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Netflix Problems

Anybody else having this problem? I had no trouble signing into my Netflix account (Instant Queue, recently played, etc...) but when I try to play something on the ATV it takes a long time to load then stops after two or three seconds. I tried this over wi-fi and with ethernet. I do not have particularly fast DSL but I watch Netflix on my Mac all the time with no problems. Also, I had no trouble streaming a movie trailer on the ATV. Just a Netflix bug? Any ideas?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Sep 29, 2010 8:25 PM

Top-ranking reply

sriramk

Level 1

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Posted on Oct 1, 2010 6:45 PM

I spoke to Netflix support and they helped me fix this issue.

Solution: Switch from your automatic DNS settings to Google's DNS server. General->Network->Configure TCP/IP->Manual and pick 008.008.008.008.

Now, I was stumped a bit since I have an XBox 360 on the same network with no issues. The support guy said that Apple TV connects to their licensing servers a bit differently so this should fix the issue.

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793 replies

Mar 29, 2011 7:36 PM in response to CalebG

I'm currently working with a apple senior adviser on this issue. I went to the apple store to try using netflix on their network and I was still only pulling 0.9 mbs. The genius I was working with had an atv at home, so I had him call netflix on his account and he'd only been pulling 0.9 at the most. He was surprised.

The senior adviser has put in a request with engineering to research this issue and he should be back with me in a few days. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Did you know you can call netflix and have them check the bandwidth you're getting on your devices? My atv had never gotten over 0.9 at best, but my iMac and laptop are getting 7-20 mbs. Netflix recommends a minimum of 1.5 and 3.0 for HD content.

Call and find out what you're getting on your different devices and post it here!

Mar 29, 2011 8:19 PM in response to jotan82

Call netflix and ask them what you're getting. They have a 2-3 day record of all the different devices you use.

Go to netflix.com and sign in. Upper right-hand corner, click on "your account and help". Scroll to the bottom and click "contact us". Then click on "call customer support" and follow the instructions. They can tell you what bandwidth you're pulling, even if you're watching something currently.

Message was edited by: craigmag143

irussell

Level 1

0 points

Mar 29, 2011 9:17 PM in response to craigmag143

Just called Netflix. I have a 30/5 internet connection and my Apple TV is wired to a gigabit ethernet switch (as are all my devices). The Netflix representative identified the Apple TV as the slowest device on my account.

Apple TV:
Highest: 1.4 MB/s
Lowest: 1.04 MB/s

Xbox 360:
Highest: 15.8 MB/s
Lowest: 14.3 MB/s

I opened an Express Lane support ticket with Apple to record my issue before my 90 days of support expires. I'd recommend everyone do the same to help elevate this issue on Apple's radar.

madengr

Level 1

0 points

Mar 30, 2011 7:16 PM in response to craigmag143

Called Netflix. ATV2 varied between 0.2 and 1.1 Mbps; Netflix said this was bad. They don't have enough data on the Wii since I only enabled it last night.

My Slackware Linux box is also my firewall so I installed bwmon to monitor bandwidth. For BSG4 episode 2, the ATV2 jumps from 0.4 to 4 Mbps, averaging (by my eye) about 1 Mbps or less. The ATV then froze up for at least 1 minute, when the BW dropped to about 20 kbps, sometimes spiking to 200 kbps. I then just exited the ATV2.

The Wii jumps between 2.5 and 4 Mbps, yielding an average, consistent 3 Mbps. No freeze ups whatsoever for the entire 45 minutes.

This is definitely an ATV2 problem.

I'll working on piping the bwmon results to a file and plotting a graph to compare the two, generating some useful statistics.

Mar 30, 2011 7:56 PM in response to madengr

madengr wrote:
Called Netflix. ATV2 varied between 0.2 and 1.1 Mbps; Netflix said this was bad. They don't have enough data on the Wii since I only enabled it last night.

My Slackware Linux box is also my firewall so I installed bwmon to monitor bandwidth. For BSG4 episode 2, the ATV2 jumps from 0.4 to 4 Mbps, averaging (by my eye) about 1 Mbps or less. The ATV then froze up for at least 1 minute, when the BW dropped to about 20 kbps, sometimes spiking to 200 kbps. I then just exited the ATV2.

The Wii jumps between 2.5 and 4 Mbps, yielding an average, consistent 3 Mbps. No freeze ups whatsoever for the entire 45 minutes.

This is definitely an ATV2 problem.

I'll working on piping the bwmon results to a file and plotting a graph to compare the two, generating some useful statistics.

Do they all use the same TCP/UDP ports? May be ISP traffic shaping (Comcast vs. bit torrents as an example). Just wondering....

redsvt

Level 1

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Mar 30, 2011 8:56 PM in response to CalebG

Just got off the phone with netflix.
ATV2 1.05 - .16 - 1.1 MBPS

The ATV2 got as low as .16 mbps

Wii 15.0 - 16.0 MBPS

According to Netflix my ATV2 is not receiving enough bandwidth at all. Tech guy told me that they have been getting alot of calls about the ATV2.

