Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
If that sounds fussy, consider a service that lets you switch your DNS nationality on the fly.
TheoneItestedis
Unblockus
,whichcosts$4.99permonthwitha1-weekfreetrial(nocredit
card required).
Onceyou'resignedup,choosearegionfromtheUnblockushomepageandclickUpdate.It's
calledNetflixRegionPicker,andworksbestwithNetflix,butcanbeusedwithotherservices
(
Figure 115
).
Figure 115:
The Netflix Region Picker on the Unblockus home page lets
your Apple TV appear as though it's coming from another country.
On the Apple TV, change the DNS on your connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) to 208.122.23.23
(note the IP address of the original DNS server if it isn't set to Automatic). Then in the Set-
tings app, go to iTunes Store > Location and select your desired location. Press menu to re-
turntothemainSettingspage,thenscrolldownandselectSleepNow.UnplugtheAppleTV,
wait 10 seconds, then plug it back in. Your Apple TV should now appear to be from a foreign
land!
This works particularly well with Netflix, since the viewing region isn't tied to the region of
yourcreditcardoriTunesaccount.However,thoseofyouwhoarenotinitiallyintheUnited
States should note that for some other services, such as Hulu Plus, you must sign up with a
U.S. iTunes account using a U.S. payment method. I'll leave how to do that to your imagina-
tion.
Tip:
Foreign Netflix libraries often have different selections than those of your home
country. It's worth exploring to see what you can find!
AnothermethodtotryissubscribingtoaVPNserviceinyourcountryofchoice,thenconfig-
uring your router to direct traffic through that VPN. Check your router's documentation for
instructions.
Record Live TV for Apple TV
The Apple TV doesn't record live TV. But you can use an
Elgato EyeTV HD
(about $170)
withyourMactorecordTVshowsandautomaticallyaddthemtoyouriTuneslibrary,where
they're accessible by your Apple TV. The EyeTV HD uses an
IR blaster
(a cable with an in-
