Netflix Or Me?

Stigura

I'm trying to watch Netflix and am finding the film sort of strobing on me. Ye know that effect? When somebody will cross a room in like a stuttering movement. Like frames are sticking?

Might this be Netflix. Or, could it be something to do with my end?

Hope that's not too vague. Anyone wants to know anything, please do just tell me what ye need. Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to start.

Thanks.

Stigura

Hmmm. Just to add to this; YouTube works fine. People move naturally and lips / voices are synced.

Could it be a Netflix problem?

MrMusician18

Stigura wrote: »

Hmmm. Just to add to this; YouTube works fine. People move naturally and lips / voices are synced.

Could it be a Netflix problem?

What are you watching it on?

Stigura

Weird little computer. Looks very much like this ~ though I can't guarantee it's the exact same model and specs:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-Black-VN281G-UA4252W-Mini-Desktop-PC-with-Intel-Atom-D425-Processor-2GB-Memory-500GB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-7-Professional/19514123

Never really had this problem before. I tried leaving the film to buffer. Doesn't work. But, now watching the end of a second, forty odd minute episode, it seems to be sorting itself out?

No fun though, watching an hour and a half of Charlie Chaplinesque film, before it warms itself up.

lawred2

It's not netflix

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

lawred2 wrote: »

It's not netflix

Prove it...

Watched the Counselor today and it was absolutely terrible. Came in at 420p. I have a HD package with netflix and a 25mb connection. Amazon prime is perfect too.

Here's what the rep said to me:

I did check with our research team, the reason why it's only showing that kind of quality when you watch non-netflix originals, is that it's only licensed to stream in SD rather than HD with the computer that you are using, factors like the brand, video graphics, or CPU could be the issue for this one which is only licensed to be streamed in Standard quality, we suggest to use an alternate device for the meantime.

So it could be the CPU, Graphics or the license agreement they have for that film. Nothing has changed on my end whatsoever. The rep suggested using my phone. My fracking phone, like what kind of a gobshíte answer is that? The rep said that watching the same film on a smart TV would work in HD... same account, same connection, everything is the same apart from the device. I can't figure that one out. I couldn't quite figure out what they meant by this either;

You can still stream on the PC, again, it's not the PC or laptop, but one of the hardware like CPU, Video card or the brand itself is licensed to stream in SD only for non-netflix originals.

Intel or Nvidia have a contract with netflix to only stream in SD on computers? Why the hell would that be the case?

Anyway, he got me to check my speed while watching a film using this link: https://fast.com/

Then set my speed to Auto using this link: https://www.netflix.com/HdToggle

If that helps, i'll be surprised.

lawred2

Dawson Obedient Sunbather wrote: »

Prove it...

Watched the Counselor today and it was absolutely terrible. Came in at 420p. I have a HD package with netflix and a 25mb connection. Amazon prime is perfect too.

Here's what the rep said to me:

I did check with our research team, the reason why it's only showing that kind of quality when you watch non-netflix originals, is that it's only licensed to stream in SD rather than HD with the computer that you are using, factors like the brand, video graphics, or CPU could be the issue for this one which is only licensed to be streamed in Standard quality, we suggest to use an alternate device for the meantime.

So it could be the CPU, Graphics or the license agreement they have for that film. Nothing has changed on my end whatsoever. The rep suggested using my phone. My fracking phone, like what kind of a gobshíte answer is that? The rep said that watching the same film on a smart TV would work in HD... same account, same connection, everything is the same apart from the device. I can't figure that one out. I couldn't quite figure out what they meant by this either;

You can still stream on the PC, again, it's not the PC or laptop, but one of the hardware like CPU, Video card or the brand itself is licensed to stream in SD only for non-netflix originals.

Intel or Nvidia have a contract with netflix to only stream in SD on computers? Why the hell would that be the case?

Anyway, he got me to check my speed while watching a film using this link: https://fast.com/

Then set my speed to Auto using this link: https://www.netflix.com/HdToggle

If that helps, i'll be surprised.

I'd be fairly confident the issue lies wholly with the client to be honest

Stigura

Interesting. Those links tell me I'm pulling a MBS. And I'm on Auto. Always have been.

Also, having watched a couple of episodes, back to back (Bates Motel) Things caught up with themselves.

Stopped, to make my dinner ~ 20 mins max? Now, It's simply locking up, as the dialogue rambles on over a frozen screen. Till it jumps a mile to catch up.

rgodard80a

Are you using a Wifi connection or wired ?

Worth trying to use a wired network connection to rule out wifi issues.
Eg. neighbours suddenly using the same wifi channel as you.

I suspect it's windows you are using.


Here are the browser lists.


As you will see the edge or internet explorer have the best resolution due to Netflix using Encrypted Media Extensions.


Try using Netflix using the Edge or IE in private mode.


Resolution
Windows computers support streaming in the following browser resolutions:

• Google Chrome up to 720p
• Internet Explorer up to 1080p
• Microsoft Edge up to 4K*
• Mozilla Firefox up to 720p
• Opera up to 720p
• Windows 8 app up to 1080p
• Windows 10 app up to 4K*

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encrypted_Media_Extensions

rgodard80a

Another possibility... windows is downloading a large Windows update in the background, impacting your network speed.

Stigura

Rgodard80a; I'm on 3. Don't know if that counts as WiFi? Either way, nearest people to me are probably about two hundred yards, straight line. No idea what they do up there.

