Q: Netflix quality HORRID after update

Loner T wrote:

 

Should there be a separate thread on tools/how-to for monitoring/capturing ATV3/Netflix interaction? nTop just shows broadcast stuff, but nothing which is CDN-related. In promiscuous mode, any device on the same subnet should see traffic between ATV3 and Netflix, should it not?

I said Ntop but I mean IFtop.  A properly functioning switched network (all but a handful) is point to point.  So no, other devices can't see the traffic.

If you're not completely sure about being able to monitor your ATV traffic you probably can't although connection sharing (turning a Mac or Windows box into a gateway) may permit you to monitoring  transiting traffic.

A bit of reading about layer 1, 2 and 3 network devices should provide the necessary background.

TL;DR version - Changed my DNS server and SuperHD was restored  

Long version

I think I may have stumbled upon a solution. I tried it 3 hours ago and so far I still have SuperHD quality with my Netflix stream on my Apple TV 3. I was using OpenDNS for filtering reasons. I switched to Google's DNS servers and instantly the quality was perfect again. I switched back to OpenDNS and the quality was still good. For now I'm leaving it on Google servers and will probably switch back to OpenDNS to see if I can keep with their service and have the quality.

I tried that last week.  Did not hep me.   Glad it worked for you.  I assume the DNS u mean was 8.8.8.8?

Yes and 8.8.4.4

I just tried switching to Google DNS and OpenDNS, and neither seems to work. Thanks for the suggestion.

I, too, am experiencing persistent streaming issues (365kbps) with Netflix when viewing with the Apple TV despite sufficient bandwidth service (30Mbps down) and recommended Netflix streaming settings (High.)

I think the issue is AppleTV's software. It is compromising Netflix specifically somehow. When a Netflix Super HD movie streamed poorly, I immediately switched to iTunes and rented the movie there. It streamed flawlessly. Otherwise, Netflix streams properly (3Mbps) to my iPhone or iPad. In fact, as a temporary workaround to the AppleTV's streaming issue, I now stream Netflix content to my iPhone and AirPlay it to the AppleTV. The picture is perfect.

_Ty Cox_

If you read the thread this behaviour has been observed many times. If your router lets you monitor active connections you will probably see that the Apple TV using the Native Netflix app is connecting to a different CDN to the Apple TV when using Airplay for Netflix.

For those who are on Verizon FIOS and have a MI424-WR router,

1. Login to the Router UI and find the Private IP address of your ATV 3 under My Network.

2. Click on Advanced button and then on Local Administration and check the box Using Primary Telnet Port (23) and Apply.

3. Telnet to your router's IP address as admin/YourAdminPassword.

4. Type system shell at the router prompt. This will put you into a Unix shell.

5. Now netstat should be an available command to check connections.

I will investigate BusyBox and see how to put tcpdump/wireshark/iftop onto the router (DD-WRT may be an option).

In my case, Verizon may have a cache that I am hitting. I do not see any traffic to any CDN.

False alarm.

The DNS change gave me better quality for about 16 hours but now I'm back to having the same issue regardless if I am using Google DNS servers or OpenDNS. Well, I shouldn't say the same, it's better than the 240p version I was getting but still, it's not the SuperHD I enjoyed for a brief while. C'est la vie

Sorry to have gotten anyone's hopes up.

Side rant: everyone hoping for a "real" Apple TV, how about Apple just gets back to "it just works" and focusing on a few things. Lately their software has been more "it just works when the stars align just right"

JoshMac wrote:

 

. . . Side rant: everyone hoping for a "real" Apple TV, how about Apple just gets back to "it just works" and focusing on a few things. Lately their software has been more "it just works when the stars align just right"

Sorry you are still having problems, but I think you are ranting up the wrong tree.

If you look over the last few weeks of postings on this thread you can see that the collective wisdom is leading to the conclusion that the problem results from Netflix's distribution arrangements via the various ISP's, which haven't been entirely worked out yet. It's not an Apple TV problem at all. I watched yet another Super HD movie on Netflix last night on my trusty ATV 3, without making any changes. I had the problem too, about a month ago, but it cleared up on its own with no action required by me at all.

Hope it clears up for you soon when Netflix's distribution in your area improves. Blaming it on the Apple TV may make you feel good, but won't help at all.

So my iPad and iPhone on the same WiFi doesn't seem to have the same issue as my two Apple TV 3s, how is it then the CDNs and ISPs everyone else has talked about? Doesn't make sense to me. Also my streaming worked fine before 6.0.2, since then there's been this issue.

JoshMac wrote:

 

So my iPad and iPhone on the same WiFi doesn't seem to have the same issue as my two Apple TV 3s, how is it then the CDNs and ISPs everyone else has talked about? Doesn't make sense to me. Also my streaming worked fine before 6.0.2, since then there's been this issue.

Thought I would save you some time, but seems to me you should go over all the postings in this thread over the last couple of weeks, at least. The postings have pretty much ruled out 6.0.2 as the cause of this, different performance on iPhones, iPads and ATV's are common, etc., etc. Some of it pretty complicated. It will take some time, but I suggest read all this yourself and draw your own conclusions.

You may want to look at the Netflix applications versions. They are specific to devices and the bitrate/quality of video is different for each device.

jimpal wrote:

If you look over the last few weeks of postings on this thread you can see that the collective wisdom is leading to the conclusion that the problem results from Netflix's distribution arrangements via the various ISP's

Or not.  What are "distribution arrangements"?

72 pages sure is a lot to read through. I see a lot of people trying to reroute their web traffic and see where it's going. Honestly, that's seems like a lot of work with little benefit. Maybe it is just Netflix can't support their userbase currently. I think the CDN is a red herring though. I think using different DNS servers or VPNs would result in connecting to a different CDN. It seemed like that may had been what happened for me last night but now things are backed to lower quality.