# Is it just me, or is Netflix quality terrible?



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Recently I've been using the TiVo Search Beta more then the old fashion search. (the speed has gotten better so it's actually usable) Because of this I've discovered that some of the movies I'm looking for are actually available via Netflix streaming. Unfortunately most of the time the quality is horrendous. It's not even that it's over compressed, which it obviously is, but that it's almost like they did a bad job with the frame rate conversion so the video is "choppy". A few of the things I've watched are "good enough", but most of the time it's so bad that I end up turning it off after just a few minutes. 

Am I the only one having this experience? Or is everyone else seeing the same thing? (I have a 16Mbps connection and always get full bars, so I know my internet connection is not to blame)

Dan


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## global_dev (Mar 15, 2010)

Dan203 said:


> Recently I've been using the TiVo Search Beta more then the old fashion search. (the speed has gotten better so it's actually usable) Because of this I've discovered that some of the movies I'm looking for are actually available via Netflix streaming. Unfortunately most of the time the quality is horrendous. It's not even that it's over compressed, which it obviously is, but that it's almost like they did a bad job with the frame rate conversion so the video is "choppy". A few of the things I've watched are "good enough", but most of the time it's so bad that I end up turning it off after just a few minutes.
> 
> Am I the only one having this experience? Or is everyone else seeing the same thing? (I have a 16Mbps connection and always get full bars, so I know my internet connection is not to blame)
> 
> Dan


I haven't had a frame rate issue, but i have had aspecct issues, where i think the 4:3 is off.

I watched Labyrinth in HD (WS) last week and it was excellent (no issues). Then I tried "Cats don't Dance" in 4:3 and it was squeezed left to right. But no choppiness.

Perhaps its an issue at a switch or router.


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## RoyK (Oct 22, 2004)

I've watched quite a few Netflix movies and had no issues with choppiness except once when my dsl was running unusually slow. My TiVoHD has a wired Ethernet connection.


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## RayChuang88 (Sep 5, 2002)

I believe you want at least a six megabits per second download speed Internet connection for decent quality NetFlix streaming. As such, not for me!


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## socrplyr (Jul 19, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> Am I the only one having this experience? Or is everyone else seeing the same thing? (I have a 16Mbps connection and always get full bars, so I know my internet connection is not to blame)
> 
> Dan


I am assuming that when you say you get full bars, you are using wireless. Try wired and see if it helps. Generally, wireless is a POS. It is really the worst tech to use for reasonably high bit rate streaming. It should be able to handle it, but it may not be able to due to many many issues (interference, too many others around you with APs, etc).
Another possible culprit is a crappy router. I have gotten crappy routers from every manufacturer, and sometimes it is hard to find a good one. So you might want to look into that.
Next your internet connection may well be the problem. The fact that you are advertised 16Mbps means next to nothing. That is generally the theoretical peak speed they will give you. It says nothing about your packet loss, latency, and minimum guaranteed speed. For example, Time Warner Cabled used to only guarantee 512Kbps throughput on their 5Mbps plan where I was.
I point all these things out just to show that you may still be looking at a network/internet issue. Now are all of netflix's videos perfectly encoded? I would say no, but I have only had any issues with a very small number of them (1 or 2 out of over 100) with my TivoHD.


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

I've never had a single problem with streaming Netflix. It rarely ever freezes and picture quality is excellent. I'm also using a wired connection, not wireless.


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## hawkinsb (Nov 14, 2007)

I'm wired, and we watch Netflix streams all the time with no issues. It does vary somewhat movie to movie, and occasionally we run into one with terrible lip sync, but on the whole, they're very good.


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## slydog75 (Jul 8, 2004)

RayChuang88 said:


> I believe you want at least a six megabits per second download speed Internet connection for decent quality NetFlix streaming. As such, not for me!


You can achieve Full HD quality(Netflix's version anyway) with a 3Mbps connection, assuming you're actually GETTING Mbps. I have a 3Mbps DSL connection and when it's actually working properly I get great quality.


