayer content, as per the BBC's terms and conditions of usage. I think it's at least partly due to the license fee requirements, but also due to the agreements with the original providers/distributors of some of the materials being shown for copyright and distribution etc. It's fundamentally the same reason why some of the broadcast BBC material is not included at all on iPlayer (e.g. the Family Guy episodes shown on BBC2 are never on iPlayer).
Why the hell would using a VPN make any difference to the colours or audio unless it's allowing access to a different/better stream source?
Editted to add - oh, and don't take this as an endorsement of the policy - personally I think it's crazy too both that I have to pay again to obtain access to programmes that my license fee helped to fund the making of originally, and also that when I go overseas on business that I can't access iPlayer to watch stuff (ok actually I can as I have a personal VPN server at home so I can link via my home IP address, but we're talking the general commercial public VPN case here)