Is 4site basically a US based VPN?

Guy's/Girls. You may or may not be aware that most Countries outside the US can't get easy, "idiot proof" access to Netflix/Hulu/Pandora...etc.

Basically they are blocking access via recognition of the foreign IP address. The best way around this is to use a US based VPN.

There are a number of US based VPN's now (like StrongVPN)..that offer this service...for this very reason. As far as I understand there are no legal problems using these services.

Am I correct that Control4 users outside who have subscribed to 4Site already have in effect a US based VPN? And this is already set up and running 24/7 on their home network. Right?

If the answer is "yes", and "yes"..then why doesn't Control4 (or someone with app skills) add some function into 4Site (or around the 4Site idea) to offer a VPN tunnel for services like Netflix/Hulu and the like? :cool:

It sure would help me get even more out of my whole Control4 experience

There are legal issues. If there weren't any, you'd have access to Hulu/Netflix/Pandora directly. Think about it.

There are legal issues. If there weren't any, you'd have access to Hulu/Netflix/Pandora directly. Think about it.

Cody I can't think how using these services from outside the USA breaks the law. Actually I feel it promotes "free trade". That's the issue here.

There is no problem with purchasing a DVD or CD from say Amazon in the US (or even an itunes track using a US itunes card) After this sort of purchase the content provider and copyright owner and artist still get there rightful fee.

So why is it different if you RENT such content from the US? The content owners still get their just dues...

No IMHO it's all about protectionism of trade. Protectionism of the middle men. The DVD importers. Retail shops...and all the other inefficiencies in the current rental and movie distribution way of viewing this content. That's protectionism and inefficiencies from our end (not the USA).

Surely companies like Netflix would be busting their gut to expand their export markets. But they are clearly being blocked by the content owners. Why? Who knows. Maybe the powers of a certain large Australian based media and Movie studio organisation. Or a Large Japanese Movie Studio owner (and DVD/Blu RAY player manufacturer)...I don't know. But the vested interests seem to me to lie here. Not with Netflix.

This is against the spirit of free trade. It is preventing the spread of a fantastically efficient new US based export industry. Something the US government should clearly be encouraging in the economic downturn. I don't see why the US government is actively trying to stop this protectionism. I feel people in the Audio/Visual industry in the US should be lobbying these issues to the US congress: to free up trade and the distribution of media and movie content.

Otherwise the illegal practice of bit torrents, and Asian based mass DVD copying will continue. That should be the battle. The fight against this. And what better way to counteract this, than to open markets for companies like Netflix? Seems to me like a no brainer for even the Movie studios. That's why I don't get the whole thing!

^ It's about the almighty $. By controlling the markets to which streaming is available they control the means by which and by whom the content is supplied.

You want a license to stream in the US it's xxxx $, oh you now want a license for the EU Mr. Streaming service provider that will be an additional xxxx $, etc, etc. Now you want to ship DVD's, well we have a license for that too.

As those licenses come up for renewal the terms are adjusted based on market conditions and market dynamics.

If Netflix wanted to enter the streaming business in Australia, they could do it. They'd have to go to the studios/networks and secure the licenses to do it (that's how they started here in The States). There's nothing preventing them from doing it beside their own free will.

The dynamic is obviously more complex than that but for simplicity's sake that's the gist of it.

Edited to add:

They're not busting their gut right now because the economics are not a given at this moment. Factor bandwidth, infrastructure, in-country operational overhead, etc, on top of the licenses (and license requirements), and you see where this goes.

Thanks for the explanation.

Ok. Then it serves the Studio's right. They want to play such hard ball and ask such ridiculous prices for such licenses..then they can stop bitching about bit torrents, youtube, and direct DVD cloning. They have a great new way of fighting this. Yet with their price structure, they are actively hindering it! Plain stupidity IMHO.

A law abiding, honest person can't watch or see what he/she wants with the same technology and in the same way, as a pimple faced teenager does by ripping things off for nicks...go figure...

Great rant wap' ! Now you got it

Sorry But back to the OP. Running 4sight doesn't seem to project my IP as one form the US. It doesn't seem to be a true US VPN. So how does it work?

4sight is a VPN. Its just a VPN that connects you to a small vlan which contains your controller and your computer. It serves no other purpose (internet tunnelling included). I hope this helps.

Thanks. Understood.

Now figure this one out...Amazon will sell and ship a movie on DVD disc to Australia via snail mail, but NOT allow you to purchase the very same movie to own via download.

Where is the difference in getting the appropriate compensation to the content owners for their legal copyright here?

Same film

Same studio

Both fully purchased in same currency and within the US

At the same time

Just different medium and delivery......

I'd like to see the international trade lawyers argue the justification of this one........

Seems to be just as much about restraint of trade as appropriate licence fees to me....

I understand that you woud like to see attorneys argue this, but who is gonna pay the attorneys fees?

400.00 per hour? at least 2000 hours.

you can want it but who is gonna pay for it??

Just pointing out one problem

Brent

It's impossible for Hollywood to win this one. Sure, the little guy can't afford to take them on. They might be winning the odd legal battle, but they are losing the war. Actually it's over. There seems no respect for their distribution model at all anymore. And if they make it actually difficult to sell the product..well, at the end of the day it's the studio's with the much bigger problem...After all they are the ones with the product to sell.

Anyway, I'm sure you are all sick to death of me right now, so I'll just start up a US VPN account and "shut it" for a while...:rolleyes:

Sorry to repost. I'm up and running and "viewing" everything using a US base VPN. It sure is nice being in Atlanta again. :cool:

Thanks to a very helpful member I'm now using Netflix/Hulu and listening to Rhapsody.. :) thx

which company are you using? I am looking for the same...thx

which company are you using? I am looking for the same...thx

aceVPN together with the "Viscosity" app running on an iMac/OSX

I am up and running too thxs...if you need also a german/asian server usaip.eu seems a bit cheaper with no traffic restrictions but with only us access aceVPN seems a good buy

Hey no problem. Glad to help....