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## jadziedzic (Apr 20, 2009)

I've personally found that my Roku player produces a better quality picture than my TiVo, with less aspect ratio issues.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

Netflix rocks on the TiVo. On my rr standard connection, picture quality is great. We have also streamed to three different machines on the network with no choppiness. Aspect however is ALL OVER THE PLACE. I almost always have to cycle through the aspect options to find the one that doesn't compress or stretch the picture. Even shows coming down in letter box are compressed and I have to use the "Fill All" function on the TV to get the picture right. "Fill All" on my set grabs everything and stretches it to fit the screen. 

We use the TiVo, my son's PS3, and a random PC here and there for streaming. 99% of the time we use just the two boxes for Netflix concurrently, but since my 13 year old is a youtube junky there's always stuff coming from there as well.


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## SugarBowl (Jan 5, 2007)

I've never been able to get the aspect ratio correct. Every movie i have tried either looks stretched, compressed, or is clearly cropped because the credits are chopped off.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

The only real problem I have noticed in regards to picture quality is, like the OP already mentioned, due to the fact that the stream is highly compressed. This is not really a problem with bright material, but extremely dark scenes often look horribly digitized.


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## jmpivo (Mar 21, 2005)

Netflix works fine for us since day1... FIOS-->wireless-->Tivo s3 or to Desktop+ on 64bit 7. -jeff.


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## klj (Feb 26, 2010)

netflix streaming always looks better on my ps3 than on my tivo so i stick with that.. not sure if they're using different encoding or what..


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

I've noticed that a lot, if not just about all, of the "Starz!' movies available on Netflix are horribly encoded...

They're almost always 4:3 instead of widescreen and the bitrate used makes them not look much better than youtube.

It's gotten to the point that when I start streaming a movie and the first thing that appears is the Starz logo, I just immediately stop it and move on to something else.


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## klj (Feb 26, 2010)

Jeeters said:


> I've noticed that a lot, if not just about all, of the "Starz!' movies available on Netflix are horribly encoded....


yea, the starz movies are horrible.. it's a shame to because they have a nice selection..


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## bkthiess (Mar 11, 2010)

jadziedzic said:


> I've personally found that my Roku player produces a better quality picture than my TiVo, with less aspect ratio issues.


It's not as good on Tivo as my Samsung blu-ray either. Sammy delivers better colors, hits "HD" more often, and has fewer re-buffers. Of course this was all before my Tivo had a meltdown.


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## scummybear (Mar 3, 2010)

I stream Netflix from xbox 360 and now my Premiere. And quality is tip top on both. The UI is significantly better on xbox over TiVo but as far as quality goes of the video themselves, they both stream great quality.

I have a wired connection to both.


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## Dubfire (Mar 23, 2010)

I get great picture quality on both my xbox and premiere. I do like both interfaces but prefer tivo's cleaner, less kiddie interface. My only complaint: xbox keeps track of episodes watched - for example i wanted to continue watching dexter but was not sure what show i had left off on so i had to boot up my xbox to check.


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## Revolutionary (Dec 1, 2004)

I don't think Dan is just commenting on HD picture quality, specifically, right Dan? Just on the fact that some of the content (presumably not HD) is dreadful?

It seems that content on Netlfix breaks down into the following categories, by order of quality:

1. Studio-supplied Netflix HD
2. Studio-supplied Netflix SD
3. Starz Play SD

A lot of the Starz Play content looks like it was recorded on a VHS and then ripped to DVD, then compressed so Netflix could stream it. Just looks like... well, ass, really. Plus you have be sure that the Tivo and your display are set to that one magical combination of settings to permit the picture to be displayed without stretching/squishing. (And I'm on a wired 25Mb connection with full signal -- I've never received less than the full-quality).

I know there is a lot of Starz Play content on Netflix, and generally more content is better. But this feels janky and bootlegged -- which shouldn't be a surprise considering that Disney is claiming that Starz Play is essentially bootlegging... Perhaps if Netflix loses that content it will motivate them to get better quality versions directly from the studios.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

OK I guess I need to clarify a little. I am connected to a completely wired network. When I say I get "full bars" I mean I get the maximum number of quality bars in the Netflix app. I know it's not a network issue because my entire local network is gigabit and my internet connection is 16Mbps.

