Fairly straightforward stuff: Apple 2TB Time Capsule, connected via ethernet cable, the latest AppleTV.
The quality of my cable connection is excellent. (I had Netflix repeatedly in suspension during major portions of 2011. I wanted to give them a chance. But it got to be ridiculous).
Oh, I never thought of using my Time Capsule to watch Netflix ... Duh ...
Based on our experience of over two years of flawless HD from Netflix your problem is not Netflix, it's else where. We have FiOS 25/25, Apple AE .11n and ATV 3. The same was true with ATV mk 2 BTW. A year ago we cancelled our Verizon TV account, that's how pleased we are with Netflix (it's a plus they don't carry Fox News lol)
You really laughed out loud once you found out Netflix didn't carry Fox News? You must have wet yourself when you found they also didn't carry MSNBC or any other news service for that matter...
Apple iTunes is a juggernaut that media fears (with the exception of the book publishing industry which fears and hates Amazon). Apple iTunes is a major reason for the runaway success of iOS. Apps, Books, Movies, Music, Podcasts, Ringtones, TV Shows with device synchronization without peer is the reason you see so many Apple haters railing against iTunes. Well, that... as well as attempting to run an application that may be managing terabytes of data on an underpowered POS computer they purchased from the lowest bidder.
I freely admit that some components of Apple iTunes are done better by others but the entire ecosystem in one package is unsurpassed.
Is it media fears? Or is it streaming fans griping because they cannot get the latest movies for next to free? And who is railing against iTunes? I think those days were the 90's when Apple was the underdog. Now, Apple rule the world.
I switched to Netflix after Apple added it to the AppleTV. These days I don't buy any movies/TV shows from iTunes.
I did have some issues last year. I suspect Comcast was throttling the data to try to stop consumers making the switch but these days all it works without a hitch.
For streaming problems I learned that ISPs treat streaming in a different way than videos that can be downloaded and buffered. A Netflix representative said that I could call my ISP and tell them that I wanted the full use of my bandwidth utilized for streaming as well as downloading. They all will comply if you know what to ask them to do. It is just a way they keep their bandwidth usage lower. The representative said that ISPs around the country will do this for subscribers. They just must ask for it to be done. This will improve the streaming speed.
Call Netflix for assistance and the person on the phone will be able to tell you the real speed that your ISP is allowing your videos to stream.
Fairly straightforward stuff: Apple 2TB Time Capsule, connected via ethernet cable, the latest AppleTV.
The quality of my cable connection is excellent. (I had Netflix repeatedly in suspension during major portions of 2011. I wanted to give them a chance. But it got to be ridiculous).
Maybe your cable company is intentionally screwing with Netflix. Comcast had a very public spat with Netflix, IIRC.
The other possibility is that the nerdier group may be using a DNS server that isn't your ISPs, like google's DNS or OpenDNS. These often don't resolve to the right geographic location for Netflix, so they may be trying to stream data to you from a very distant server rather than the one closest to you.
If Netflix is doing so well, why is the company's share price cratering? It would seem to be a bad financial model. Again, market share seems to have such high importance, but at what cost. I have to admit that Apple must have been asleep at the wheel to just let Netflix gain so much market share in such a short time.
That just about tells us that the 2011 data reported here is useless. Markets are forward-looking.
Is it media fears? Or is it streaming fans griping because they cannot get the latest movies for next to free? And who is railing against iTunes? I think those days were the 90's when Apple was the underdog. Now, Apple rule the world.
Yes. Media Fears... RIAA... MPAA... The RIAA continues to believe that Apple has single-handledly destroyed their revenue model... The prized "album."
Have you not experienced a "fandroid" blowing a head gasket? The "incongruous, inconsistent" user interface that has "ludicrous latency" and "constantly crashes" is virtually an Internet meme. When confronted with facts, the issues with iTunes on an underpowered computer are virtually the only fact-based argument they have against Apple.
You really laughed out loud once you found out Netflix didn't carry Fox News? You must have wet yourself when you found they also didn't carry MSNBC or any other news service for that matter...
