We are getting shafted as HTPC users.. at least from Netflix.

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Godmachine

[H]F Junkie
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So overall I would say that my experience when using Netflix on the PC is downright shitty. Yes , its easier to browse but that's the nature of a real full fledged PC. But after recently repurchasing a PS3 and using Netflix on it , I've come full circle and I'm not happy how PC users are treated in general when it comes to how much Netflix has worked to provide a decent experience for the PC user.

PS3 users get 1080p streaming (which works instantly with zero buffering , versus buffering for 2-3 minutes and then 20 minutes later dropping in quality and then rebuffering 2-3 minutes on the Xbox 360 , Wii , Wii-U , my Android phone and 2 iPhones). It also has the best menu (as far as I've seen , I might be missing something). And to top that all off it gets features first.

I know that now when I use Netflix I will use it exclusively on the PS3 until Netflix makes it a better experience on the PC because right now .. it sucks. And I know the PS3 is Netflix's number 1 platform but its kind of silly that I can instantly load into whatever I wanna watch inside of 2 seconds at 1080p but on every other platform it just struggles to buffer correct and I've got a 300/65 mbps connection.
 
So don't subscribe to Netflix. I stopped our subscription 4 years ago because they didn't stream 1080p and their selection sucks
 
That's not really a good option. There is a fair amount of content I enjoy on Netflix and so does my family so even if I did , they wouldn't have it.

Outside of paying for each piece of content (VOD) there really isn't anything that's better AND legal.

I was just airing some frustration and seeing if some others felt the same way.
 
It definitely sucks. I find that I use my htpc for my rips and games but when I want Netflix me and the rest of the household use AppleTV/PS3.

It's frustrating because I want one box to rule the TV experience but Netflix puts resources where it helps their wallet the most.
 
Plus WMC is dead from MS perspective with development so I cannot imagine the WMC Netflix add in will ever get updates :(
 
Netflix isn't nearly that bad for me... streams quickly, quality stays up there, etc. Maybe your ISP hates you :).
 
IdiotInCharge said:
Netflix isn't nearly that bad for me... streams quickly, quality stays up there, etc. Maybe your ISP hates you :).
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Well Netflix has its problems but I have FIOS which is one of the better ISP's for it. However in the last year or so its been even worse. Their bandwidth provider Cogent Communications has been accusing them of bandwidth throttling. However when I use Netflix's "preferred" platform suddenly my problems vanish and I even get the benefit of 1080p streaming without buffering issues.

So I don't think it needs to be said that the treatment of other platforms has been less than stellar. Had I known the PS3 got such treatment I would have never got rid of mine.

It sucks to see the HTPC platform taking the hits it has in the last few years thanks to content providers and creators.
 
Personally I think netflix on appletv is the best version of them all.

I use netflix on ps3, samsung smart tv, pc, ipad, phone via android and not one of them comes close to how good netflix is on appletv.

Personally I dont think any version of netflix beats the one on the appletv, judging from what i have experienced.
 
Godmachine said:
So I don't think it needs to be said that the treatment of other platforms has been less than stellar. Had I known the PS3 got such treatment I would have never got rid of mine.

It sucks to see the HTPC platform taking the hits it has in the last few years thanks to content providers and creators.
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I agree with you. The Netflix app on the PS3 is much better then using the Web interface or WMC plugin on my HTPC. Amazon Video is almost as bad. In order to rent/watch their shows in HD, you have to have an "HD compliant device", none of which are HTPC's/computers, which are better then their certified devices. I have to use my PS3 for Amazon stuff as well, which is really annoying.
 
EVIL-SCOTSMAN said:
Personally I think netflix on appletv is the best version of them all.

I use netflix on ps3, samsung smart tv, pc, ipad, phone via android and not one of them comes close to how good netflix is on appletv.

Personally I dont think any version of netflix beats the one on the appletv, judging from what i have experienced.
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QFT. I prefer it over the PS3. Hulu+ has the same interface on the Apple TV.
 
Definitely true -- Netflix does not acknowledge that PCs should get a working remote-driven 10-ft interface. I wish they would.
 
I guess i'm the only one that can't say a single bad thing about Netflix on WMC. Mine just works, no problems.
 
The only Netflix interface I've liked is for XBox 360. It baffles my mind that anyone could like the PS3 version which for me just is super unreliable (a LOT of pauses) and annoying to navigate. My PS3 is wired into a gigabit switch, just like my PC. I also hate the Windows Media Center plugin. Neither PS3 nor WMC have an easy "play next episode" feature as far as I am aware. It is extremely annoying to have to go back to the episode list, remember where I was, select the next episode, and hit play. And it's not like the Netflix UI is particularly snappy, either. It's a bit laggy.