Perhaps I'm just pickier then most people. Although I have watched a few things that are OK, so maybe it's just certain movies that have the problem. For example I recently watched the movie Sex Drive and it was fine. However we tried to watch The Proposal the other night and it had the frame rate issue I'm talking about. I've also seen poor quality when attempting to watch Die Hard and Ghostbusters. Has anyone watched those movies and thought the quality was OK?

As for the aspect thing... I discovered that the Netflix aspect ratio is effected by the Aspect setting of TiVo, but unfortunately you can't actually set that setting form within the Netflix app so if you have it set wrong you have to exit the Netflix app, go to live TV (or a recording) and change it, then restart the Neflix stream. The worst part is that it's not always obvious what aspect the Netflix movies are in. Some are anamorphic and require the Full setting while others are letterboxed and require the Zoom setting. And 4:3 movies usually require the Pannel setting, but some seem to be panel boxed and require the Full setting. So there is some trial and error involved which makes having to exit the stream to change the setting all the more frustrating.

Dan


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## sghrush (Mar 8, 2005)

Dan203 said:


> Recently I've been using the TiVo Search Beta more then the old fashion search. (the speed has gotten better so it's actually usable) Because of this I've discovered that some of the movies I'm looking for are actually available via Netflix streaming. Unfortunately most of the time the quality is horrendous. It's not even that it's over compressed, which it obviously is, but that it's almost like they did a bad job with the frame rate conversion so the video is "choppy". A few of the things I've watched are "good enough", but most of the time it's so bad that I end up turning it off after just a few minutes.
> 
> Am I the only one having this experience? Or is everyone else seeing the same thing? (I have a 16Mbps connection and always get full bars, so I know my internet connection is not to blame)
> 
> Dan


Mine looks great w/o trouble. The pic looks better than DVD but not quite as sharp as BD. I have about 17Mbps.


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## SCOBYCLAUS (Mar 30, 2010)

I am the not so proud owner of the new Tivo Premier and agree with you 100%. The interface and the picture Quality streaming from NetFlix is barely above poor. Luckily I have a Sony Blu Ray player that also streams Netflix. The menu is much better then on the tivo and for some reason the quaility is far better.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Hmmm... I have a PS3 and an XBox, both of which are "capable" of doing Netflix but I've never actually tried it on them. I wonder if this is a TiVo specific problem? I'll have to try one of those other devices and see.

Dan


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

Dan203 said:


> Hmmm... I have a PS3 and an XBox, both of which are "capable" of doing Netflix but I've never actually tried it on them. I wonder if this is a TiVo specific problem? I'll have to try one of those other devices and see.
> 
> Dan


Your Xbox will require a Gold membership to Xbox Live. I tried it back when I had a free month trial of it. I agree with everyone else, the Xbox implementation is light years ahead of Tivo's.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> .......... it's almost like they did a bad job with the frame rate conversion so the video is "choppy". A few of the things I've watched are "good enough", but most of the time it's so bad that I end up turning it off after just a few minutes.
> ..........


I see jerky background movement during wide pans (where the camera is following the actor) on a lot of my Netflix videos. Haven't tried to correlate it with whether they are Starz. It seems worse than "judder" but who knows?

Hardwired network testing 8 Mbps. Very few other problems lately.


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## Revolutionary (Dec 1, 2004)

I've used Netflix on my PS3 and my Series3 (HD and SD, both). I haven't noticed a single iota of difference in picture quality between the two boxes (unlike, for instance, the Roku, which has demonstrably worse quality than the Tivo). The PS3's interface is nicer, but I still barely use it. It's just too convenient to have Netflix in my Now Playing -- no need to switch the receiver to a different input and grab another remote. 

I think things like that panning judder is a product of the conversion process from 24p to 30p or 60i framerates, and is therefore inherent in the streamed content. (IIRC, Netflix HD is 720/30p while their SD is 460/60i). As I said, I've noticed it on both PS3 and Tivo viewed content.


