# Has anyone figured out why the Netflix App...



## alleybj (Dec 6, 2000)

Keeps switching in and out of 1080p24hz, with accompanying black screen? I have two internet providers, 6 meg and 20 meg, and it does it with both. Constantly. I've changed to the Google DNS settings, nothing seems to work. No problem with Netflix HD content that's not 1080p24hz, and I have multiple AppleTVs and Blu Ray players that display Netflix, and everything else, just fine-- again, though, no 1080p24hz. I know I could just turn it off, but it looks so good. Same problem using both Yamaha and Onkyo receivers (with scaling turned off, I believe), but all of the TVs are Sharps, if that matters (The Sharps definitely display 1080p24hz, they even display native PAL without a converter, fyi). I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I have the same problem. The Netflix app dynamically adjusts output from 1080p/24 to 1080i/60 based on available bandwidth. I'm not sure how exactly they determine when to do this but it seems really finicky. Sometimes I can watch an entire show without it doing it and other it happens every few minutes. It got so annoying I just turned of 1080p/24 so it sticks with 1080i/60 instead


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

I don't mean to be snarky, but you can easily solve your problem by purchasing a Roku box or just about any other device you can think of, and never use TiVo for Netflix, because unless you go into your settings and disable 1080p24, you will get this problem unless you have blazingly-fast Internet.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

Have the problem too. I don't think it's a matter of "blazingly fast internet" needed since the 1080p/24 streams are still only about 9-10 Mbps at most. It's more a matter of can you get sustained bandwidth of ~10Mbps for prolonged periods. Since there isn't much buffering with Netflix TiVo app just a momentary drop in bandwidth can cause it to switch. I don't know how many levels (bit rates) of 1080p/24 encodings there are, but I suspect perhaps only 1.

I have seen claims by others that non-TiVo Netflix clients supporting 1080p/24 don't have the problem where TiVo does, so not sure why that would be the case...


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Perhaps those other apps can do more buffering?


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## Mike-Wolf (Feb 25, 2013)

Dan203 said:


> Perhaps those other apps can do more buffering?


I do see this issue on both of my TiVo Premieres, since I have it setup to use 1080i and 1080p/24fps. Most of the time it kicks in within the first minute of a show and stays constant throughout the show and into the Netflix app itself when choosing programming, and upon selecting another show and hitting play it switches back down to 1080i then back to 1080p/24fps. Other times it flops back and forth every few minutes. I'm not sure what to make of it due to my internet connection being a solid 53Mbps down and 10Mbps up.


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## 241705 (Mar 9, 2010)

This issue doesn't appear to be directly related to internet connection bandwidth, either: I currently have 50M down/25M up, and am using wired ethernet to my Premiere and I still have this problem. I finally had to disable 1080p. Would adding a little bit of buffer potentially solve this problem?


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

blackngold75 said:


> This issue doesn't appear to be directly related to internet connection bandwidth, either: I currently have 50M down/25M up, and am using wired ethernet to my Premiere and I still have this problem. I finally had to disable 1080p. Would adding a little bit of buffer potentially solve this problem?


 Remember it has to be solid 10+ Mbps to the Netflix servers and also possibly TiVo servers. Solid 50+ Mbps just of your local node does not mean solid connection to anywhere on the internet as there are many hops that won't see anywhere near 50 Mbps.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Try a different DNS. When I've used my TiVos for Netflix I have not had those problems. Although I am on the FiOS 150/65 tier. The Netflix stream quickly goes to 1080P24 and stays that way during the entire title. Although lately I have been gravitating away from using my TiVos for Netflix. I have been using my Roku 3 and my BD player. And soon I will stop using my ROku boxes for netflix and mainly use my BD players since I can access the Netflix 3D titles from them.(I'm getting a second Netflix 3D capable 3D player soon)


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## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

anyone else see audio lag when the tivo ramps up to 24p? it only happens to me on 24p. how do i solve this? i wouldnt even know where to start on my avr or tv, especially since all other non 24p content works fine.


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

I clearly have a much smaller (perhaps almost non-existent) knowledge base than the rest of you on this, but the only problem I'm having is that when I start a show it is a little pixely. After it goes a few minutes that goes away. But if I have to rewind or FF it gets pixely for a couple of minutes again.

I watch on my TV, through the Tivo Netflix app, with a wireless home network.

I have only recently re-joined Netflix so I can watch House of Cards so I feel like I need a course in remote commands anyway. I have a hellish time being able to just get from the end of the show back to the menu to watch the next episode.


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## phone man (Nov 4, 2011)

I love my Tivo for TV but I'm with djwilso on this one regarding Netflix. Our Sony TV's built in Netflix interface works much better than the Tivo with little to no early pixilation while it figures out your current bandwidth and we use a Roku on the TV in the bedroom. I do see the early pixilation on the Roku but the resolution improves quickly. We have a 10meg dsl connection now but we had no issues when we had 3meg either. All three devices are connected to the modem with an ethernet cable.


