3 Ways To Bypass The MegaVideo Time Limit

If there was ever a great website to stream series and documentaries, it isn’t YouTube. No offense. MegaVideo, from the same minds of file-sharing website MegaUpload, gets a slightly better shot.
It’s fun and easy to browse, has an incredible array of videos and sports one of the best web players I’ve ever seen. The whole shebang is integrated by default; dimming the lights, different aspect ratios and even downloading those videos to your computer.
Here’s the catch; it isn’t free. Not that it should come as a surprise to those of you who are already familiar with MegaUpload. Everything works fine at the start, but after exactly 72 minutes of viewing pleasure, the dreaded pop-up appears.

The 72 Minute Lock

The 72 minute mark seems to be a crucial point in many documentaries and TV series. It might be me, but the MegaVideo time limit seems to appear when it’s least wanted. You have watched 72 minutes of video today. It means you’re not about to finish that show.

You can finish your prescribed dose of waiting and enjoy your next 72 minute batch, or upgrade to a premium account at $9.99 per month to enjoy unlimited use of MegaVideo.
Below are three workarounds to bypass the MegaVideo time limit. All of these will work regardless of your operating system.

1. Using CacaoWeb or Illimitux

CacaoWeb is a free, cross-platform application that removes so-called cyberlocker limits, as used by RapidShare and a batch of other file sharing websites. It also effectively removes the 72 minute time lock of MegaVideo.

CacaoWeb uses peer to peer (P2P) technology to make this work. Instead of downloading your video from the server to your client computer, you’re downloading small parts of the video via other users. That way, no one user should reach the time limit. Using CacaoWeb from Rapidshare works the same way.

Illimitux is from the same minds, and based on the same technology as Cacaoweb, but instead of installing a full-fledged application, it works by installing a Firefox add-on or Chrome extension.

2. Work Offline

This second workaround requires no third-party software except your web browser. On the flip side, it’s harder and less forward to use.
First, you buffer part of the video. This means you’re letting it load without actually playing it. When you’ve buffered the entire video, or a good enough part, switch your browser to Work Offline mode. While you’re still in Work Offline mode, you’ll be able to watch the video without adding to the time limit. Keep in mind that you have to disable Work Offline mode to continue browsing or buffering the video.

In Firefox, this is done by navigating to File -> Work Offline. In Internet Explorer, to Tools -> Work Offline. There currently appears to be no Work Offline alternative embedded in Google Chrome.

3. Watch Video on MegaStreaming or EzyWatch

Last but not least, you can use MegaVideo embedded sites to surpass the time limit, by using a variety of techniques.
If you copy your MegaVideo URL to MegaStreaming, you’ll be redirected to a page with said video embedded. Here you can watch the video like normal or, depending on the video, even in HD.

Once you reach the limit, press the button at the top right, shown below. This will redirect you to a different page with the same video embedded and you’ll be able to continue watching.

So how does this work? Apparently, different players all have different time limits. By using two different embedded players, you can watch up to 134 minutes (72+31+31) instead of just 72 minutes.
An alternative website that also allows you to bypass MegaVideo’s time limit is EzyWatch. It does not share how it circumvents said limit.

EzyWatch looks more professional, but has regular performance issues; slow buffer times, videos that won’t load, and similar problems.
Do you know any other tools or websites that allow you to eliminate the MegaVideo limit? Have you used the ones above? Let us know in the comments!