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## txporter (Sep 18, 2006)

dlfl said:


> I see jerky background movement during wide pans (where the camera is following the actor) on a lot of my Netflix videos. Haven't tried to correlate it with whether they are Starz. It seems worse than "judder" but who knows?
> 
> Hardwired network testing 8 Mbps. Very few other problems lately.


I would bet that it is just judder. TivoHD/S3 had odd playback issues at framerates below 25fps. I would bet that the streams coming into the Tivo from Netflix are 29.97fps. I have tried pushing 23.976fps h.264 material with 3:2 pulldown flags set and my Tivo doesn't recognize the flags. Based on that, I think we are dealing with hard telecine material from Netflix.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

OK at least I know I'm not the only one seeing it. I guess most people are able to ignore it, but to me it's bad enough that I can't enjoy the movie. I don't mind a little macroblocking or the occasional muddiness caused by over compression, but this "judder" drives me nuts.

Dan


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## DocNo (Oct 10, 2001)

Dan203 said:


> OK I guess I need to clarify a little. I am connected to a completely wired network. When I say I get "full bars" I mean I get the maximum number of quality bars in the Netflix app. I know it's not a network issue because my entire local network is gigabit and my internet connection is 16Mbps.


And between your 16Mbps Internet connection and your gigabit network is a router/firewall/NAT box of some sort. What make/model is it? Who is your ISP? Are they doing traffic shaping and de-prioritizing the Netflix stream to your Tivo? Just because you have 16mbps service doesn't mean you are getting that between your series 3 and Netflix - there can be a multitude of factors. You are way ahead of most people by not having wireless in the loop, now it's time to work up the chain to figure out where your next obvious bottle neck is.

I was using a M0n0wall firewall on an embedded fanless platform and now I am using an Apple Airport Extreme (the latest dual band model) as my router/NAT/firewall with Comcast's base Internet service. Everything is direct wired (100mbs) and as far as quality, it's always been excellent. The netflix app itself used to be flaky, but lately the few times I have tried it again it's much improved and I haven't had any issues, so I may have to retract previous complaints about Tivo's Netflix implementation - they obviously have improved it significantly.

If you know how, or know someone who knows how to use and accurately interpret a packet sniffer, that would answer more questions faster than any speculation or blind trying of things.


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## DocNo (Oct 10, 2001)

greg_burns said:


> Your Xbox will require a Gold membership to Xbox Live. I tried it back when I had a free month trial of it. I agree with everyone else, the Xbox implementation is light years ahead of Tivo's.


That used to be. I just started using the Tivo (original S3 with the OLED display) Netflix again last week and the quality is identical and the app no longer crashes every time you sneeze. Since the Tivo remote and the on screen controls are superior to the Xbox implementation, Tivo is back to being my Netflix streaming device of choice - for my TV anyway. I can't put Netflix on my iPad down - but that's another thread


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## mvnuenen (Jun 1, 2007)

I can stream Netflix through my PS3, XBOX 360, Tivo and thru Boxee/PlayOn/AppleTV. The quality has always been great -and identical- on the first three devices and terrible on the ATV. I do like the PS3 interface best as it shows immediately (before selecting the movie) what is HD and what is not.

Now, good news for Tivo, with the Premiere you no longer have to add movies to your queue first before Tivo sees them. Movies that come suggested (by Tivo Premiere) can be played instantly!


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## skiguy32 (Mar 24, 2010)

I just set up my S3 tivo & my Sony Blu Ray player today to stream netflix and it seems to work pretty well but I'm noticing that the Quality meter at the beginning of the movie doesn't do anything! It shows no bars, however the quality of the movies looks pretty good I think. I'm just curious as to why when I play a HD movie ,the quality meter doesn't increase at all? I have HDMI connections!


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## Revolutionary (Dec 1, 2004)

skiguy32 said:


> I just set up my S3 tivo & my Sony Blu Ray player today to stream netflix and it seems to work pretty well but I'm noticing that the Quality meter at the beginning of the movie doesn't do anything! It shows no bars, however the quality of the movies looks pretty good I think. I'm just curious as to why when I play a HD movie ,the quality meter doesn't increase at all? I have HDMI connections!


