Saturday, March 22, 2014

Guide: How to Maximise the usage of Apple TV3

Apple TV 3

Due to popular demand, we have decided to write up a new guide on how to fully maximise the use of Apple TV 3 in Malaysia. 

Many owners of Apple TV3 are currently using their unit primarily for:
1. Airplay
2. Purchase or rental of movies/music/TV dramas from iTunes

But do you know, apart of the 2 features mentioned above, there are other features too. If you have a US iTunes account logged in your ATV3 and you set it to USA, you will see icons such as NetflixHulu PlusHBO Go, and others. 

The problem is, how are we going to subscribe to such services which are not available in Malaysia yet?

Here's how:

1. If you do not have an US iTunes Account, you should register for one. Click here to know how to: How to Register for A FREE US iTunes Account without credit card

2. After you register, kindly log in your ATV3 with your US account. Set the region to United States instead of Malaysia. Then the ATV3 will refresh and you will see channels like netflix, hulu plus, HBO Go, MLS.com, Watch ESPN, Disney channels and others. Of course, at this point of time, you won't be able to watch or subscribe to it due to your local IP address.

3. In order to subscribe to those channels, you will need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. Some of us might be wondering what is VPN? If you wanted to know more, do visit this site:  
Now that you understand how VPN works, the next question is, which one should I subscribe to? Personally I would recommend Unblock-US as I have been using their service for the past 2.5 years and so far, they never cause me any problem at all. Unlike some that I heard of, there are issues such as it cause the internet to be slower, not functioning, poor customer service and many more. And according to Unblock-US,  this is what differentiate them with the other VPN service. 

How is Unblock-Us different from a VPN service?

Last Updated: Jan 08, 2014 06:29PM EST
There are several advantages of using Unblock-us over other VPN based or proxy solutions.
 
Unblock-us works with media players such as Roku, Apple TV, PS3, XBox and others, while VPN based solution works with computer only

None of your video/audio content or unrelated traffic goes through Unblock-us, therefore there is no bandwidth loss, data cap or privacy concerns.

Simpler setup, VPN works only on computer, so you need to setup it on every computer in your home.

There is no software to install when using Unblock-Us, all you need to do is change your DNS settings.

We don't operate like a traditional VPN. We don't change your IP address. Your IP remains your local IP. This may be important for other sites that need to show your correct Geo location.

Content from different countries is streamed transparently - no need to switch VPN.
It only cost 4.99 Canadian dollar (RM14.80) a month for the service. You can choose to pay with paypal or your local credit / debit card too. And before you commit on their service, you can register for a One Week Trial. If you like it, then only you start to make payment. You can opt to stop anytime you want as there is no contract tied.

4. So, after you get your VPN and do the simple setup, you are now ready to register for the service that you want. If you like netflix, then just go to www.netflix.com or www.hulu.com for Hulu Plus. And if you want both, then just go for it. Register for the FREE trial for both and see which one you would prefer. Netflix offer 1 month free trial while hulu plus is 1 week. Anyway, your VPN trial is just a week so probably you would have to decide before it expired. Both Netflix and Hulu Plus cost 7.99USD (RM26.40).

With this, you have learn on how to enhance the use of Apple TV3. There are other channels to subscribe besides netflix and hulu plus, and as long as you are subscribed to Unblock-US VPN service, you will have no problem accessing those channels.

For more tips and guides: do follow our blog. Should you have any topic you would like us to cover, do reply in the comment below.