I have no problem with no 'news' access since I have access to the internet but Fox News isn't a news service, it's an entertainment channel (on par with many AM radio stations) so i don't get your point.
Maybe your cable company is intentionally screwing with Netflix. Comcast had a very public spat with Netflix, IIRC.
The other possibility is that the nerdier group may be using a DNS server that isn't your ISPs, like google's DNS or OpenDNS. These often don't resolve to the right geographic location for Netflix, so they may be trying to stream data to you from a very distant server rather than the one closest to you.
That's an interesting point. I have long wondered what is the best DNS service to use. I removed Google's only yesterday and reverted to the ISP's (in my case Verizon FiOS) to see if there is any difference it will make. Too early to tell but it will be interesting to see if there is any difference.
I am glad Apple is being pushed here. Hopefully competition will see better choice and better prices. Purchasing individual TV episodes from Apple is expensive. Purchasing a season is better, but who on earth wants to BUY a season of anything? Renting a movie needs to be cheaper. I don't watch much TV but if Netflix's content inventory is getting better then all power to them. 10 buck per month is very doable. $5.99 per movie is way too expensive.
I switched to Netflix after Apple added it to the AppleTV. These days I don't buy any movies/TV shows from iTunes.
I did have some issues last year. I suspect Comcast was throttling the data to try to stop consumers making the switch but these days all it works without a hitch.
I keep wondering if Apple shouldn't buy Netflix then make it Apple only. It seems like a good fit to me.
I'm one of the new subscribers, and we will be dumping it soon. Really a crap selection if you want anything newer than 2008/9.
This stuff needs to get cheaper and more readily available by legit sources or customers are going to go the other route.
I don't want 1000 channels. I want a way to discover new shows and not be held hostage on current content. I will not pay for advertisements, and I will not pay even more on top to get rid of them!
...and once I leave the paid world I am not coming back out of principle.
That's an interesting point. I have long wondered what is the best DNS service to use. I removed Google's only yesterday and reverted to the ISP's (in my case Verizon FiOS) to see if there is any difference it will make. Too early to tell but it will be interesting to see if there is any difference.
OpenDNS... Bar none... Hands down... etc. etc.
I use DNSCrypt for secure DNS in conjunction with OpenDNS. To further improve my security I use Netshade proxies as well.
I keep wondering if Apple shouldn't buy Netflix then make it Apple only. It seems like a good fit to me.
They will do an iBook and get all the same content at the same price, marginalizing Netflix for the studios. Hopefully they will drive a better deal this time for the consumers.
If Netflix is bad quality for you, then that's your fault, as in you have a crappy connection, maybe a crappy router or modem perhaps, or there is some other kind of problem. The point is that the problem is on your end.
Netflix has always worked fine for me, and my connection is hardly the fastest around. Even HD works fine. I don't have to wait for any buffering or any other crap, and the quality is not bad at all, as a matter of fact, it's quite good, considering it's streaming. I think that it's a great deal for only $8 a month for what it offers. Like I said in a previous thread about Netflix a while ago, show me what's out there that's better and cheaper at the moment. I'm actually watching some series on Netflix right now on the iPad, while I'm typing this post on another Mac.
- Poor selection. The whole point of an online video store is that there is no limit of shelf space.
- Products that constantly change from only rentable, to rentable and buyable, to only buyable, and back again. To paraphrase a movie, "iTunes is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."
- A lot of the back catalog is still SD only.
- Unpredictable download speed. 80% of the time a movie will download in 10 minutes, but the other 20% it will download in like 7 hours, which is useless if you were renting it to watch that night.
- No keyword searching on the store. You can't e.g. look for a movie with a "mystery" and a "genius."
- The metadata is general is not up to scratch, actor names are sometimes missing or not hyperlinked. It seems like they shoe-horned movies in to their music store instead of designing a database specially for movies.
That just about tells us that the 2011 data reported here is useless. Markets are forward-looking.
I'm curious... do you have the same bad-experience when playing Netflix through your computer vs. Apple TV?? Most of the time I watch Netflix in a small window while working on my iMac and I've never had a problem with it. When I watch Netflix through my Apple TV it occasionally stalls as it buffers. Not often, but I do notice a difference. My internet connection is provided by Comcast and all my devices are ethernet-connected. My Apple TV is connected via my 1TB Time Capsule as well via ethernet.
