Netflix (+ Other Streaming) Technical Help Thread

[Smash41]

The other thread was getting bogged down with technical talk and recommendations were getting lost amongst them.

Is it possible for a mod to move some of those posts to here?

[Robby]

I never got round to making a new thread. Good plan.

[Tempest]

Sure, great idea.

Perhaps a way of gauging things would be to mention how long the "Red Ring" sits there spinning before you actually get to the movies page?

On my Windows 10 PC, I just timed it at 3 seconds of ring spinning (which is great I think)

I then went to the "continue watching" option to a movie I was half way thru and that took around 5 seconds before it actually kicked into playing. Again that feels great to me.

I'll have to do a similar test on my Android TV and PS3

[The Bear]

On my Samsung Smart TV wired through home plugs, on a 14Mbps downstream connection from standard Sky Broadband, I'd say it takes around 5s. Maybe slightly more.

[Tempest]

My Android TV took around 5 seconds of red ring.
I then quit Netflix, went to normal TV, then back to Netflix and it was there instantly, then exited it, and onto amazon Prime, quit that, and to Netflix again and it was instantly there.

I suspect this is more the Anrdoid TV way of working. and it's in some way keeping Netflix "ready for me" despite quitting,

Tuned off TV (at the remote, still on at the mains)
turned TV back on again, let it settle, then pressed on Netflix button and BLAM, it's there instantly no red ring at all.

Again, suspect it's how Android TV is handling things.
Amazing speed, yet other times it's been hopeless and needed me to quit with network issues.

Very strange.

[The Bear]

Hang on I think we're talking about different things. I'm talking about the red ring that goes up to 99% when you start a stream, not the time it takes to load the app.

Mine goes instantly to the Netflix logo, waits around 10s, then brings up the profile selection. The GUI has always been instant after selecting the profile. No wait at all.

[Tempest]

Originally Posted by The Bear

Hang on I think we're talking about different things. I'm talking about the red ring that goes up to 99% when you start a stream, not the time it takes to load the app.

Mine goes instantly to the Netflix logo, waits around 10s, then brings up the profile selection. The GUI has always been instant after selecting the profile. No wait at all.

Yes indeed, we are talking about different things.
I'm talking of the delay from selecting the App and the Red Netflix logo coming up with the red ring going round.
From that point, till you get your screen full of movie tile/icons or your profile icon.

[LotusElan]

I'm not needing technical help - this is more an observation.

Not sure when exactly it started being a feature but we've noticed that if you now select something and go to its information page (the one with play, episode, resume, etc. options) the thing starts playing even if you don't request it!

We watch via PS3; don't know if it's the same for other platforms.

[Tempest]

You may recall I was having issues last weekend trying to set up the DNS settings, and one or two forum members were a tad critical of me in having problems.

It's now apparent some of my issues are/were related to the Android Software on the set, which were causing me to think it was errors in my settings.

Netflix has been fine all weekend.
Just a moment ago, I signed out and went back to normal digital TV.

I thought I'd do a quick "time" test, so I pressed the Netflix button on the remote, and a message came up on screen:

"you need to be connected to the internet to use this feature, press OK to go into network settings"

Ummmm, WTF..... I was just watching Netflix a few mins ago!

Cancelled that, and pressed the button again and got the same message.

So, pressed a different button that takes me into the general Android page, where you can see all the things to select from, TV channels, Inputs, Tiles for Apps. iPlayer, Netflix, etc etc.

I selected Netflix from here instead, and it fired up fine, after about 20 seconds of red ring waiting.

It's odd as this was just out of the blue, and only a hour or so earlier it was so fast and responsive and instant you could not want it to be faster.

Hence, me thinking, a lot of my issues have been the Android software glitches more than anything else.

I have read. The version of the Android Software on my TV is buggy and that some felt it should never of been released (earlier version more stable)
Apparently the USA has a later version of the software, but the UK won't get it for a few weeks yet, and this is going to fix a lot of the bugs.

Seems to be the price you pay when you are running something very new.
Sony are also promising a lot more features will come online this year which currently don't work. Recording to USB being a main one.