If PS3 or WMC Netflix software has been updated to fix the lack of "play next episode" feature, please let me know. The PC version in a browser does support it, but I think having to use a web browser is silly.
 
It has been updated for that feature , it will offer you the next episode of whatever show you are watching.

The interface on the 360 is awful .. how could you like it? It's just rows of crap and its slow. When was the last time you used the PS3 Netflix interface? Mine loads up instantly , works very fast and even saves buffered information for a period of time while the application is active. Not to mention the 360 doesn't do 1080p native on Netflix , you realize that right?

Also you are required to have a Gold membership for Netflix to function on the 360 which is just retarded.
 
Godmachine said:
It has been updated for that feature , it will offer you the next episode of whatever show you are watching.

The interface on the 360 is awful .. how could you like it? It's just rows of crap and its slow. When was the last time you used the PS3 Netflix interface? Mine loads up instantly , works very fast and even saves buffered information for a period of time while the application is active. Not to mention the 360 doesn't do 1080p native on Netflix , you realize that right?

Also you are required to have a Gold membership for Netflix to function on the 360 which is just retarded.
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Honestly, it hasn't even been that long since I've tried the PS3 interface. Maybe 5-6 months. I've most recently used the X360 version when I stayed at a friend's for a few weeks back in May and it was not frustrating, especially with Kinect. It actually frustrates him more than it did me, because for some reason Kinect recognized my voice much better than his, even though his enunciation is fine. Basically nothing I watch through Netflix has 1080p anyway, but no, I actually did not realize that X360 can't do it.

I usually buy BDs. I'm not that big a fan of Netflix. It's missing too much, and quality is lacking for a lot of things as well.
 
Netflix's UI for Android is equally worthless- zero ability to navigate between episodes. But! It does do one thing I haven't seen elsewhere- and that's to show you the next to last thing you watched. Why is this stuff hard?

It's almost as if Netflix is taking their UI cues from Microsoft, when they should be emulating Apple (or Nokia, or Google...).
 
dandragonrage said:
Honestly, it hasn't even been that long since I've tried the PS3 interface. Maybe 5-6 months. I've most recently used the X360 version when I stayed at a friend's for a few weeks back in May and it was not frustrating, especially with Kinect. It actually frustrates him more than it did me, because for some reason Kinect recognized my voice much better than his, even though his enunciation is fine. Basically nothing I watch through Netflix has 1080p anyway, but no, I actually did not realize that X360 can't do it.

I usually buy BDs. I'm not that big a fan of Netflix. It's missing too much, and quality is lacking for a lot of things as well.
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Well I understand where your coming from but really Netflix is superior on at least the PS3 and AppleTV it seems. I think the 360 handicaps its ability to use Netflix thanks to the non-1080p streaming and gold membership requirement.

I used Kinect with the 360 version of Netflix and found it to be awful and gimmicky at best. It heard and understood my voice fine but it felt just unnatural versus scrolling with a controller or a remote.

I know last Fall they updated the Xbox UI for Netflix and took it from the older UI style to a new row style and functionally its worse. And it does chug on and off when scrolling through the rows of titles. There is a fair amount of stuff that streams at 1080p on Netflix by the way , you should look into it if you are a stickler for Blu Ray type quality (I have over 400 Blu Ray's so I understand).
 
I wish an apple tv 3rd gen could be jailbroken. I'd be all over that like a fat kid loves high fructose corn syrup.
 
What bothers me is that they don't present a unified UI to all devices. My Xbox 360 experience is different from the iPad and the PS3 and Android and WMC, etc. What sense does it make to show me new movies in one interface that aren't present in all the others?!
 
Wonder how much sony paid netflix to give higher priority to the device, allocated more bandwidth and so on...
 
I have noticed that the windows 8 app appears to resolve the pc issues. I can get 1080p and 5.1 audio on it. However my Windows 7 computers since they rely on silverlight through a browser seem to be limited to 720p and 2.1 audio. To even to get the 720p on alot of shows i have to hit Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S and force the quality. Curious to see how well it works with Chromecast.
 
