ATV2 Netflix streaming - continually a disappointment
Ok, this post is just to vent. Last night I decided I just had enough with my Apple TV 2 and its inability to stream Netflix content.
Usually, I will get some number of minutes into something from my Netflix instant queue and the ATV2 will stop playing and give me the swirley 'wait' icon while it tries to buffer additional data. Usually, this is something the unit never resumes from. I always have to exit back to the menu, restart playing, and I can get further into the movie from there.
I am using a hard-wired ethernet connection, not using WiFi. Apple Airport Extreme router and Comcast high-speed internet cable modem (at least 10 mbps download speed).
I've played with my ATV2 IP settings, tried DHCP and static IP, tried using Google DNS entries and tried using my default DNS entries from Comcast.
Seemingly none of this makes a difference in getting ATV2 to stream Netflix consistently.
Last night, when one movie failed to play on ATV2, I switched over to my Tivo HD unit which has Netflix built-in and the exact same movie played flawlessly from start to finish, no buffering issues.
The Tivo HD and Apple TV are both plugged in, using ethernet cabling, to the same router.
I'm an Apple fan boy. But I have to recognize something for what it is... This conculsion is not based on a one-time or small sample set, this is a CONSISTENT behavior, a failure of Apple TV to provide the experience Apple advertised/intended, and which I exect.
Apple TV -- you stink for streaming Netflix. Sorry to say it, but compared side-by-side with the performacne of Netflix streaming through you vs. another box (Tivo HD), you lose every time.
Interesting to note that Apple TV experiences NO such problems streaming content from my local network. I can stream ripped movies from my iMac all day long, no buffering or delay issues. But when it wants to go outside the firewall, I won't even try anymore.
At the moment of truth, when the consumer decides, this consumer decides AGAINST Apple TV 2.
Usually, I will get some number of minutes into something from my Netflix instant queue and the ATV2 will stop playing and give me the swirley 'wait' icon while it tries to buffer additional data. Usually, this is something the unit never resumes from. I always have to exit back to the menu, restart playing, and I can get further into the movie from there.
I am using a hard-wired ethernet connection, not using WiFi. Apple Airport Extreme router and Comcast high-speed internet cable modem (at least 10 mbps download speed).
I've played with my ATV2 IP settings, tried DHCP and static IP, tried using Google DNS entries and tried using my default DNS entries from Comcast.
Seemingly none of this makes a difference in getting ATV2 to stream Netflix consistently.
Last night, when one movie failed to play on ATV2, I switched over to my Tivo HD unit which has Netflix built-in and the exact same movie played flawlessly from start to finish, no buffering issues.
The Tivo HD and Apple TV are both plugged in, using ethernet cabling, to the same router.
I'm an Apple fan boy. But I have to recognize something for what it is... This conculsion is not based on a one-time or small sample set, this is a CONSISTENT behavior, a failure of Apple TV to provide the experience Apple advertised/intended, and which I exect.
Apple TV -- you stink for streaming Netflix. Sorry to say it, but compared side-by-side with the performacne of Netflix streaming through you vs. another box (Tivo HD), you lose every time.
Interesting to note that Apple TV experiences NO such problems streaming content from my local network. I can stream ripped movies from my iMac all day long, no buffering or delay issues. But when it wants to go outside the firewall, I won't even try anymore.
At the moment of truth, when the consumer decides, this consumer decides AGAINST Apple TV 2.
iMac 27" Core i7 mid-2010, Mac OS X (10.6.7), 2010 MacBook Air 13", ATV2
