Amplifiers, VPN and more

[doccie]

Hey guys,

Let me start of by saying that I am generally pretty adamant on finding out this kind of stuff myself, but there's so many acronymns flying around my head right now, that I figured I'd turn to people who actually know this stuff.
So, I just bought a Samsung Smart TV (UE46ES8000) and I'm looking to get me some good appendages.

Ideally, what I would like to buy is a setup that will allow me to:
- Watch netflix (I live outside the US, so I'm guessing I will need either a VPN-enabled router or a digital media receiver)
- Listen to the radio (Amplifier?)
- Hook up some speakers (just plain 2.1 speakers)

Can anybody offer me some advice where to best start my search? I'm also a little limited in space (height), so if at all a possibility, I'd like to find either a two-in-one solution or very slim equipment.

Thanks for the help!

[leroys1000]

You could probably setup a VPN on an Intel NUC.
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ ... s/nuc.html

[foxwood]

It's not clear whether the OP wants to do all this within Windows Media Center, or if he's just asking for general advice. If he wants to use the Netflix Client on his Smart TV, rather than a desktop client (either a web client of the WMC client), then a router with a built in VPN client might be more useful. There are dd-wrt and Tomatoe setups to do that kind of thing, but there are probably better forums for that that kind of advice.

[JasonJ]

Hello,



To answer you question regarding Watching Netflix outside US, you will require a VPN Account from a VPN Service provider who has servers located in USA. You can then setup VPN on DD-WRT Router , which is VPN enabled Router. You can find the list of dd-wrt compatible routers at http://dd-wrt.com and for VPN Account you can checkout http://switchvpn.net , they have VPN servers based in USA and you will be able to watch Netflix , Hulu , any other USA based streaming / radio sites.

Recommended Routers for High performance streaming via VPN are Asus RT-N16 , I hope i was helpful.

Cheers!

[barnabas1969]

Actually, I've read that you don't need any VPN to watch Netflix outside the USA (on any device, including smart TV's). Quite a number of users report that unblock-us.com works great. As I understand it, the service simply lets you use a US DNS server.

[JasonJ]

Yes , That site works but i dont use them because Unblock-us can watch which sites you surf , There is no privacy when using Unblock-US as it can watch & log every DNS query your system make as all dns queries is made through their DNS. VPN is 100% Private and Secure as it also protects you from threats and from ISP spying on your activity.

[barnabas1969]

Yes , That site works but i dont use them because Unblock-us can watch which sites you surf , There is no privacy when using Unblock-US as it can watch & log every DNS query your system make as all dns queries is made through their DNS. VPN is 100% Private and Secure as it also protects you from threats and from ISP spying on your activity.

I understand your concern, but unblock-us does not receive any of your DATA. They would only know what SITES you visited.

Here's a possible remedy: Setup your router to use unblock-us as the DNS. This will allow every device in your home to use Netflix. Then, on your desktop computer (assuming that you don't use your HTPC as a desktop), set a MANUAL DNS that points to your ISP's DNS (or Google's 8.8.8.8 address). This will prevent unblock-us from knowing what sites you browse except on the devices you have configured to use the router's DNS.

EDIT: I should mention that your ISP also logs all of your browsing activity, so why does it matter? And... if you're using a VPN, the VPN provider can log all of your activity (and so does their DNS service). When it really boils down to it, there really is no 100% private way to surf the web. Even if you use one of those proxy services... they can track you... and if they get hacked (or if their local government forces them to turn over your data) everyone will have access to your browsing activity (not just your DNS queries but everything).

Just for example, the VPN service you mentioned is in the USA. The US government has powers to demand information from US companies (on an unprecedented scale since 2001). Your VPN provider isn't only logging your DNS queries. They receive EVERY piece of data you send/receive while connected to them, and are fully capable of storing that data.

It's funny. People worry about data that goes over the internet, when it can be fragmented in unlimited packets of data that can take various paths between two points (which makes it difficult for someone to collect 100% of the data stream, unless they are located at one of the end points), so that there are very few points where someone can collect ALL of their data, but they trust some private "VPN provider" to route 100% of their data (with the ability to collect/reassemble all of it at a single point.

This VPN provider is a private entity, which is only as trustworthy as their least trustworthy employee. And, they are bound to the rules imposed by their local government, which may or may not be known to their customers.

So... you trust this VPN provider (whom you don't know, and don't have a direct relationship with, don't know in what country their servers reside, don't know anything about their management, and they are a "fly by night" company compared to your ISP), but you don't trust your ISP (whom you DO know, you know what country they reside in, and you actually PAY them for a direct relationship).

Sure... the ISP, the VPN service provider, and the DNS service provider must answer to their local government (and some governments are less intrusive than ours in the USA, but others are more intrusive). In all cases, the company might have some untrustworthy employees. But... you're choosing a small, relatively unknown VPN provider with your data while distrusting your large ISP? Which one of them do you think has more stringent security controls, audits, and oversight to make sure your data is secure?

Let's put this in perspective. I work for one of the world's largest financial transaction processors. Over the years there have been a number of cases where credit card information has been compromised. In each case, the data has been stolen from either a merchant's database, or from a middle man. I've never seen a case where the data was stolen directly from a financial institution.

The number of merchants which have been compromised is innumerable. Everything from the pay-at-the-pump card reader to the databases at several large retailers have been raided. A few middle-men have been raided. The notable one was a payments processor that handled accounts for some of the USA's largest chains, including 7-Eleven.

The point I'm trying to make is that none of the largest banks, merchants, or payment processors have been successfully raided. I can tell you that my employer makes the security of financial transactions a very high priority with data encrypted while in transit and while at rest, including communications encryption, file system encryption, database encryption, encryption at the application level, and application security that only allows a very select few people from even viewing the data within the applications. We're so locked down that if someone attempted to export credit card information it would probably be blocked or encrypted, and if that employee tried to send that data to an outside person, they'd be immediately terminated. The "mom and pop shop" type companies are a completely different story.

So... do you want to trust your information to your big ISP, or to the mom-and-pop-shop VPN provider?