Penance said:
I have noticed that the windows 8 app appears to resolve the pc issues. I can get 1080p and 5.1 audio on it. However my Windows 7 computers since they rely on silverlight through a browser seem to be limited to 720p and 2.1 audio. To even to get the 720p on alot of shows i have to hit Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S and force the quality. Curious to see how well it works with Chromecast.
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I'm using Windows 8 across the board; no problems here, looks great over HDMI and sounds great through a receiver and decent speakers. Even looks and sounds great when played from my LG TV's built-in app, and that's not too terrible to navigate- certainly better than the Android player.

But I assume that you guys are using the MCE interface, or something else? Is that what's causing the problem? It's outstanding in Google Chrome (desktop version, not the Modern UI version).
 
MrGuvernment said:
Wonder how much sony paid netflix to give higher priority to the device, allocated more bandwidth and so on...
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Probably a fuck ton of money since people are not using PS3's for Blu Ray playback as much anymore.

Netflix has the biggest subscriber base on the planet and moves something like 33 percent of all Internet traffic per day.

Anyone that is smart enough to capitalize on that , should do so as Sony has has obviously done (probably Apple too).
 
I think it's just because I am lazy, but I love the 360s Netflix app w/ Kinect. Just talk to it and you're good to go.
 
I had this exact same reaction back when they had the price increase that gave you no discount, I lost 5.1 sound somewhere in there to most movies and they just kept saying you need one of these devices. Solution was simple cancel Netflix subscription and tell them why, never gone back and by the sounds of this post its a good thing. Crappy movies exist on amazon prime and youtube as well.

Your solution OP, while fine for you will not teach Netflix anything. All it will do is encourage them and make them think they made the right decisions to screw over the PC. I don't know what to say your falling directly into what Sony wanted.
 
Yeah, I used to *HATE* using Netflix on the PC, but some recent updates to their Windows 8 app have made it pretty good. If nothing else, we finally get surround sound and 1080p. The WMC app has a great UI, but the content is miserable.
 
What also sucks is the fact that there's no native Linux client. Would be nice if there was an addon in XBMC at least.
 
My guess is that content providers believe that its easier to record 1080p content off a PC and pirate it than a 360 or PS3. So they have Amazon/Netflix give PC's a gimped version.
 
jpm100 said:
My guess is that content providers believe that its easier to record 1080p content off a PC and pirate it than a 360 or PS3. So they have Amazon/Netflix give PC's a gimped version.
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But that's only for dedicated clients, right?

Seriously, Netflix in Chrome is gorgeous...
 
EVIL-SCOTSMAN said:
Personally I think netflix on appletv is the best version of them all.

I use netflix on ps3, samsung smart tv, pc, ipad, phone via android and not one of them comes close to how good netflix is on appletv.

Personally I dont think any version of netflix beats the one on the appletv, judging from what i have experienced.
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Don't get me wrong, I'm a HUGE fan of the AppleTV and use it daily, but I cannot stand Netflix on it because of the inability to automatically start the next episode of a series I'm watching as well as having to way too many input requirements.

For example, when an episode is done it goes back to the overview of that particular episode, you then have to go back a page... scroll down to the next episode (although sometimes is will automatically highlight the next one), go to that episodes page overview and then hit play. Every other platform consolidates this in a single action and will automatically start the next episode. When I'm watching a 30 min show (15min in actuality without commercials), it can become incredibly frustrating.

The image quality and buffer times are fantastic though
 
rudy said:
I had this exact same reaction back when they had the price increase that gave you no discount, I lost 5.1 sound somewhere in there to most movies and they just kept saying you need one of these devices. Solution was simple cancel Netflix subscription and tell them why, never gone back and by the sounds of this post its a good thing. Crappy movies exist on amazon prime and youtube as well.

Your solution OP, while fine for you will not teach Netflix anything. All it will do is encourage them and make them think they made the right decisions to screw over the PC. I don't know what to say your falling directly into what Sony wanted.
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I bought my PS3 for a few games that came out recently and I bought it used on the cheap on Ebay. I didn't actually buy it for Netflix only streaming , I just noticed that when I hooked up Netflix how astounded I was by polish of the program versus my experiences with Netflix on other platforms.

"Canceling" Netflix is not a solution , as I've already stated I'm not the only one who watches it in my household.

jpm100 said:
My guess is that content providers believe that its easier to record 1080p content off a PC and pirate it than a 360 or PS3. So they have Amazon/Netflix give PC's a gimped version.
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Its extremely easy if you buy ( note : this is well known knowledge and I do not support or encourage anyone to be a douche and do it ) a converter box off Monoprice. People who use capture card solutions to load up Youtube videos do this as it strips out the HDCP encryption entirely making it possible to record off HDMI.

