Dear Lifehacker, I have a question that could be beneficial to a lot of readers. Since the most recent Apple TV updates, it has been possible for US iTunes account holders to start a NetFlix subscription using their iTunes accounts. Would you be able to find out whether it is possible to do so by using US gift cards instead of a credit card? If that is possible that makes it even easier to access Netflix from Australia, all you would need is a suitable VPN/DNS service, plus a US iTunes card. Thanks, Flix Fancier
Dear Flix Fancier
This is a tough one to test without splashing out some cash. I’m facing a similar dilemma with access to the NBA.
In theory, if you used a US-based VPN service (DNS won’t help as we’d all just use Google’s DNS and destroy all international boundaries) and route all your Internet traffic through that connection you could bypass NetFlix’s localisation rules.
That’s not impossible to do. For example, if you have a router that works with the DD-WRT open source firmware then it may be possible to configure the router to connect to a VPN service. However, all of your web traffic will be routed through that.
Another option might be to source an old PC with two network cards. Set up a VPN client on that machine and then connect one network card to the Apple TV and the other to your network. That will route the Apple TV’s traffic through the PC’s VPN connection.
In theory, this would work as long as Netflix isn’t wise to the whole VPN thing in which case, you’re screwed.
Cheers
Lifehacker
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