That's a bummer you're having this problem. My only real complaint about Netflix is that the selection of shows is a joke. If Apple provided a streaming subscription service similar to Netflix, I'd jump ship and go with them if I could. Netflix is great for older shows though.
Comments
Oh, I never thought of using my Time Capsule to watch Netflix ... Duh ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
Based on our experience of over two years of flawless HD from Netflix your problem is not Netflix, it's else where. We have FiOS 25/25, Apple AE .11n and ATV 3. The same was true with ATV mk 2 BTW. A year ago we cancelled our Verizon TV account, that's how pleased we are with Netflix (it's a plus they don't carry Fox News lol)
You really laughed out loud once you found out Netflix didn't carry Fox News? You must have wet yourself when you found they also didn't carry MSNBC or any other news service for that matter...
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacBook Pro
Apple iTunes is a juggernaut that media fears (with the exception of the book publishing industry which fears and hates Amazon). Apple iTunes is a major reason for the runaway success of iOS. Apps, Books, Movies, Music, Podcasts, Ringtones, TV Shows with device synchronization without peer is the reason you see so many Apple haters railing against iTunes. Well, that... as well as attempting to run an application that may be managing terabytes of data on an underpowered POS computer they purchased from the lowest bidder.
I freely admit that some components of Apple iTunes are done better by others but the entire ecosystem in one package is unsurpassed.
Is it media fears? Or is it streaming fans griping because they cannot get the latest movies for next to free? And who is railing against iTunes? I think those days were the 90's when Apple was the underdog. Now, Apple rule the world.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerk36
Duh! Even when the Apple Television comes out Netflix will be number one. They have a niche in the market. Did I spell that right? Niche.
Netflix has the best value. How can you beat $7.99 a month?
I did have some issues last year. I suspect Comcast was throttling the data to try to stop consumers making the switch but these days all it works without a hitch.
For streaming problems I learned that ISPs treat streaming in a different way than videos that can be downloaded and buffered. A Netflix representative said that I could call my ISP and tell them that I wanted the full use of my bandwidth utilized for streaming as well as downloading. They all will comply if you know what to ask them to do. It is just a way they keep their bandwidth usage lower. The representative said that ISPs around the country will do this for subscribers. They just must ask for it to be done. This will improve the streaming speed.
Call Netflix for assistance and the person on the phone will be able to tell you the real speed that your ISP is allowing your videos to stream.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anantksundaram
Fairly straightforward stuff: Apple 2TB Time Capsule, connected via ethernet cable, the latest AppleTV.
The quality of my cable connection is excellent. (I had Netflix repeatedly in suspension during major portions of 2011. I wanted to give them a chance. But it got to be ridiculous).
Maybe your cable company is intentionally screwing with Netflix. Comcast had a very public spat with Netflix, IIRC.
The other possibility is that the nerdier group may be using a DNS server that isn't your ISPs, like google's DNS or OpenDNS. These often don't resolve to the right geographic location for Netflix, so they may be trying to stream data to you from a very distant server rather than the one closest to you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Constable Odo
If Netflix is doing so well, why is the company's share price cratering? It would seem to be a bad financial model. Again, market share seems to have such high importance, but at what cost. I have to admit that Apple must have been asleep at the wheel to just let Netflix gain so much market share in such a short time.
That just about tells us that the 2011 data reported here is useless. Markets are forward-looking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pt123
Is it media fears? Or is it streaming fans griping because they cannot get the latest movies for next to free? And who is railing against iTunes? I think those days were the 90's when Apple was the underdog. Now, Apple rule the world.
Yes. Media Fears... RIAA... MPAA... The RIAA continues to believe that Apple has single-handledly destroyed their revenue model... The prized "album."
Have you not experienced a "fandroid" blowing a head gasket? The "incongruous, inconsistent" user interface that has "ludicrous latency" and "constantly crashes" is virtually an Internet meme. When confronted with facts, the issues with iTunes on an underpowered computer are virtually the only fact-based argument they have against Apple.