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## Davedude (May 26, 2012)

I have the same problem, switched to 1080i only. Also, pause and restart causes pixalation. I have a 25/5 MB internet connection, that should be plenty of bandwidth to support Tivo's Netflix. Tivo is a great "All in one box" except for the Tivo Netflix app. I have used Netflix on 4 other devices and never had such a poor experience. It's usable, but just barely. If it performed like the Xfinity on demand app, it would be great. I hope Tivo fixes it in the next update.


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## Mike-Wolf (Feb 25, 2013)

aaronwt said:


> Try a different DNS. When I've used my TiVos for Netflix I have not had those problems. Although I am on the FiOS 150/65 tier. The Netflix stream quickly goes to 1080P24 and stays that way during the entire title. Although lately I have been gravitating away from using my TiVos for Netflix. I have been using my Roku 3 and my BD player. And soon I will stop using my ROku boxes for netflix and mainly use my BD players since I can access the Netflix 3D titles from them.(I'm getting a second Netflix 3D capable 3D player soon)


What are the FiOS DNS addresses you are using? Also what about the whole Netflix SuperHD and 3D streaming that they have been touting on about for awhile? https://signup.netflix.com/superhd


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## 241705 (Mar 9, 2010)

Why would different DNS servers make performance any better? DNS should be for host name resolution only, and once the TiVo servers are identified and the connection is made then DNS should no longer be a part of the equation.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

blackngold75 said:


> Why would different DNS servers make performance any better? DNS should be for host name resolution only, and once the TiVo servers are identified and the connection is made then DNS should no longer be a part of the equation.


It can make a huge difference in the speed that the streaming titles start.
I'm currently using the UNBlock US DNS servers(for access to the Neflix 3D and Super HD streams). Prior to that I would use either Google DNS or FiOS DNS.


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## shamilian (Mar 27, 2003)

blackngold75 said:


> Why would different DNS servers make performance any better? DNS should be for host name resolution only, and once the TiVo servers are identified and the connection is made then DNS should no longer be a part of the equation.


The IP address you get from DNS for Netflix video server is different depending on your ISP / location....

You should be receiving the IP address of the closest Netflix to you. This would likely give you the best performance ( unless Netflix/caching service was overwhelmed or configured badly)


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> It can make a huge difference in the speed that the streaming titles start.
> I'm currently using the UNBlock US DNS servers(for access to the Neflix 3D and Super HD streams). Prior to that I would use either Google DNS or FiOS DNS.


You can get that kind of bandwidth over a VPN? I have a VPN account that I use for some torrenting, and it's OK for bandwidth (about 8mbps symmetrical), but it seems kind of inconsistent speed and latency wise.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Bigg said:


> You can get that kind of bandwidth over a VPN? I have a VPN account that I use for some torrenting, and it's OK for bandwidth (about 8mbps symmetrical), but it seems kind of inconsistent speed and latency wise.


I'm only using UNBlock US to get access to those SuperHD and 3D streams.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> I'm only using UNBlock US to get access to those SuperHD and 3D streams.


Still, those are two big bandwidth sucking applications to be running through a VPN.


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## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

Bigg said:


> Still, those are two big bandwidth sucking applications to be running through a VPN.


He is not using a VPN. He is using unblock us, a DNS service. Big difference.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Aero 1 said:


> He is not using a VPN. He is using unblock us, a DNS service. Big difference.


What? Their site advertises it as a VPN. How do you trick Netflix into thinking it's one of a few supported ISPs with a DNS service?


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## drkside (Mar 23, 2013)

My Netflix is acting up the same way


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## Aero 1 (Aug 8, 2007)

Bigg said:


> What? Their site advertises it as a VPN. How do you trick Netflix into thinking it's one of a few supported ISPs with a DNS service?


it doesnt advertise as a VPN, they say its faster, smarter than any vpn. Probably marketing speak to entice people who understand what a VPN does but have no idea that it can be done with DNS.

been using them for 2 years for sports blackout bypass and never had to install any vpn software locally. all you do is change your default DNS servers to theirs, whether it be at the router level so all computer and devices can take advantage of the service or change individual device settings if you just want one device to use it.

they do some DNS geolocation spoofing tricking the supported services that you are in the specific country. if i go to HBOGO or hulu, it knows im in the US, if i go to BBC iplayer it knows im in England. no need to connect to certain servers in certain countries. who knows how they do it, but its sorcery. No VPN connection is ever initiated by me to a location i want, especially since nothing is installed anywhere, and my 50 down 25 up fios service never goes below that.

they only support a few sites, this service is mostly for outsiders to connect to US sites, but they let US users to access BBC and other english sites and bypass MLB.tv, NHL Game Center blackouts. here is a list of supported sites: http://support.unblock-us.com/customer/portal/articles/291570-supported-and-unsupported-sites

They have two differentiators that similar DNS services do not have. one is that it allows you to watch the Netflix catalog of a specific country. http://support.unblock-us.com/customer/portal/articles/291570-supported-and-unsupported-sites. Some countries have newer relases or better movie than US. for example, i wanted to watch Groundhog Day but its not available in the US, so i switched the region to the UK since netflix uk has it, and watched it in HD.

