Watch Hulu Abroad 2011

Since the creation of Hulu in 2008 there have been quite a few changes to how users located outside the US have been able to access the Hulu site. When Hulu first came out, it was clear from the beginning that they didn't want users without an American IP address to be able to stream television from the site. Users located outside the US were confronted with a big black screen apologizing that for the time being, they weren't allowed to view Hulu. More than three years later it's the same story. You're still unable to watch Hulu abroad.

Back in the day, the free proxy Hotspot Shield was widely used. Other anonymous proxies, free or otherwise were also used, but in general, Hotspot Shield was considered the fastest, the most reliable, and of course was popular because of its free-ness. Users from around the globe would use Hotspot Shield to watch Hulu outside US. However, Hulu quickly caught on and started blocking users accessing the site with anonymous proxies. I read several posts about people from inside the US using paid anonymous proxies to protect for sercurity reasons, who were unable to use the site because of using the proxy. This is just proof that when you use an anonymous proxy, Hulu can't see what your IP address is, but they can detect that you're using the proxy.

So now, in 2011, more and more, Hulu fans are turning to vpn's to watch Hulu abroad. Though quality vpn's come with a monthly fee, they provide the speed and reliablity needed to stream televsion from Hulu. The fact that Hulu is unable to detect the use of a vpn, and that a vpn does provide you with the proper criteria for watching Hulu outside the US (the American IP address), means that Hulu fans around the globe are using their services. Another advantage of signing up for a vpn service, is that you are not only granted access to Hulu's American TV, but you can access all sites that are restricted to IP address originating from specific countries. Australia, Japan, the UK, and Canada are some of the more popular server locations because of the material that can be accessed by using an IP address of the country. The BBC iPlayer enjoys much of the popularity in the UK as Hulu enjoy in the US.

A vpn to grant you access to Hulu outside the US will cost you anywhere from five to fifteen dollars depending on the bells and whistles you want with your vpn. In general, more expensive vpn's will allow you to switch servers more often and have more server locations. Things like live suport and vpn features are also a plus, but not necessary to get the job done. In all, you only have to spend about five dollars and ten minutes to get a vpn for Hulu.