Netflix pausing/buffering issues

I have had this problem with all released versions of the Apple TV software. I've had it both on a wireless network and a wired network. The problem is either a connection management issue or a memory management issue. Either way, it is a problem with the Netflix app. It happens on the iPad as well.

My iPad Netflix app works fine. It does appear to be a connection/memory management issue with the Netflix functionality, but after my experience, I suspect that an Apple TV 2 hardware issue is at least partially at play as well.

Bradley Rubin wrote:

My iPad Netflix app works fine. It does appear to be a connection/memory management issue with the Netflix functionality, but after my experience, I suspect that an Apple TV 2 hardware issue is at least partially at play as well.

I should clarify... when Netflix measures connection speed to the iPad, it gets the same fractional speeds that the Apple TV gets. So the MacBook Pro connects at 18 Mbps and both the Apple TV and iPad connect under 1 Mbps. I haven't had the same buffering problems on the iPad but I almost never use it to watch Netflix...

Was reading through this post as I've experienced pausing and buffering occasionally. What's really interesting is that most of the time, streaming works fine. What I've noticed is that buffering/pausing occurs most on weekend nights. Last night (Friday) I couldn't get through 3 min without pausing. This morning the kids are watching an HD movie with no issues whatsoever. And for what it's worth, I've tested connection speed and routinely get 12mb/sec. I don't see how this would be a wireless or router issue.

Anyone else notice "problem hours/days"?

Do you have cable? I understand that cable bandwidth is (was) shared somewhat with neighbors. Are there others in the house using the Internet at the same? When I was sharing my internet connection with my game playing son he would schedule me to avoid his game times. Does DSL give the same issues, I thought not? So far, I've had good success with Apple TV 2 and Netflix but I am using the middle internet speed with my cable company. I've had more issues with the PS3 (our Blue-ray player purchase with the 'big' TV). 😉

I do have cable but did not see any bandwidth issues. In fact I did a speed test during the issues and was getting sustained 12mbps. Nothing else in the house was consuming anything. This morning while streaming an HD movie, I was simultaneously streaming another audio program and was surfing the 'Net. No issues.

It's strange.

Did you check the bandwidth when you were getting the stuttering? My middle tier cable service just gave me almost 30 m bit ps download. Middle of the day though. My son reported issues at times where the ping would get high (i.e. low bandwidth) from time to time. Restarting modems and routers sometimes helped.

I had same problem as nancyfromminneapolis: 4 month old ATV 2, Netflix stops streaming suddenly (just "Accessing Netflix", then back to playscreen) yet everything else works fine, try unplugging both ATV 2 and router for a minute, and Netflix works fine again. Thanks. Hope this helps other users.

David,

yeah, I checked the bandwidth during one of the pauses and it showed a sustained 12mbps rate. So the theories regarding the the Netflix app and memory/buffer management would seem to be logical as the problem is random and, at least for me, only occurs during what I would consider "Netflix primetime" which is on the weekends during the hours of 5-11pm.

for me, rebooting the router or ATV2 is not really a viable option - it's a workaround but not something I'm keen to do every time I experience a pause/buffering event. Next time, I'll try my ipad or iphone and see if it's also experiencing the issue. If not, I'll see how airplay handles it.

Also, you should call Netflix and ask what connection speed they see you connecting at. Bandwidth is one thing, but the connection to Netflix has been slow for iOS devices but not Macs. And that doesn't ever get above about 1.6 Mbps no matter how fast your internet connection is... They can check within 24 hours of an attempted viewing.

Counciltime wrote:

David,

yeah, I checked the bandwidth during one of the pauses and it showed a sustained 12mbps rate. So the theories regarding the the Netflix app and memory/buffer management would seem to be logical as the problem is random and, at least for me, only occurs during what I would consider "Netflix primetime" which is on the weekends during the hours of 5-11pm.

for me, rebooting the router or ATV2 is not really a viable option - it's a workaround but not something I'm keen to do every time I experience a pause/buffering event. Next time, I'll try my ipad or iphone and see if it's also experiencing the issue. If not, I'll see how airplay handles it.

I must have 15 devices that stream Netflix and the only one with problems is the Apple TV. Pathetic.

I must have 15 devices that stream Netflix and the only one with problems is the Apple TV. Pathetic.

My cable connection via Airport tests at 20 + megabytes per second both at the router and at the Apple TV location in another room. However, Netflix reported that Apple TV was downloading at 1.5 - 2 megabytes per second, too slow for HD TV. Using TIVO to download Netflix HD content, there are far fewer buffer interruptions. I've picked up items here and there that there is some kind of a problem with Apple TV hardware as well as possibly the software linking Apple TV and Netflix. Some suggest that resetting Apple TV helps. I did so a few weeks ago for some standard TV downloads and it seemed to reduce the stuttering considerably. I do wish that Apple would produce a tech document explaining what is going on and what the Company and Netflix are doing to resolve it.

I am using the Apple TV 2 and have the same issues. I've been doing lot of comparisons to other devices to isolate the cause and am now certain it is the Apple TV itself.

Last night I was unable to watch a television episode on Netflix because it was pausing every few minutes, sometimes for as long as 20-30 seconds. I then switched to the Netflix service on my BluRay player, which is on the same home wifi network, and it played the entire episode without pausing once.

Netflix is why I got the Apple TV, so this is incredibly frustrating.

One thing you might do is contact your cable service and ask to have your modem reset. I had terrible problems with Netflix both via TiVo and via Apple TV. Netfrlix reported that Apple TV download speed was around 1.5 - 2 megaHertz even though speed tests indicate cable download speed of around 20 megaHertz. After Comcast reset the modem, the Netflix downloads via TiVo worked just fine (HD). Have yet to give Apple TV a try following reset. Will likely do this weekend.