If you really wanted to , you could do it without issue. However I doubt people are doing this just to record Netflix content. Maybe to record the Netflix exclusive shows now perhaps.

IdiotInCharge said:
But that's only for dedicated clients, right?

Seriously, Netflix in Chrome is gorgeous...
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Only for PS3 , AppleTV and maybe a few other platforms. The majority of Netflix apps are 720p streaming only. I use to use Chrome to stream Netflix and trust me , it looks like ass compared to the better clients of the PS3 and AppleTV.
 
Well it doesn't matter because in the end you are seen as a PS3 user and only affirm their correct decision to focus on the PS3 and see that their decision to do so can push users over to that device.
 
rudy said:
Well it doesn't matter because in the end you are seen as a PS3 user and only affirm their correct decision to focus on the PS3 and see that their decision to do so can push users over to that device.
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Exactly what are you asserting then? Because I bought a PS3 for games and not explicitly for streaming Netflix and because I logged into the service to use it , then I'm somehow a cheerleader for that platform to stay number 1 among the streaming platform choices? I should either cancel the service or use another platform in protest because that will send a clear message to Netflix? I do not want a single platform to exceed beyond the others as I would prefer a standard of quality that is held across all the platforms. There is no reason that for instance my Android phone , which can stream 1080p movies from my PC , that it couldn't handle HD content for instance or that my Xbox 360 couldn't handle 1080p.

I created this topic to vent my frustration regarding my experience actually. I almost solely used my Xbox 360 for streaming Netflix and didn't realize exactly how much the PS3 benefited from Netflix's own and obvious biased treatment.

It was pure happenstance that this even came about as I wasn't even sure I was willing to buy a PS3 in the first place again , used or not , to play the few games I missed out on that were considered generational classics.

So yea I get your point but I'm not going to simply go back to an inferior experience out of protest. It would take a movement of people to send a clear message and that obviously isn't going to happen because I haven't heard of peep of anger whatsoever across the net about it. At least not enough to make a strong case for Netflix to develop better applications across the board.
 
I bought the PS3 not long after it came out to use as a BluRay player. I've played a couple of arcade type games I pulled down and that's it. I really don't like console games at all, so the media capabilities is what I've enjoyed about the PS3 from the beginning. That said, I still find it ironic that the market, broadcasters, manufacturers or whoever seem to think that the PC is a less capable device. I have an HTPC, hooked via HDMI to my receiver, with video going to a 50" HDTV. With that, there's no reason I can't playback 1080p video and 5.1 audio at its best. The artificial limitations by Amazon, Netflix and others are irritating, but other then emailing their customer service about it, I'm not sure what else can be done...
 
Domingo said:
Yeah, I used to *HATE* using Netflix on the PC, but some recent updates to their Windows 8 app have made it pretty good. If nothing else, we finally get surround sound and 1080p. The WMC app has a great UI, but the content is miserable.
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And how much did MS provide Netflix to give win 8 priority just as the PS3... to try and sell more windows 8...
 
MrGuvernment said:
And how much did MS provide Netflix to give win 8 priority just as the PS3... to try and sell more windows 8...
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Likely a lot because MS doesn't have any leverage where as Sony can just say oh you know your Sony pictures contract, you can screw off if the PS3 doesn't get priority.
 
The reason netflix will always work best on sandboxed environments like PS3 and such is becuase they dont have to lock it down as much. Netflix goes the extra mile to make sure their content is protected and platforms like PC are without a doubt going to suffer.

Thats why netflix will always feel better on a Console or aTV.
 
rudy said:
Likely a lot because MS doesn't have any leverage where as Sony can just say oh you know your Sony pictures contract, you can screw off if the PS3 doesn't get priority.
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Yea , owning a major studio can act as massive leverage. Considering the PS4 is something Sony will want to continue pushing as a media platform I can't see that changing anytime soon.

If the Xbox One however doesn't at least have 1080p streaming , I can't imagine that will not get out into the media and produce a thorn in Netflix's side that can't be simply ignored. 1080p streaming is something that all new platforms will want. I don't really give a shit if we see "Max" on other platforms , I find it to be junk and a huge waste of time versus just regular browsing.
 
Penance said:
I have noticed that the windows 8 app appears to resolve the pc issues. I can get 1080p and 5.1 audio on it. However my Windows 7 computers since they rely on silverlight through a browser seem to be limited to 720p and 2.1 audio. To even to get the 720p on alot of shows i have to hit Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S and force the quality. Curious to see how well it works with Chromecast.
Click to expand...

i agree, netflix win8 app works really well.
 
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