If the quality meter says "HD" for an HD show/movie, then you are getting the full quality. And what matters is the quality of your broadband internet connection and how you are connected to the internet (e.g., Wifi or wired ethernet), not what type of cable you are using to connect the Tivo to your TV (e.g., HDMI).

If the quality meter shows all gray bars, none white, but you are still getting a picture, then something is wonky. I have no idea what could cause that short of a software glitch, however.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

DocNo said:


> And between your 16Mbps Internet connection and your gigabit network is a router/firewall/NAT box of some sort. What make/model is it? Who is your ISP? Are they doing traffic shaping and de-prioritizing the Netflix stream to your Tivo? Just because you have 16mbps service doesn't mean you are getting that between your series 3 and Netflix - there can be a multitude of factors. You are way ahead of most people by not having wireless in the loop, now it's time to work up the chain to figure out where your next obvious bottle neck is.


I was having trouble with my XBox live connection a few months back (serious lag) so I upgraded to a brand new, high end, D-Link GamerLounge router and got a new modem from my cable company. (fixed the Xbox problem) Ever since I regularly check my connection speed on a laptop which is connected to a wireless access point that is in turn connected to the same switch as my TiVo. No matter what time of day it is I never see the download speed drop lower then 12Mbps. Not to mention the fact that the Netflix app always shows maximum bars when I'm watching a movie. (even HD) Whatever this is it's definitely not a network problem.

I still haven't had a chance to check the same movies on my XBox yet to determine if this is a TiVo problem or a general Netflix problem. As soon as I do I'll report back.

Dan


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

Dan203 said:


> I was having trouble with my XBox live connection a few months back (serious lag) so I upgraded to a brand new, high end, D-Link GamerLounge router ...


This is an excellent router. I bought one for my dad to use for MRV between his two TiVos. I'm sure the router is overkill for his purposes, but it does works great.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I finally tried it on my XBox and it looks the same. I guess I'm just more sensitive to the quality issues then most.

Dan


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Netflix HD isn't really HD. Netflix SD isn't really SD.

I think it's a lot of transcoding and compression issues. Before Netflix started streaming to TiVos I watched a lot of Amazon On Demand ("Unbox") content and some of what you're seeing on Netflix was an issue with batch-downloaded Amazon content as well - reduced dynamic range in shadows, jerky horizontal motion, etc. Maybe Amazon has improved since those days, but I haven't downloaded a movie thorugh Amazon for awhile.

The fact that the quality from an "HD" Netflix stream is even possible on a home broadband connection is pretty amazing to me, so I'm willing to put up with some crap to get it. I don't expect HD or DVD quality, but it looks like you need more to be happy.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The weird part is that for me some stuff is OK, other stuff is not. It's almost like they do a good job working within the constraints on some stuff, but on others they do a terrible job with those constraints. I've seen the same situation from Amazon. Some stuff I've watched via Amazon is fine, other stuff has the same jerky motion problem. One thing Netflix has over Amazon is that it's free, so I don't have to pay $2-$4 to find out if the quality is OK.

Dan


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## dsisson (Nov 3, 2005)

have never watch a bad netflix on my ps3 that is wired, can not say the same with my wired tivohd.


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## JTYoung1 (Aug 13, 2006)

If it is Starz Play, it is garbage. It looks as bad or worse than a VHS recording.


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## Gavroche (May 27, 2007)

JTYoung1 said:


> If it is Starz Play, it is garbage. It looks as bad or worse than a VHS recording.


Think you may have hit it there... I agree, looks awful.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

That could be it. I think most of the "bad" movies I've watched have been Starz Play.

Dan


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## slydog75 (Jul 8, 2004)

JTYoung1 said:


> If it is Starz Play, it is garbage. It looks as bad or worse than a VHS recording.


