Q: Netflix quality HORRID after update

I have been complaining for a month or so about the Netflix silly "HD" quality. This may have started after I upgraded the AppleTV. It had been nagging for a long time to do the upgrade and then finally I did it.

Last night I happened to start a video on my Macmini. The picture was much better than on the AppleTV. I restarted the Apple TV, but the picture was still bad. Then I found this thread and started the 'Example Short 23.976'. It never went over 1050kbit/s. I tested it on my mac. After a while it wad playing at 3000kbit (max available for Mac). I tested back and forth for hours, restarting the AppleTV fiddling with the settings, restarting my ADSL router etc etc.

They are all on the same network and cabled (nothing wireless). My 24Mbit ADLS internet is very stable and testing download last night proved it by stable downloading at 22Mbit/s.

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LASTLY I started the 'Example Short 23.976' on both my Macminis and the AppleTV SIMULTANEOUSLY. The Mac minis both reached full 3000kbit/s, but the AppleTV stayed at 1050kbit/s.

Something is fishy with the Apple TV and Netflix. Thats for sure.

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This solved for me.

I set my resolution from "Auto" to 1080p - 60 Hz.  Then set my Dolby from auto to ON as well.

Restarted.   Watched "Example Short" on Netflix, stream started at 3000 kbps, dropped to 2350 kbps for about 5 seconds, shot up to 3850 kbps, and then stayed stable at 4300 kbps for remainder.    I flipped to couple other SuperHD movies on Netflix, seemed to be high quality (no pixelation at start).

Don't know if this will work long term, but it's working for me.....

p.s. I was getting the 235 kbps scenario like everyone else - sometimes maxing at 1050 kbps - but it was crapshoot to watch Netflix - this seemed to have solved it

Everybody here is complaining about the picture on their ATV's.  That's understandable enough since this is the Apple support forum.  But as I pointed out in a previous post, I find exactly the same horrible video quality when I stream netflix through my 6-year-old LG Blu-Ray / Network player.  And if you do an internet search on Netflix video problems, you will find many others complaining who have other types/brands of streaming devices other than the ATV.  And when I used my ATV to rent and watch a movie from iTunes two nights ago it was PERFECT.

@JH2020

That didn't make any difference over here. It sounds very strange that the video output signal should affect the streaming, but ocourse you never know what goes on inside the closed box...

Could you please switch settings back and forth and see if the problem comes back and goes away with the settings?

@Alan Bruce Ammerman.

Yes, but isn't it strange that I can run two Macminis with 3000kbit/s stream at the same time as AppleTV gives only 1050kbit/s. All showing the same netflix video at the same time and getting a total streaming of 7000kbit/s! If I close the computers, AppleTV still only gives 1050!

It is as if Netflix picks different streaming quality for different devices.

I'm so sick of this that I'm ready to drop Netflix streaming -- maybe to switch to Amazon's service.  Although I'd have to buy another type of box to do that.

Same for me it is ok on my ipad and iphone but crap on the apple TV.

It gets weirder. I brought my apple tv round to my brothers house round the corner. We are on the same isp and same connection speed but the apple TV worked there!

It makes no sense. I think the reason why we are hearing nothing from apple or netflix is that they must be equally mystyfied as to what is going on.

For now I have to play a show on my iphone and airplay it to the apple tv to get decent quality. My connection is 60mb and my isp is a netflix partner so it is not the isp limiting anything. I am in the UK.

Brian

Alan Bruce Ammerman wrote:

 

Everybody here is complaining about the picture on their ATV's.  That's understandable enough since this is the Apple support forum.  But as I pointed out in a previous post, I find exactly the same horrible video quality when I stream netflix through my 6-year-old LG Blu-Ray

That's not the problem this thread is about.  See the thread title.  Despite the large number of off-topic posts if you have a more general problem it should be noted elsewhere.

Alan Bruce Ammerman wrote:

when I used my ATV to rent and watch a movie from iTunes two nights ago it was PERFECT.

Of course it was, iTunes sourced video doesn't stream -- it allows you to start watching when there's enough data in the buffer that the download should finish before you watch to the end of the video.  Presumably  Apple wants consistent quality when you purchase from them although perhaps only because if you pay the higher price for HD you should get it.

Sorry if double posting in this long thread (I coudln't find this old info though).

If the below is true, then its impossible to find something out comparing different devices. Sigh... (wasted time)...

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1307504/netflix-streaming-jitter/30

post #33 of 181

Netflix does have different servers for different devices. At times you'll see this when one title will stream fine via one device and not another.

RogerJoensson wrote:

 

Sorry if double posting in this long thread (I coudln't find this old info though).

If the below is true,

It's not true.  It was at some time ago.  However running the test clip should be a valid comparision regardless of the global underlying network architecture.

I became convinced in November that Netflix probably uses different streams for different categories of devices. I was attempting to watch a couple of old TV series. Whenever I tried watching either one using my ATV, I got a message saying that the program was not available because they were having technical difficulties. This went on for weeks but was eventually corrected. But whenever I tried to watch those series using either my iPhone or iPad, they streamed perfectly.

The ATV is the biggest pile of  rubbish for Netflix I have ever seen.  I can stream fine in the mornings  and early afternoons but in the evenings all I get is SD quality.  If I  keep reloading the stream about five times I can get 720p at best with  it still sometimes dropping down to SD.  However my ATV always connects  to Netflix Streaming Services every time so does all my other streaming  devices.  The difference is the PS3, Roku 3 and Chromecast do a much  better job at handling the stream.

Even the other channels like  HBOGo perform worse with SD dropouts yet on the Roku 3 it is fine.  Also  Vevo which is a music video channel I discovered last week plays video  with much jitter however on the Roku 3 they play smooth.  I finally had  enough and for the 10th time I disconnected my ATV and I will be giving  it to my uncle to sell at his garage sale so I won't be temped to hook  it up.

Alan Bruce Ammerman wrote:

 

I'm so sick of this that I'm ready to drop Netflix streaming -- maybe to switch to Amazon's service.  Although I'd have to buy another type of box to do that.

Get a Roku 3 it is a great little streaming box.  It has Amazon instant and now YouTube so most of the channnels are there.

There's a front-page Wall Street Journal article today (Feb. 19) that is, I think, all about this very issue we're trying to figure out: "Feud Over Netflix Traffic Leads to Video Slowdown".  I don't know how to embed a link here, but the URL for the article is below.  Or you could Google it.  Anyway, it looks like it has nothing to do with the type or brand of streaming box you use.  I might have to reactivate my Netflix DVD rentals.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579391223249896550

Alan Bruce Ammerman wrote:

 

There's a front-page Wall Street Journal article today (Feb. 19) that is, I think, all about this very issue we're trying to figure out...

Anyway, it looks like it has nothing to do with the type or brand of streaming box you use.

There are lots of articles.  They're not about this problem.  If you read the posts in this thread about the topic "Netflix quality HORRID after update" you see that only the ATV is persistently failing.  You only have to look back about 10 posts.  My TiVo, PS3 and Roku all work as advertised while the ATV does not.