I just wanted to say that I am having the same issues as everyone else with my Apple TV. It is connected to my router via an ethernet cable. I watch Netflix pretty much every day in the evening at about 8-10 PM Central, and for the last couple of weeks, the quality has been really bad. 750 kbps on the Example Short.
I have a fast internet connection, around 20 Mbps down. My PS3 has consistently been great during this time, streaming at 1080 Super HD when it's available for that title. (On the PS3, you can press Select to see the streaming quality).
My iPad has been getting better speeds than my Apple TV, and I think my iPhone has been as well. I'm not at home so I can't give exact figures or anything.
By the way, through watching the Example Short 23.976 that everyone is using, I found some interesting tidbits worth checking out. For example, there is a guy moonwalking holding a laptop at about 3:50. The same guy starts quoting Julius Caesar at about 7:00, and then makes popping noises with his mouth at about 8:02. Oh and there's juggling at around 6:30