So, yes...... As I say, A lot of my struggle to get things running and problems (last week) seem to be down to This version of Android OS.
Interesting to see how it improves when the next software update (the USA already has) comes to us here.

[The Bear]

Originally Posted by LotusElan

I'm not needing technical help - this is more an observation.

Not sure when exactly it started being a feature but we've noticed that if you now select something and go to its information page (the one with play, episode, resume, etc. options) the thing starts playing even if you don't request it!

We watch via PS3; don't know if it's the same for other platforms.

I've never had that happen before. I used to get the next episode trying to play straight after the end of the previous one, but I turned that off in the auto-play settings when you login to Netflix on the PC. Maybe have a look in there and see if you can switch it off?

[LouBarlow]

Originally Posted by LotusElan

I'm not needing technical help - this is more an observation.

Not sure when exactly it started being a feature but we've noticed that if you now select something and go to its information page (the one with play, episode, resume, etc. options) the thing starts playing even if you don't request it!

We watch via PS3; don't know if it's the same for other platforms.

Yeah it started happening with the latest version of the PS3 software. I don't like it tbh and wish it was optional.

[Hood]

The auto playing is on PS4 as well. Not sure I like it but it's not really a huge problem.

[LouBarlow]

No it's not a big deal...except for the first time, when I wasn't expecting it, and it made me jump a little

[hailesy]

Originally Posted by LouBarlow

No it's not a big deal...except for the first time, when I wasn't expecting it, and it made me jump a little

The auto play is a pain especially if you fall asleep in the chair, and you've gone from Episode 3 to Episode 7 when you wake up!

[Wendelius]

Originally Posted by LouBarlow

Yeah it started happening with the latest version of the PS3 software. I don't like it tbh and wish it was optional.

Same on XBox One. I don't like it because, usually, if I go check the info on a programme it's not because I want to watch it right this second.

Wendelius

[Tempest]

This question may only be relevant to Android (or Android TV)

When you have finished with Netflix, do you go back to the user page/area and log out?

I think on the PS3 you have to, as the console says you need to before you can do anything else (might be wrong, but think that's what happens)
On my Android based TV (assume same for other Android devices) I can just get out of Netflix and start using other things.
Not sure if it logs me out or it stays running and logged in, in the background.

[basegreen]

When videos auto play on the web and netflix etc. You're effectively working for their marketing team for free..

Why?

They worked out at some stage with analytics that the average autoplay video is stopped by manual intervention after less than 10 seconds.

The cost of the 10 seconds of video bandwidth is far less than the increment to "number of videos played on service" metric, which is used to derive advertising value, used as leverage for content deals etc.

[Hood]

Originally Posted by Tempest

This question may only be relevant to Android (or Android TV)

When you have finished with Netflix, do you go back to the user page/area and log out?

I think on the PS3 you have to, as the console says you need to before you can do anything else (might be wrong, but think that's what happens)
On my Android based TV (assume same for other Android devices) I can just get out of Netflix and start using other things.
Not sure if it logs me out or it stays running and logged in, in the background.

On PS3 you have to exit the current application to run another so it's not specific to Netflix. If I'm not planning on watching any more I don't even bother to return to the home page, I just close the application. However, I have never logged out of Netflix. On PS3 and PS4 I don't even know how to log out.

[Tempest]

Originally Posted by Hood

On PS3 you have to exit the current application to run another so it's not specific to Netflix. If I'm not planning on watching any more I don't even bother to return to the home page, I just close the application. However, I have never logged out of Netflix. On PS3 and PS4 I don't even know how to log out.

Perhaps I used the wrong terminology. Will check later when I can see what it says.

I know there is some exit type of option where your profiles are and the search icon, I can use that to quit, or I can just jump out of Netflix and fire up something else. but being Android that I know multitasks, I wondered what was the best to do.

Will check what it says later.

[KeyserSoze]

I use a Fire TV stick which is a Android based. And I don't bother logging out, just exit to home to load other apps. Android's memory management should sort out multitasking problems.