I have no problem with no 'news' access since I have access to the internet but Fox News isn't a news service, it's an entertainment channel (on par with many AM radio stations) so i don't get your point.
That's an interesting point. I have long wondered what is the best DNS service to use. I removed Google's only yesterday and reverted to the ISP's (in my case Verizon FiOS) to see if there is any difference it will make. Too early to tell but it will be interesting to see if there is any difference.
I am glad Apple is being pushed here. Hopefully competition will see better choice and better prices. Purchasing individual TV episodes from Apple is expensive. Purchasing a season is better, but who on earth wants to BUY a season of anything? Renting a movie needs to be cheaper. I don't watch much TV but if Netflix's content inventory is getting better then all power to them. 10 buck per month is very doable. $5.99 per movie is way too expensive.
I keep wondering if Apple shouldn't buy Netflix then make it Apple only. It seems like a good fit to me.
This stuff needs to get cheaper and more readily available by legit sources or customers are going to go the other route.
I don't want 1000 channels. I want a way to discover new shows and not be held hostage on current content. I will not pay for advertisements, and I will not pay even more on top to get rid of them!
...and once I leave the paid world I am not coming back out of principle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
That's an interesting point. I have long wondered what is the best DNS service to use. I removed Google's only yesterday and reverted to the ISP's (in my case Verizon FiOS) to see if there is any difference it will make. Too early to tell but it will be interesting to see if there is any difference.
OpenDNS... Bar none... Hands down... etc. etc.
I use DNSCrypt for secure DNS in conjunction with OpenDNS. To further improve my security I use Netshade proxies as well.
They will do an iBook and get all the same content at the same price, marginalizing Netflix for the studios. Hopefully they will drive a better deal this time for the consumers.
If Netflix is bad quality for you, then that's your fault, as in you have a crappy connection, maybe a crappy router or modem perhaps, or there is some other kind of problem. The point is that the problem is on your end.
Netflix has always worked fine for me, and my connection is hardly the fastest around. Even HD works fine. I don't have to wait for any buffering or any other crap, and the quality is not bad at all, as a matter of fact, it's quite good, considering it's streaming. I think that it's a great deal for only $8 a month for what it offers. Like I said in a previous thread about Netflix a while ago, show me what's out there that's better and cheaper at the moment. I'm actually watching some series on Netflix right now on the iPad, while I'm typing this post on another Mac.
iTunes Movies has these problems in my opinion:
- Poor selection. The whole point of an online video store is that there is no limit of shelf space.
- Products that constantly change from only rentable, to rentable and buyable, to only buyable, and back again. To paraphrase a movie, "iTunes is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."
- A lot of the back catalog is still SD only.
- Unpredictable download speed. 80% of the time a movie will download in 10 minutes, but the other 20% it will download in like 7 hours, which is useless if you were renting it to watch that night.
- No keyword searching on the store. You can't e.g. look for a movie with a "mystery" and a "genius."
- The metadata is general is not up to scratch, actor names are sometimes missing or not hyperlinked. It seems like they shoe-horned movies in to their music store instead of designing a database specially for movies.
Not sure why anyone would purchase this service any longer.
No Netflix I do not want to watch Mega Shark Vs. Giant Squid IV.
Have some TV show reruns but even those get old after a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anantksundaram
That just about tells us that the 2011 data reported here is useless. Markets are forward-looking.
I'm curious... do you have the same bad-experience when playing Netflix through your computer vs. Apple TV?? Most of the time I watch Netflix in a small window while working on my iMac and I've never had a problem with it. When I watch Netflix through my Apple TV it occasionally stalls as it buffers. Not often, but I do notice a difference. My internet connection is provided by Comcast and all my devices are ethernet-connected. My Apple TV is connected via my 1TB Time Capsule as well via ethernet.
That's a bummer you're having this problem. My only real complaint about Netflix is that the selection of shows is a joke. If Apple provided a streaming subscription service similar to Netflix, I'd jump ship and go with them if I could. Netflix is great for older shows though.