Streaming services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu have taken the world by storm. During the Covid-19 pandemic when the entire world was in lockdown and businesses were at a loss, these streaming services made record revenue with millions of subscribers from around the globe.
As amazing as it feels to have a mini cinema in the comfort of your home, they’re not the same for everyone. Yes, streaming services bring along different libraries for different parts of the world. Let’s say a movie is available for Netflix USA, it may not be available in the UK or France. Similarly, if you live in the US, chances are you may not be able to access all the French movies and seasons.
On top of that, not every streaming service is available everywhere in the world. For example, Hotstar, a popular Indian streaming service, is only available in India, UK, and Indonesia. The same goes for Hulu. It’s only available in the US. and isn’t licensed to offer its streaming services in any other country. However, you don’t have to worry as there are ways you can unblock streaming services.
That’s right. The following are a few hacks to watch your favorite season or movie by unblocking a streaming service. Have a look at them and follow the most suitable one:
Try Smart DNS
Smart DNS is an amazing option when it comes to unlocking a streaming service. It doesn’t require you to install any software and is compatible with all devices, be it a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. All you need to do is change some numbers in your network settings and you’ll be in the role.
Smart DNS works like a virtual private network. It controls your network traffic and ensures that the traffic being sent to the streaming service is from the correct place. In other words, smart DNS reverse engineers the traffic going to the streaming service. It’s a smart-scale manipulation that doesn’t hurt anyone.
Furthermore, this method has a few downsides, including some restrictions. However, it’s most beneficial when trying to unlock a streaming service. Just be sure to use the right tool so that your location remains undetected while you watch your favorite shows and movies.
Use a VPN
VPN, an abbreviation for virtual private network, is another effective way to unlock a streaming service or geo-blocked content. Yes, apart from unlocking streaming services, a VPN also helps in unblocking geo-blocked content. As mentioned earlier, streaming services offer different libraries for different countries.
Even if Netflix is available in your country, chances are you may not be able to watch a certain movie or season because of geographical restrictions. In such a case, a VPN can be very helpful. It works by hiding your IP address and switching your location. When there’s no IP address and the location is changed, it becomes impossible for the streaming service to gauge where you are, allowing you to watch whatever you want.
Just make sure to set up a dedicated IP VPN and you’ll be able to access any streaming service you want. Over and above that, many VPNs allow you to switch to different locations. It’s an extremely helpful feature as it lets you switch to different locations at the same time, so you can watch whatever movie, show, or gaming series you like, wherever you are.
How to Tweak a Little for the Best Quality When Unlocking a Streaming Service?
When streaming a movie or a season, the first thing that you want is excellent quality and uninterrupted buffering. Everyone wants to enjoy their favorite movie or season and it’s impossible to enjoy one when the video keeps buffering and the quality isn’t up to the mark. When using smart DNS, the options to tweak are limited and it’s due to the streaming traffic being untouched.
On the other hand, a VPN may provide you with better quality and speed because it offers you to tweak. It’s important to understand that a streaming service like Hulu that’s optimized only for the United States of America may not work as effectively in other countries as it does in the US. However, a few tweaks may fix the problem and improve the quality significantly.
All you need to do is check if the streaming service you’re looking to unlock supports smart DNS. In case it doesn’t, you can switch to a VPN. The only downside here is that you’ll have to connect and disconnect the VPN again and again when trying to unlock a streaming service for a specific country. Apart from that, it works better than smart DNS.
The Takeaway
Using such methods to unblock a streaming service is, of course, a violation of the particular company’s rules. However, it isn’t a problem as the intention behind it is to watch a movie or a season and nothing more than that. It’s as simple as that.