You must have had one outstanding VHS player. Or maybe just a bad memory? The Stars stuff in HD on Netlfix certainly isn't real HD, but it's not VHS quality either.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

None of the Starz stuff that I've attempted to watch has been HD. In fact very few things I'm actually interested in watching via Netflix are in HD. The only things I've seen on there that are "main stream" and HD are TV shows. Most of the big studio movies are available only in SD.

Dan


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## Thorin78 (Oct 1, 2009)

My Tivo HD just shows a gray screen when I try to watch ANY netflix. It'll show the info bar shows up, but then i just get a gray screen. It started about a week ago and I can't figure it out. I try to switch back to Tivo Central and i get the menu screen w/ the gray background. Then the Tivo reboots.

Can anyone help?


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## turbobuick86 (May 3, 2002)

Netflix needs to eliminate all 4x3 except for classic tv shows. Even if it's not HD, movies should all be 16x9 at this stage of the game.

I'm wireless FIOS without issues with Netflix HD.


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## JTYoung1 (Aug 13, 2006)

slydog75 said:


> You must have had one outstanding VHS player. Or maybe just a bad memory? The Stars stuff in HD on Netlfix certainly isn't real HD, but it's not VHS quality either.


I suspect I got an exceptionally bad transfer of the movie I was trying to watch. It was nowhere close to SD quality and it honestly looked worse than something recorded on VHS, of course my last player was a S-VHS player so that may have had something to do with my perception. 
What I got through Starz Play IMO was unwatchable.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Thorin78 said:


> My Tivo HD just shows a gray screen when I try to watch ANY netflix. It'll show the info bar shows up, but then i just get a gray screen. It started about a week ago and I can't figure it out. I try to switch back to Tivo Central and i get the menu screen w/ the gray background. Then the Tivo reboots.
> 
> Can anyone help?


I get that when there is not a good HDCP connection between my TV and my TiVo. If I simply turn of the TV, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on it will usually work. I get the same thing from my PS3 when playing BluRay movies and my XBox 360 when playing Netflix. Although on the XBox it puts up a message actually telling you what's wrong, rather then just a blank screen like the TiVo and PS3.

Dan


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## RedDelorean (Jun 22, 2008)

But I was just trying to watch a netflix movie on my series three and I just had to turn it off. The judder was unbearable. I really think txporter is on to something. I used to do a lot of format conversion stuff to get my movies stored on disk, and I've messed up enough conversions to know when the telecine isn't reversed - you get *exactly* this kind of effect.

I'm glad to see at least a few others have noticed, but have to say I'm deeply disappointed that my S3 handles this so poorly.

The original poster is definitely not imagining things- this issue is real.


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## Stinkweed8 (Feb 1, 2004)

I have almost giving up using my s3 to watch Netflix, and prefer to use the xbox360 instead. The tivo very often wont even start the stream for some reason, and more often needs to resync or rebuffer in the middle of the show. This never happens on the xbox. Both are wired into my fast network.

Also, teh xbox interface is light years better than the Tivo...I dont know why they dont upgrade that terrible tivo/netflix interface.


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## cogx (Sep 23, 2006)

I also have issues with Netflix and my S3, although it seems to be a bit better over the past couple of months. However, I'd say, 2 out of every 4 streams I start up, I get no audio to start. So, I press left to go back to the menu, start the stream over, and nearly every time I get audio on the second start. Compared to the problems I had just getting the shows to play at all earlier this year and last year, I'll take it.


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## JimboG (May 27, 2007)

Yep, since biting the bullet and finally upgrading to Xbox Live Gold, I've pretty much given up on streaming Netflix on my Series 3.

The Netflix implementation on the Xbox 360 is better looking, more stable, and more reliable than the Series 3 Tivo.


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## Mishkin (Apr 20, 2002)

Stinkweed8 said:


> I have almost giving up using my s3 to watch Netflix, and prefer to use the xbox360 instead. The tivo very often wont even start the stream for some reason, and more often needs to resync or rebuffer in the middle of the show. This never happens on the xbox. Both are wired into my fast network.
> 
> Also, teh xbox interface is light years better than the Tivo...I dont know why they dont upgrade that terrible tivo/netflix interface.


