Poor Netflix streaming quality.

I think I've fault found a cause and may have fixed this problem - so glad, as I think Safari is way better than any other browser - and I've tried them all.

I divided my WiFi channels between 2.4Ghz and 5Hhz on the router, as I had some of my "stuff" which could connect to the 5G WiFi and some could ONLY to the 2.4Ghz - mainly an old iPhone and a Google ChromeCast - they wouldn't even "find" the available 5G network. It seemed logical to me but then a tech at my broadband provider found this;

> I can see connection is stable with good speed in line. it seems there is issue with router signal frequency,

> Please click on Wifi>> Settings>> change band to 20/40 mhz (For 2.4 GHz) 

Effectively, doing this allows the router to "serve" both 2.4 and 5 Ghz devices when they connect to that one WiFi network. Switch off the (second channel) 5Ghz network and you'll find your old devices still connecting at their limit and the newer ones at the higher speed. (You may have to provide a password for them to do this)

Having just the one network (SSID) capable of doing that meant that all the "bandwidth" that the router possesses was dedicated to just that one channel. Funny thing though, I (THINK) remembering in the beginning, connecting my MAC to Ethernet and experiencing the degrading video quality?? So, there is still something unexplained but, the change has removed this problem from the browser (whichever one you use).

Internet Speed - <https://fast.com/#> and Ookla SpeedTest (50Mbps down 13up) are the definitive way(s) to measure your internet performance - BUT, they just gave impressive performance numbers and didn't indicate the network maybe at fault. However, Apples network performance tool gave a hint - that motivated calling the broadband provider;

In macOS open terminal app and type networkQuality -v

Result;

MacBook-Air ~ % networkQuality -v

==== SUMMARY ====

Upload capacity: 12.922 Mbps

Download capacity: 15.378 Mbps

Upload flows: 12

Download flows: 12

Responsiveness: Low (171 RPM)

Base RTT: 27

Start: 05/01/2022, 18:10:56

End: 05/01/2022, 18:11:07

OS Version: Version 12.1 (Build 21C52)

Try this fix, it worked for me.

Hey Anoop_,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! We understand you're having issues with quality while viewing Netflix shows on your Mac with Apple silicon. We're happy to help.

We found some information from the Netflix Support page that might be able to provide further insight into this issue you're experiencing: How to use Netflix on your Mac computer

Quoted from under the Netflix Features section:

"Resolution

Mac computers support streaming in the following browser resolutions:

• Google Chrome up to 720p
• Mozilla Firefox up to 720p
• Opera up to 720p
• Safari up to 1080p on macOS 10.11 to 10.15
• Safari up to 4K on macOS 11.0 or later

NOTE: 4K Ultra HD support for macOS 11.0 Big Sur is currently in development may not be available at all times."

Quoted from the Set up Netflix section:

"NOTE: Mac computers with Apple M1 processors will be prompted to install additional software when using Chrome. For help, visit Google Support."

See if that helps.

Best regards.

Anoop_,

Thanks for the update!

Can you connect your Mac to a different network to help rule out the issue being related to your network connection? This would be trying an Ethernet connection if available, or just a different Wi-Fi network connection: Connect to the internet with your Mac

Also, let's have you test a new user account too, which can help isolate if this is a user-specific issue, or a system-wide issue. Here’s how: Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Once in the new user account, just perform the same actions within Safari to see if you can reproduce the quality issues.

Be sure to test multiple content within Netflix when testing.

Keep us posted.

Thanks!

My observation is that the Video Quality seems to dip in and out and at one time I thought it was the network. Running the Activity Monitor and watching Safari network activity and throughput suggested that every time the video deteriorates the network went slow - not the network but Mac's access. I thought I'd found it by removing a PROXIE setting and selecting Auto Proxy Discovery. Then, instead of allowing the Location to be Automatic - set up a new location with NO customisation. Every try improved the time between quality going from "Good to Best" (Amazon video definition).