Regarding a Windows Download? Surely, this would have to be the Mother Load; It's been days now.

Any way I can check any of this, please?


NoDrama; Yeppers. 7 with Firefox.

But, would this encryption thing cause the quality to vary so widely though, even in the course of a nights binging?


Thanks, guys.

TerrorFirmer

If that's the exact PC you're using, that's horrible inadequate. It's an ancient single core that would've been considered slow almost a decade ago! No wonder you're getting drops and stutters. It would help to know the exact model because it sounds like it's definitely on your end.

lawred2

Mobile broadband may or may not be sufficient to support HD downloads. Mobile broadband is not really going to be reliable for such a use case. Especially three's "all you can eat (when you can get it)" broadband

Stigura

Oh lawd. It's not sounding very good then, is it?

I'd be tempted to break out my 'new' machine. Mate recommended that one. Gave me this little Acer to sort of play with till the new one arrived. Then just said I could keep it.

But, if my connection's liable to have a hand in it too? Enough to make me wonder .....

TerrorFirmer

I doubt that CPU can handle anything other than SD properly, 720P would likely be problematic and 1080p definitely out of the equation. As I said....that CPU would've been considered ultra low-end in 2010. Your average phone these days would be 5 times more powerful.

If you watch Netflix at 480P it should be fine, albiet poor image quality.

Stigura

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

If you watch Netflix at 480P it should be fine, albiet poor image quality.

I'm liking the sound of that ~ believe it or not! No idea what poor image quality looks like. But, if it's not strobing .....

God knows; I grew up before we had even black and white TV. The moment they started talking about this " HD " stuff, I knew my eyes had lost the battle. I now sit here, peering closely at my 21" screen. HD's lost on me altogether.

Do ye think the Low setting will do it, please?

PropJoe10

Stigura wrote: »

Oh lawd. It's not sounding very good then, is it?

I'd be tempted to break out my 'new' machine. Mate recommended that one. Gave me this little Acer to sort of play with till the new one arrived. Then just said I could keep it.

But, if my connection's liable to have a hand in it too? Enough to make me wonder .....

That CPU is nowhere near strong enough to stream high definition content. Definitely not Netflix at fault there, I'm afraid!

Stigura

Ok, guys. Thanks. I think I'm seeing a likely pattern here
Last year, I bought and stashed away an HP dc7900, off Amazon:

Manufacturer referenceKP721AV
Processor TypeCore 2 Duo Processor
Speed3 GHz
Processor Count2
RAM Size2 GB
Hard Drive Size160 GB
Hard Disk Technology hdd
Graphics Card Description Intel HD
Operating System windows 7

I hope the above makes sense? It copied, from Amazon, as one long blurb.

Put my little Acer in a drawer, and wire / fire this one up? Or, has stuff already moved on so much that This too would be laughed at, by the demands of who ever runs our worlds today?

PropJoe10

Stigura wrote: »

Ok, guys. Thanks. I think I'm seeing a likely pattern here
Last year, I bought and stashed away an HP dc7900, off Amazon:

Manufacturer referenceKP721AV
Processor TypeCore 2 Duo Processor
Speed3 GHz
Processor Count2
RAM Size2 GB
Hard Drive Size160 GB
Hard Disk Technology hdd
Graphics Card Description Intel HD
Operating System windows 7

I hope the above makes sense? It copied, from Amazon, as one long blurb.

Put my little Acer in a drawer, and wire / fire this one up? Or, has stuff already moved on so much that This too would be laughed at, by the demands of who ever runs our worlds today?

A Core 2 Duo CPU is no world beater by any means, but it should be capable of streaming in HD. Your RAM there isn't great though - 2GB in todays world is pretty low. If you're streaming Netflix on that machine, make sure to keep max one browser tab open, and it should manage it. If you're still seeing issues, its likely you need more RAM.

TerrorFirmer

You bought that last year? Jeez man, stump up for a proper PC! (Core 2 is also ancient, a decade old at least depending on model....but still way faster than that other PC you were using).

You would get a 2nd hand i5 2nd or 3rd gen PC on Ebay with 4GB ram for little more than €100 that would have the CPU power to playback all forms of HD including 4K.

Or else get a modern 2018 model micro-PC that has a processor with built-in HD decoding (also around €150)

lawred2

Stigura wrote: »

Ok, guys. Thanks. I think I'm seeing a likely pattern here
Last year, I bought and stashed away an HP dc7900, off Amazon:

Manufacturer referenceKP721AV
Processor TypeCore 2 Duo Processor
Speed3 GHz
Processor Count2
RAM Size2 GB
Hard Drive Size160 GB
Hard Disk Technology hdd
Graphics Card Description Intel HD
Operating System windows 7

I hope the above makes sense? It copied, from Amazon, as one long blurb.

Put my little Acer in a drawer, and wire / fire this one up? Or, has stuff already moved on so much that This too would be laughed at, by the demands of who ever runs our worlds today?

I hope that was no more than €50

ArthurG

Why don't you just get a Chromecast or something similar?

TerrorFirmer

lawred2 wrote: »

I hope that was no more than €50

Agreed, but at least with that you could probably install a GT1030 for €70 so all the decoding would be taken off the CPU onto card.

Assuming that's an E8400 or E7500, should do HD fine still, old as they are, though it would probably tax the CPU as bit.

Stigura

ArthurG wrote: »

Why don't you just get a Chromecast or something similar?

Leitrim