We all know that Apple TV’s are great, and we have already taken an in-depth look at how to use a Smart DNS service to stream content that is otherwise blocked due to restrictive (and deeply unfair) licensing terms that seek to maximize copyright holder’s profits by “geo-restricting” content (only allowing viewers located in certain geographic area to access services.)

Fantastic as watching cool stuff on your Apple TV is, there are times when you want to watch shows and movies when you are using other devices. Perhaps you like to watch South Park on your iPhone as you commute to work, or maybe watch movies while at work on your MacBook.

Smart DNS

One great thing about Smart DNS is that it will work on just about any internet-enabled device. It does this by changing a devices’ DNS settings so that they point towards a Smart DNS provider’s DNS server rather than the default one supplied by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This means that instead of your ISP performing DNS translation (converting domain names such as www.apple.com into the numerical IP addresses that computers understand e.g. 17.172.224.47), this is done by the Smart DNS provider.

Because you appear to be accessing the internet from where this DNS translation occurs, and because Smart DNS providers maintain servers located in various countries around the world, Smart DNS is a great way to avoid artificial geographic limitations. And because the process is very simple (basically just matching domain names to IP addresses on a big database), and therefore requires minimal processing power, Smart DNS is very quick.

This means that you will experience the fastest possible streaming speeds, although you should be aware that since electrons can travel no faster than the speed of light (pesky e=mc2), large distances will always introduce some lag time.

VPN

Another way to geo-spoof your location is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. VPN will only work on general purpose computers, smart phones, tablets (so it will work on your iOS device and Mac, but not on your Apple TV), and is slower than Smart DNS thanks to having far more computational overheads. This means that for simply unblocking and streaming media content, Smart DNS is usually a better choice than VPN.

However, VPN provides a number of distinct privacy and security advantages. Because the connection between your device and the VPN provider’s VPN server is securely encrypted, your ISP (and anyone looking over its shoulder, such as the NSA) does not have transparency on your activities on the internet.

In addition to this, because all of your internet activity appears to originate from the IP address of the VPN server, your true IP (and geo-location) is hidden from everyone on the internet. Many (but not all) VPN providers go to great lengths to ensure that they cannot know what their customers get up to when surfing the net (for example by keeping no logs, sharing IP addresses among many users etc.) This can provide meaningful levels of privacy to users.

If you can’t choose between Smart DNS and VPN, never fear. Many providers (such as IronSocket) offer both as part of their basic packages. This means that you can setup your Apple TV to stream content via Smart DNS, while at the same time affording yourself privacy while surfing the internet on your Mac. They also allow for VPN usage without encryption, which helps when streaming because there is no encryption bandwidth overhead.

Setting up SmartDNS in OS X:

1. Go so “System Preferences”
2. Select “Network” (under “Internet & Wireless”)

3. Select your current network, and then click on “Advanced”

4. Select the “DNS” tab

5. Remove existing “DNS Servers” by selecting them and clicking the “-” icon. Warning: it is definitely worth making a note of your ISP’s default DNS settings before doing this so that you can easily switch back (very useful if you like to switch between services based in different countries)

Setting up SmartDNS in iOS 8:

1. Go to “Settings”
2. Select “WiFi”
3. Select current network
4. Touch the “DNS” field and change the DNS Address numbers to those provided by your SmartDNS provider. Note: it is definitely worth making a note of your ISP’s default DNS settings before doing this, so that you can easily switch back (very useful if you like to switch between services based in different countries).
5. Return to the main menu and perform a “power cycle” (hold the Power button and Home button until the phone restarts).

Conclusion

Smart DNS is a great way to stream geo-restricted content on all your devices – not just on your Apple TV. Just remember, though, that a DNS proxy provides no additional security or privacy. If this is what you are after, then using an encrypted VPN does a great job for that.

Lastly, we are happy to announce that IronSocket has created an exclusive 40% discount coupon for all Apple TV Hacks readers to enjoy and share. Use the coupon code “APPLETVHACKSDNS” at checkout for a yearly subscription rate as low as $2.49 per month.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

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Here’s the issue: you live or are visiting a part of the world where you cannot access your favorite streaming sites. When you visit Netflix, the following shows:

Outrageous, right? There are many other examples of websites behaving this way, even Youtube will block certain videos in certain regions. As frustrating as this is, there is a fast and easy way to unblock websites like Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, Amazon Prime and hundreds more, without using a VPN.

