One thing we are not short of is apps or services that stream TV channels. The problem is that many of these are tied to your location. For instance, I can easily watch live World Cup games using TVCatchup, the BBC iPlayer or ITV players apps. Upon visiting the US a few weeks ago though, I suddenly discovered (to my naivety!) that none of these would work and I was stuck without the ability to watch games live. Enter UnoTelly.
UnoTelly is a new service that allows users to watch TV channels from around the world wherever they are. It isn’t an app (aside from an Android version, available here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.unotelly) but rather a service that doesn’t something mysterious to your DNS so that your location is concealed. It has a rather catchy sales pitch:
Tired of being denied media content online because you are not in the UK or US? UnoDNS by UnoTelly removes geo-blocks imposed by streaming sites and allows you to watch geo-restricted channels regardless of where you live.
The service is available across a bewildering array of devices:
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Windows 8
MacOS
Linux/Ubuntu
iPad
iPhone
iTouch
Android (most versions)
Amazin Kindle Fire
Sonos
Nintendo Wii/U
Sony PlayStation 3 & 4
Xbox 360 & One
Apple TV
Boxee
Chromecast
Google TV
Various Blu-Ray players
Various smart TVs
Amazon Fire TV
Now TV
Google TV
Roku
Various routers etc etc.
A full list can be found here.
Noticeably absent from this list is our old friend Windows Phone 8. Apparently there is some issue with how it uses DNS details that means the service will not work.
The channels available are equally as impressive. There are currently 236 of them, the full list is here: https://www2.unotelly.com/channels
It is straightforward to register and there is a free 8-day trial. Pricing thereafter is either $4.95 or $7.95, depending on the service required. Details are here: https://www2.unotelly.com/home
Set up is impressively easy. I tried it on both an old iPad and a Surface Pro 2 and it was straightforward. When you select a channel the service re-directs you to its actual website, so selecting 4OD takes you to channel4.com
In effect, then, UnoTelly appears to be a sort of IP anonymiser. It conceals where you are located and allows you to access original web content. It does not break any subscriptions, so you can quite easily select something like Blinkbox, but unless you have an account etc, you won’t be able to watch anything.
Also to note, that not all channels will work on all devices, so my new favourite station ‘Dallas TNT’ will not work on an iPad.
UnoTelly is a great idea and it makes it extremely simple to browse and watch channels from wherever you are. I think you would need to be an avid fan of foreign stations to make it financially worthwhile but if, like me, you’ve fallen in love with the ‘American Heroes channel’, it is an invaluable service.