Netflix pausing/buffering issues

Yeah I have 15/5 FiOS and have tried Verizon's DNS server as well. Nothing seems to work... :-\

I have tried calling my ISP, but they just say that putting any number into Apple TV will not work, because there "isn't a single DNS" number that is assigned to my router, as it is determined dynamically.

Suggestions?

I'm wondering if the AppleTV uses a different codec than the other players, and Netflix in-turn dedicates different servers/bandwidth to it.

? Perhaps ?

I just bought the AppleTV2 a few hours ago.
1st a few kids shows... they worked perfect.
2nd was a movie (HD) that had drop outs 15 minutes in, and continued every 5-10 minutes
3rd was a TV episode (HD) that played back perfectly... 41 minutes no interruption
4th was the following episode, and its dropping out ALL the time.... like 2-3 minutes is all I get at a time.

I was having constant buffering with Netflix almost every time I watched a movie. I was prepared to return my Apple TV on Saturday March 12. On Friday night I checked for a software update and there was one available, so I installed it. I have since watched three movies on Netflix and unless it's a very strange coincidence, the update appears to have fixed my problem. Prior to the update, there was no possibility that I could watch a movie all the way through without it pausing 20-25 times. All three movies I have watched since the update have played perfectly, with the exception of one brief pause (15-20 seconds) in one of the movies. I belive this update was released on March 11.

Having had the same buffering problem since the first update, I think Apple finally fixed the problem. After updating with the last release, they work perfectly! What a relieve!

I'm sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but I updated on Friday as well and had many problems this weekend. :-\

appleinsider.com has a March 10 article on the various problems associated with the newest update to ATV2 (4.2, not to be confused with the iOS 4.3 that came out the same day), and at least one support forum thread has multiple pages of customer headaches.

I didn't read them all but it appears to be primarily a "screen flicker" problem associated with older TVs from multiple manufacturers that support only 1080i, and it occurs with multiple sources content, not just Netflix. No mention was made (in the ones I read) about any effect on the Netflix pause/buffer problem.

From previous and continuing experience with unreliable Netflix streaming, I would love to believe that the 4.2 update will fix it. If it doesn't, or even if it does but brings with it new problems in spite of the fact that I have a 1080p Samsung, I'm stuck with one of two options: wait for the next update, or revert to the update version that shipped with the unit. From what I've read, there is no provision for "backing up one step" to the previous update.

Fun times with ATV2 continue, apparently.

I'm completely tired of netflix constantly pausing and stopping. Is it possible to return this after about 6 months for lack of quality. I've been waiting for updates, hoping for change, but it's almost worthless. Every 5-10 minutes, it pauses, and it's just embarrassing. I can stream with XBox, iPad, iPhone, and PS3, but this "revolutionary" device ... just doesn't work.

I agree, especially after two conversations with Apple support and two visits to the genius bar, the latest an hour ago. Very interesting to note that the first genius had never heard of the problem. The second one most certainly had, especially because he had cancelled cable and was relying on streamed content through ATV2 for all his viewing. He confirmed the same problems users have reported in this thread, and said that Apple communicates nothing to them about what they are doing (or not doing, apparently) to address the problem.

He also confirmed that update 4.2 does nothing to help, and he was very aware of the video flickering issues and other problems being reported as a result of installing the update in ATV2s connected to older TVs not capable of 1080p. He's had no such issues on his 1080p set with the update installed.

My final words to him were something to the effect of, "I guess I can use it for a door stop." He shrugged and replied, "I feel your pain." Under the circumstances, all we apparently can expect from the pointy end of the Apple system is sympathy.

Agreed

All other devices including macs. iphones, ipads. and an xbox 360 play netflix flawlessly at home but the apple tv chokes constantly with multi second pauses sometimes every couple of minutes

Latest Apple tv update did nothing to fix this so I have to think it is the softeware impelementation by netflix not optimizing the use of the apple tv hardware again since other aps on AppleTV play FINE
meaning, all other streams such as itunes, podcats, network sharing, etc seem to be flawless

Also from Apple itunes a much better picture quality in general for the movies, as it looks like netflix is delivering lower quality on their apple tv stream

Netflix and Apple TV team need to get together on WHAT is making netflix app choke
Again the sililar netflix app on ipad and iphone with similar A4 hardware is flawless!!!!!

I dunno... do you really think it's choking? To me it seems like a buffering/bandwidth issue because it's only happening at high traffic times (i.e. evenings).

I still think that the problem is most likely at Netflix's end, and thus will not be solved by an Apple update. I think the fact that another Netflix device might be connecting OK is a red herring, because Netflix has a huge number of servers, and it is very likely that different devices are not talking to the same servers. Netflix reported that they have seen a huge expansion of Apple TV clients, and I suspect that Netflix just isn't managing the traffic well in some places. It might be interesting to find out whether problems are clustered in some parts of the country (I'm in Boston, on Comcast, and have had zero problems with Netflix streaming, no matter what time of day).

I'm in Berkeley, CA, and I have the problem. We are just a few blocks from the University of California and less than an hour's drive north of Silicon Valley and Apple HQ. Seems to work a bit better on TV shows than on movies. I did the latest download.

Netflix pausing on Apple TV

My Apple TV is directly connected to 20Mb/s ethernet via Comcast. Since there's no WiFi involved, we can conclude that this issue is either Comcast, Netflix, or the Apple TV device.

Well, as my Netflix movie paused last night, I went to www.speedtest.net on my iMac which is also directly ethernet connnected, and it reports 20Mb/s. That should rule out an issue with Comcast.

Netflix works fine on my iMac. I haven't had any pausing on this device.

So, the only conclusion I can come to is that Apple TV has some kind of buffering flaw. I'm disappointed and hope this gets fixed.

Like2Run wrote:
Netflix pausing on Apple TV

My Apple TV is directly connected to 20Mb/s ethernet via Comcast. Since there's no WiFi involved, we can conclude that this issue is either Comcast, Netflix, or the Apple TV device.

Well, as my Netflix movie paused last night, I went to www.speedtest.net on my iMac which is also directly ethernet connnected, and it reports 20Mb/s. That should rule out an issue with Comcast.

Netflix works fine on my iMac. I haven't had any pausing on this device.

So, the only conclusion I can come to is that Apple TV has some kind of buffering flaw. I'm disappointed and hope this gets fixed.

As I said, I don't think that we can assume that different devices are talking to the same Netflix servers, so whether or not other Netflix devices are having problems does not tell us whether the problem is at Netflix's end. And if the problem is with a buffering flaw in the Apple TV, it is hard to understand whey some people, such as myself, are not seeing it at all. I suppose that one could suppose that there is a buffering problem that only manifests if network speed is marginal, but based upon your measurements, that does not seem to be the case for you.