One of the most annoying aspects of this modern digital age where the internet should, in theory, make geographic differences an irrelevancy, is how media makers and distributers enforce arbitrary geographic restriction on who can access their content.

And the reason? Because lucrative licensing deals bring in more profits than treating netizens equally and fairly. This means that people in many parts of the world are only able to access content months after it is available to others (and sometimes not at all), and often only through unnecessarily highly priced channels (such a paying for a premium cable subscription, or even having to purchase DVDs).

Fortunately, getting around these geo-restrictions is easy. One way is to use VPN, but for simply accessing content from abroad, probably the best method is to use a Smart DNS service. One big advantageous favour (and unlike VPN), is that Smart DNS can be configured on any device that connects to the internet, including your Apple TV!

What is Smart DNS? The Solution.

The Domain Name System (DNS) is used to translate domain names (e.g. www.apple.com) into the numerical IP addresses that computers understand (e.g. 17.172.224.47). This translation service is usually performed by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), but it is possible to use a Smart DNS (also known as a DNS proxy) service to do this instead.

Smart DNS services run servers in different countries, and when a device is configured to connect to these, it appears to be located in that country. How many countries are supported depends on the service, but almost all have servers in the United States and the UK.

The US is a popular location as it allows access to streaming services such the Hulu and US version of Netflix (which has a larger selection of content than other regional versions of Netflix, and often makes content available to Americans before anyone else). The UK is popular for its BBC iPlayer, and 4oD streaming services.

What are the advantages of Smart DNS over VPN?

While it provides none of the security and privacy benefits of VPN (which also allows users to “spoof” their apparent location), Smart DNS is in many ways a better choice when streaming media content:

• It works with Apple TV! (as well as devices such as games consoles and “smart” TV’s)
• Less buffering issues – without the need for encryption and other computational overheads (DNS translation is almost instant), using Smart DNS results in less “lag”, so users will experience fewer buffering delays. Do note, however, that if you are streaming from the other side of the world there will still be some latency, as electrons take time to travel over large distances. Blame Einstein!
• When using a computer, only programs configured for Smart DNS will take advantage of the DNS proxy (unlike VPN, where your entire internet connection is routed through the VPN server). This means that you can configure one browser to access the geo-restricted services you want to use, while allowing you do day-today computing using another browser – providing a lower ping rate (less latency), when accessing localized services.
• Smart DNS is usually cheaper than VPN, and many traditional VPN services (such as IronSocket) throw in Smart DNS for free.

How to configure Smart DNS on your Apple TV

Note that is this just a quick summary – more detailed guides (complete with screenshots) are available here.

Apple TV (software version 5.1+)

1. Go to Settings -> General -> Network -> Wi-Fi (if using Wi-Fi) -> Configure DNS -> Manual
2. Enter the DNS settings supplied by your Smart DNS provider, and click “Done”
3. Go to Settings -> iTunes Store -> Location and choose the location you wish to access content from (this must match the location of the DNS server whose settings you entered in Step 2)
4. From the main Apple TV menu go to Settings -> Sleep now
5. Unplug you Apple TV, wait for 10 seconds, then plug it back in. You should now be good to go!

Apple TV (software version 5.0 and older)

1. Go to Settings -> General -> Network ->Configure TCP/IP -> Configure Manually
2. Change “DNS” field to the DNS settings supplied by your Smart DNS provider (leave any other settings alone unless your providers tells you otherwise). Hit “Done”.
3. Go to Settings -> iTunes Store -> Location, and choose the location you wish to access content from (this must match the location of the DNS server whose settings you entered in Step 2)
4. From the main Apple TV menu, go to Settings -> General -> Restart.

IronSocket‘s DNS Proxy service is a fast and easy way to unblock websites like Netflix, Youtube, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pandora and hundreds more.

It supports over 200 channels and utilize a technology called “Region Switching” for multiple regional channels such as Netflix regions: Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Right now, IronSocket is offering a 40% discount coupon for Apple TV Hacks readers: “APPLEDNS“.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Smart DNS for Apple TV [Sponsored Post] appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.