The second one is that by using unblock us, you will have Netflix Super HD and 3d streams if your isp doesnt support it. The downside is that it always doesnt work. Although they say it works, a bunch of us found out that its hit or miss depending on what device you use or if your lucky that the stream hits the Open Connect servers. http://support.unblock-us.com/custo...-super-hd-streaming-now-supported-on-netflix-


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Aero 1 said:


> it doesnt advertise as a VPN, they say its faster, smarter than any vpn. Probably marketing speak to entice people who understand what a VPN does but have no idea that it can be done with DNS.
> 
> been using them for 2 years for sports blackout bypass and never had to install any vpn software locally. all you do is change your default DNS servers to theirs, whether it be at the router level so all computer and devices can take advantage of the service or change individual device settings if you just want one device to use it.
> 
> ...


But DNS isn't a VPN, at least if you're trying to decouple your ISP account with some activity.

Very interesting. It's a little creepy though, since they have to do a lot of monitoring of your traffic to get to that level. Even given that though, it sounds very interesting, just for the Netflix alone.

Stuff from other countries is usually on TPB, which plus a VPN...


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## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

This never worked well on my HD 2 so I haven't even tried it on my Premier and use my Wii box instead. (It is very stable for this function.)


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

sieglinde said:


> This never worked well on my HD 2 so I haven't even tried it on my Premier and use my Wii box instead. (It is very stable for this function.)


Netflix??? It's not HD on the Wii.


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## alleybj (Dec 6, 2000)

Finally gave up and bought Panasonic dvd player; 1080p24 and the picture stays constant the whole time; I love Tivo but they (or Netflix) really dropped the ball on this one


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

alleybj said:


> Finally gave up and bought Panasonic dvd player; 1080p24 and the picture stays constant the whole time; I love Tivo but they (or Netflix) really dropped the ball on this one


The chipset does not scale to 1080P. The max resolution it scales to is 1080i. The reason the panny and other devices have no issues is because they are able to scale content to 1080P.


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## Fist of Death (Jan 4, 2002)

djwilso said:


> I don't mean to be snarky, but you can easily solve your problem by purchasing a Roku box or just about any other device you can think of, and never use TiVo for Netflix, because unless you go into your settings and disable 1080p24, you will get this problem unless you have blazingly-fast Internet.


Not snarky - it the same solution I wound up with, and it's considerably better (Amazon Prime streaming too).


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

What is the cheapest thing that will do Amazon Prime streaming? (That hooks to a TV..)


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## Mike-Wolf (Feb 25, 2013)

mattack said:


> What is the cheapest thing that will do Amazon Prime streaming? (That hooks to a TV..)


Well Roku LT is $49 and so is the Netgear NeoTV Streaming Player. Here is a list of devices http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Fist of Death said:


> Not snarky - it the same solution I wound up with, and it's considerably better (Amazon Prime streaming too).


Amazon streaming is only 720P. The TiVo gets the 1080P24 encodes from Amazon(if available).

But for getting titles from Amazon that the TiVos can't access, The Roku boxes are the ones I prefer to use. But since they are lower resolution, if I'm able to watch it on my TiVos, then they are what I use to watch, since most of the content I get from Amazon is available in 1080P24, and none of the Amazon streaming devices have access to that.


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## alleybj (Dec 6, 2000)

aaronwt said:


> The chipset does not scale to 1080P. The max resolution it scales to is 1080i. The reason the panny and other devices have no issues is because they are able to scale content to 1080P.


I have to admit that I don't really understand the specifics here, but does the Panasonic have to do any scaling at all if the input signal is 1080p24? In that instance isn't it just passing the signal through?


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> Amazon streaming is only 720P. The TiVo gets the 1080P24 encodes from Amazon(if available).
> 
> But for getting titles from Amazon that the TiVos can't access, The Roku boxes are the ones I prefer to use. But since they are lower resolution, if I'm able to watch it on my TiVos, then they are what I use to watch, since most of the content I get from Amazon is available in 1080P24, and none of the Amazon streaming devices have access to that.


How's the quality compared to VUDU HDX/ Blu-ray?


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## swerver (May 18, 2012)

alleybj said:


> I have to admit that I don't really understand the specifics here, but does the Panasonic have to do any scaling at all if the input signal is 1080p24? In that instance isn't it just passing the signal through?


The tivo can pass through 1080p24 also. The problem is when netflix switches to something other than 1080p24. Then the tivo has to use 1080i (or whatever else is enabled) since it cannot scale to 1080p, it can only pass it through. Then you get the annoying resolution switching on your tv. In your case the tv doesn't have to switch resolution because the blu-ray player is able to output 1080p24, regardless of what netflix is sending. The tivo can do that too, if you only enable say 1080i. If you enable 1080p, then you risk the resolution switching problem.


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