But, it still seemed to happen - on all browsers, Chrome, Firefox, Brave and Safari. So it must be my MAC - where next? Well, watching Amazon Sport using a Private browser Window seemed to be the answer. What is loading and causing Safari to loose video quality? It's not the few extensions (switched off-even uninstalled) - it's not WiFi (used Ethernet connection the router) but, Private browsing fixes the problem - why? Don't know.

macOS 12.0.1 MACair 2020

yea this is nuts. even since jobs left us ,apple is screwing the pooch waaay too often . and i wish people would stop giving instructions to re-configure the entire setup or change an app or some crazy thing.

if my computer was streaming a particular site and now i installed an update /new mac os and now a particular thing isnt working . its a crap written codec . lets just get it fixed OR explain the setting that some apple clown added and turned ON instead of leaving it off for default .

all these new settings and features im sure nobody uses and then a simple thing stops working . ridiculous .

theres an old saying -- IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX

or at least test everything before release. i miss the 90's when apple released PERFECT os's

anyhoo back to my random fuzzy streaming

Well hgjrthdrttyf

However much you beef - the rant has not improved anyones experience with Safari.

> i wish people would stop giving instructions to re-configure the entire setup or change an app or some crazy thing.

I for one don't think that investigating ways to "work around" this, is in any way an attempt to fix it. But our experiences may be helpful to others. Finding a clue that could lead those, who do code Safari, to a code interaction with the OS that is causing the symptom we see. By the way, I've yet to hear anyone complain of Safari's video performance on iOS. To that end, I've added AddBlocker and other extensions I use in macOS and have tested them in iOS extensively without finding this "fuzzy streaming"

> theres an old saying (slightly mangled)

"If you're not part of the solution, you haven't helped with the problem?"

> i miss the 90's when apple released PERFECT os's

I've found that Apple have gained my trust and respect through the years. I wonder if you have ever worked in the "guts" of any complex IT environment? I've worked in IT since the '60's and swapped from an IBM PC (although I worked for them for 25years) to the Apple 1 in the late 70's - nothing ever released in IT is perfect and even if it is, there is no way it can be seen to be when it is added into a constellation of other software. The interaction between the 5 Apple products I use, is simply amazing and magical (defined by an awesome wonder on how they work). That some of these reactions may be broken or less that reliable is simply a given - that there are so few to complain about is a testament to;

> its a crap written codec - great invention, perfect attention to detail and great user delivery. Maybe AI will deliver perfect.

I am experiencing the same issue with my Macbook Air Mid 2012 ( Catalina 10.15.7 ), Safari 15.2

Everything works fine, smooth video playback, but there's clearly a degradation in terms of bits depth while content is playing.

Feels like the video is playing @ 16bits instead of 24bits per pixel. Lots of dithering and banding.

What I noticed is a quality improvement only while the GUI overlaps to the video playback ( IE: if I pause or move the mouse pointer over it ).

Any ideas? It's bizarre...

Untested by me but this like might be the one referred to my Anoop_ - https://bit.ly/3r3z8DC

I got the same problem too all title show only HD

and poor quality video

It's true unfortunately, I'm afraid I was too premature in reporting the workaround. I also had big hopes when I found that >Preferences >battery >Battery >uncheck "Optimise video streaming while on battery". Unfortunately, all these things seem to improved the time between video quality degrading episodes, but they don't fix the problem permanently.

Would you post a link to that Chrome extension?

Problem is, that for me, Safari is the browser I prefer and I want it to work. I'm sure that I have observed this HD degrade in Brave, FireFox and Chrome - so maybe we should be concentrating on the MAC. Why I say that is; "sometimes" when selecting a web video to play, the target tab turns black and there is no activity - if you then HotKey "option + Command + E" - you may need to have activated the Develop Menu is Safari Preferences (last item on the Advanced Tab), then as soon as the cache files are cleared the busy ring starts running and the video loads. May be a helpful clue?