I've had nothing but headaches w/ Tivo Series 3 and Netflix. I've had stuttering, lost buffers, and just total lock-ups on two occasions where I had to cycle the Tivo. This is with the network connection reporting 80-ish percent signal strength.

My PS3 has no problems at all w/ Netflix. The PS3 is right below the Tivo and going though same WIFI connection.

I've totally given up trying to watch Netflix on my Tivo.


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## PillowPants (Jun 8, 2010)

DocNo said:


> Since the Tivo remote and the on screen controls are superior to the Xbox implementation, Tivo is back to being my Netflix streaming device of choice - for my TV anyway. I can't put Netflix on my iPad down - but that's another thread


You're kidding right?

The xbox lets you browse movies that are on netflix, but aren't in your queue. It puts them into groups you may like, Comedy, Action, Visually Striking Thrillers, etc. It also lets you add those movies to your queue,. and watch movies from your queue, all in one application.

The tivo implementation of netflix is absolutely terrible. I've never heard anyone say the xbox implementation is bad. 
The xbox is the benchmark of perfect netflix implementation


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## cogx (Sep 23, 2006)

I'd like to know how much more quiet the new "slim" Xbox360 is, but as loud as my Jasper model is, I can't consider it a legitimate home theater device. I shouldn't have to crank the sound of what I'm watching just to drown out the fan noise from my 360. So, I continue to muddle through with TiVo's Netflix implementation, such as it is.


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## JTYoung1 (Aug 13, 2006)

The difference between the new Xbox "slim" and the old (fat) models is night and day. I think the new Xbox is quieter than my 40GB PS3


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## MaxH42 (Apr 8, 2009)

Thorin78 said:


> My Tivo HD just shows a gray screen when I try to watch ANY netflix. It'll show the info bar shows up, but then i just get a gray screen. It started about a week ago and I can't figure it out. I try to switch back to Tivo Central and i get the menu screen w/ the gray background. Then the Tivo reboots.
> 
> Can anyone help?


I got exactly that when I played one particular episode (Red Dwarf E1S1), and after that, nothing would play right until I rebooted. Try rebooting, then playing some Netflix content you've never played before.


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## rmassey (Sep 5, 2002)

tonight I cannot get any picture from netflix. I get audio and a black screen on my S3. I tried about six different movies, same thing. I give up. 

I notice my TivoHD has less Netflix issues than my S3... different hardware I guess.


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## TexasGrillChef (Sep 15, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> Recently I've been using the TiVo Search Beta more then the old fashion search. (the speed has gotten better so it's actually usable) Because of this I've discovered that some of the movies I'm looking for are actually available via Netflix streaming. Unfortunately most of the time the quality is horrendous. It's not even that it's over compressed, which it obviously is, but that it's almost like they did a bad job with the frame rate conversion so the video is "choppy". A few of the things I've watched are "good enough", but most of the time it's so bad that I end up turning it off after just a few minutes.
> 
> Am I the only one having this experience? Or is everyone else seeing the same thing? (I have a 16Mbps connection and always get full bars, so I know my internet connection is not to blame)
> 
> Dan


I think it might be you, and anyone else who doesn't have a reliable consistant broadband internet connection.

If your internet connection can't maintain a flat consistant & constant 5mbps to your Netflix device then the quality will be reduced significantly.

Some people set thier QOS (Quality of Service) settings in their Router to give priorty internet access to their TiVo. This will help if someone in your home is trying to do something on the internet while Netflix is playing.

Except when I have had issues with the internet I haven't ever had any problems with Netlfix playing on any of the Netflix devices I have. Including the TiVo. The only time I have issues is when I am having internet issues.

Keep in mind that even if you do have a consistant 16mbps internet connection. There maybe other issues going on your internet connection as well. Such as network traffic inside the home. One of the reasons QOS settings on routers are becoming an important feature to have on a router.

TGC


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## lrhorer (Aug 31, 2003)

Does NetFlix employ UDP or TCP to transfer movies? If UDP, how do they moderate their stream to acount for network congestion and / or bandwidth bottlenecks?


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