Mar 31, 2011 3:15 PM in response to craigmag143

I called netflix to ask on my speeds. The guy pulled it up and before telling me his reaction was "Oh My, I can't believe that!".

I am getting an average of .2mbs to the TV which is hard wired.
Also getting about .2mbs to the wireless iPod Touch which plays flawlessly, he said that is the expected average for a small device ... but getting that same speed to a HD TV unit is inadequate and requires a minimum of 1.5mbs.
I am getting an average of 1.4mbs to the Wii that is wireless on the other end of the house.

Mar 31, 2011 3:36 PM in response to craigmag143

craigmag143 wrote:
Micheal,

Okay, I lied when I said I plugged it into my modem. I actually plugged it right into my ethernet line. I use a local ISP which has a fiber "backbone", but is an ethernet network. The line comes into my house as an ethernet line and I'm assigned a private, NATed, IP address.

Plugging this line right into the Apple TV and setting it up with my own IP address did not solve the problem.

Not to worry about the fib 🙂 So, what speeds are you getting from www.speedtest.net? Does your service implement a firewall upstream or perform traffic shaping? If you know how to use Wireshark, you can inspect the sessions for issues...... A fiber backbone doesn't mean squat. They can perform all kinds of service limitations on the Ethernet switch device they have you hooked up to. I would get in writing what your service provides and then verify you are getting what you pay for. If it is Qwest, I have my suspicions (I retired from there...). Ooops, I let my feelings about Nacho Cheese (ex CEO in prison) out...

Nov 15, 2011 7:21 PM in response to CalebG

I had the exact same problem. It just started out of the blue. One day working fine, next day not.

All I did was reset ATV back to the factory settings. It loaded un update when I did this and then Netflix played fine after that.

Nov 28, 2011 7:31 PM in response to Jalpuna

FIXED! Hello All I had the same problem since the last update to the Apple TV. I simply "Reset Settings". You have to reenter your WIFI access, Apple Store Access and then finally NetFlix Access. This did the trick though.

Good luck.

Dave

padfitz

Level 1

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Nov 29, 2011 6:21 AM in response to padfitz

so much for a good thing, stopped working again after brief usage. Called apple, they blammed netflix, called netflix, they blamed the apple tv and my isp, called my isp, local company so I know most of them, they said there is no issue with the line but will conduct a line test to make 100% sure.

So to recap. I took the ATV to my brothers store which they have 45Mbps speed, and it works fine, no issues. I bring it home, 24 ping, 2.54 upload and .81 down, on speedtest and speakeasy both, I cannot watch netflix. The funny thing is that I was able to view netflix for almost two months without issues. The only difference that I can say is that right after the update, 4.4.3, it stopped working.

Maybe it was the butler, with a candlestick in the study..........

Dec 12, 2011 6:07 AM in response to chiba13

I added Google DNS and my Rogers DNS at my router, then did the "reset all settings" and it seems to have:

- Stopped the streaming issues I had, where it would stream for 30-45 seconds then pause to re-buffer or just stop altogether

- Has drastically inproved the quality of the stream from Netflix. I just found an option on the Netflix dashboard under settings where you can choose your picture quality. I changed it to max but nothing changed on the Apple TV until I did the full reset.

Looks like the Netflix settings are not refreshed by the Apple TV after the initial connection. I will be watching TV havily today to see if the fix sticks.

I have a second Apple TV that I am using as a baseline.

Message was edited by: Blackthorne SCG

Dec 19, 2011 10:24 PM in response to Mike231a

I tried the google dns thing but it didn't work - I finally fixed it by Upgrading the Firmware in my Linksys E2000 Router. Once I upgraded the firmware, I no longer have issues with Netflix - before that, Netflix would pause every minute or so. It's only been one evening, so we'll see how it lasts.

dh2015

Level 1

7 points

Jan 4, 2012 9:31 AM in response to CalebG

Laurence: "It is not a netflix only issue. Last night when I had trouble with a movie, I tried to watch the same movie on my mac without a single problem. (I also tested my iPad and iPhone with no trouble)".

Per Netflix tech support, servers for TV streaming are separate and apart from servers for the computer and mobile devices. Also, the resolution for mobile and computer does not take up the bandwidth it does to stream high def.

All, I've been having trouble streaming through my Sony Blu Ray for the last two years. Last night I switched to ATV, and had similar problems. Thus, it is not necessarily an ATV issue (firmware was updated). Tonight I will try rebooting my modem, which has sometimes worked in the past. I.e., it may be an issue with my local broadband carrier (Comcast in Northern California).

Jan 16, 2012 7:33 PM in response to nmballa

I'm using the OpenDNS servers (208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220) and it has completely resolved the Netflix issues. The problem is that Netflix content comes from different servers; some are connectable without a problem whereas others are located (logically) where AT&T, TimeWarner (maybe others) can't find them (due to their DNS servers being really poor, bad, cheap, poisoned, you name it).

Hope this helps.

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Netflix Problems