Netflix Blocking VPNs and Proxies, including BoxPN

[Professor_Fennec]

On

[MrBogosity]

It works fine for me with BoxPN's New York server.

They've basically admitted this is bupkis. They're only doing it to make the content creators happy; they know that this is doomed to failure.

[Professor_Fennec]

Nope, I'm still blocked for me through New York. 

Maybe you could help me with another issue.  I can't seem to get past my employer's firewall from the inside.  It appears they block UDP.  Most places recommend re-configuring OpenVPN to connect via TCP and use SSL, but it doesn't appear that BoxPN allows for this.  The reason, it is stated, for this change in configuration is to evade deep packet inspection, since TCP with SSL can't be distinguished from any other type of internet traffic. 

I believe my employer uses DPI. 

[AdeptusHereticus]

It works fine for me with BoxPN's New York server.

They've basically admitted this is bupkis. They're only doing it to make the content creators happy; they know that this is doomed to failure.

What is it supposed to achieve ?

[evensgrey]

What is it supposed to achieve ?

That depends on your point of view.

The content creators assume it will prevent the use of VPNs to access content and preserve their archaic regional access rules.  (It won't, since it's too easy to defeat, but that isn't the point.)

Netflix is, as Shane said, just doing it to make the content providers happy.

[AdeptusHereticus]

Ah I get it, like some people in France would want to access Netflix in the US before it was available here.

[evensgrey]

Ah I get it, like some people in France would want to access Netflix in the US before it was available here.

Or they want to access a show that isn't available in their country yet, or that isn't being made available in their country at all.  (There's no excuse for not making content available anywhere anymore.  Once you release it, it's going to be available anyway, all you an do by trying to limit availability by region is cost yourself money.)

[MrBogosity]

Nope, I'm still blocked for me through New York. 

Maybe you could help me with another issue.  I can't seem to get past my employer's firewall from the inside.  It appears they block UDP.  Most places recommend re-configuring OpenVPN to connect via TCP and use SSL, but it doesn't appear that BoxPN allows for this.  The reason, it is stated, for this change in configuration is to evade deep packet inspection, since TCP with SSL can't be distinguished from any other type of internet traffic. 

I believe my employer uses DPI. 

I just tried it and it worked for me. You'll have to make a copy of the entry; they won't let you edit a default (for obvious reasons). Then you just right-click, hit Edit, and under General you'll see Protocol: UDP. Just change the drop-down to TCP. I connected, and was able to use Netflix.

Maybe it's the particular title you're trying to play? Let me know and I'll see if I can play it.

[MrBogosity]

What is it supposed to achieve ?

The content providers want to stop people from accessing their content in certain countries. Why, I don't know. I've never understood how it can be a viable business model to stop a large number of people from purchasing your content, especially when it appears they're quite itching to.

[evensgrey]

The content providers want to stop people from accessing their content in certain countries. Why, I don't know. I've never understood how it can be a viable business model to stop a large number of people from purchasing your content, especially when it appears they're quite itching to.

They're trying to retain their outdated distribution model that calls for different zones to have separate distribution deals.  It's purely an attempt to keep obsolete business models in operation.

[MrBogosity]

They're trying to retain their outdated distribution model that calls for different zones to have separate distribution deals.  It's purely an attempt to keep obsolete business models in operation.

The whole purpose for that business model was due to to the expense of releasing content in foreign countries, which necessitated separate marketing campaigns for different regions that would be expensive to do all at once. Neither of those apply here.

[evensgrey]

The whole purpose for that business model was due to to the expense of releasing content in foreign countries, which necessitated separate marketing campaigns for different regions that would be expensive to do all at once. Neither of those apply here.

Yes, but there are vested interests involved who like that model.  Some of them have their businesses go away without it, and they don't want to have to go and find new ones.

The entertainment industry still doesn't understand that they're very much the minor players in all of this compared to the technology companies.  For instance, a single chip foundry (which are set up as often as one every six months in good times) costs as much as a decade of Hollywood's expenses.

[MrBogosity]

Yes, but there are vested interests involved who like that model.  Some of them have their businesses go away without it, and they don't want to have to go and find new ones.

Even that's only for new releases. What's the point of doing it with 20-year-old movies?

[evensgrey]

Even that's only for new releases. What's the point of doing it with 20-year-old movies?

Actually, it ISN'T just for new releases.  Old movies are still handled by releasing companies (even though there's no need for it on services like Netflix).  That's why you may see a modern releasing company logo added to a very old movie on DVD.  Since the top-tier of releasing companies are usually the big studios and the contracts are often perpetual (such as, for instance, Paramount having perpetual releasing rights to Indiana Jones, which means Disney almost certainly will never make any more of them now that they own the property) these companies don't want the current releasing model to go away.