Netflix streaming quality - Page 86

Originally Posted by mproper 


Ditto this, but keep in mind that drives the cost up from the monthly NF fee (as low as $8.99 a month) for unlimited streaming to $4-6 per movie using one of these other services. But the quality would be better. I'd more suggest getting a better internet connection if possible. 2MBps is not very fast in this day and age if you want to be streaming/downloading video.

In my experience, video quality is on par (or very slightly below) what you get with cable or satellite. Think Heroes, BSG, or Lost quality. However the sound is only in stereo as it stands right now, which is annoying. Hopefully that improves.

Originally Posted by Floydster 

I'm lucky enough to have a 53 mb connection. That speed is verified from my computer, and by VUDU (they have a speed rating you can run from your TV. I'd say Neflix varies from DVD quality to probably 720p at best. If I want real 1080P and HD sound, I rent the BR. But $8.99 isn't much for a lot of entertainment. Some of their streaming shows up as 5.1 and sounds like it, some of it is stereo. You can tell what it will be by looking at the on screen menu. I've got streaming and the two disc at a time option.

I've never had a skip or a pause. I can skip backwards or forwards and pause. One thing I've noticed is that at first a movie might appear a bit poor in quality, but then it clears up to a good resolution quickly. I suppose the server is negotiating download speed.

Floyd

Originally Posted by mailiang 

Usually when you are watching HD it has to buffer first to reach the proper speed. The time it takes is dependent on your steaming device, ISP speed and the program you are watching. I have noticed lately that a few HD movies will buffer to HD and then back to SD or even look blurry. I sent an email to their engineering department to report the issue, since it wasn't governed by my download speeds which were fine.


Ian

Originally Posted by Floydster 

As far as streaming speeds, I think that the distance and number of hops has a lot to do with it. I must be close to Netflix, because I can return a disc on one day, and get the next one the second day after I mail the first.

Originally Posted by michaeltscott 

Physical distance between you and one of their snail mail disc distribution centers is not at all relevant to stream. They use a number of commercial Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and they don't own the servers which stream Watch Instantly titles to you. (Unless of course your ISP is one of the few who've signed up to participate in their single purpose Open Connect CDN, in which case they do own the servers).

Most if not all of the Netflix players embedded in devices like streaming STBs, BD players and game consoles over the past few years use a technology called Adaptive Bit-rate Streaming (ABS) involving a set of video files for every title, encoded at a number of different bit rates, up to 11 of them for HD titles if you have access to their new "Super HD" encodes (ISP hooked up to Open Connect). If, for whatever reason, the player is failing to keep its buffer full of the encode it's currently using, it will start buffering an encode at a lower bit rate and switch to playing that seamlessly when it runs out of the better stuff. If it subsequently sees that it's easily keeping its buffer full it will start buffering a higher bit rate video encode and will keep switching to high encodes until it gets to the best that it can play (or the best available for the title). It will switch up and down through the available encodes as conditions on your connections to their servers fluctuates; if conditions are rock solid it'll get to the highest bit rate it can handle (or the highest available) and stay there.

You can watch this happen by playing "Example Short 23.976", a test clip in which every encode is marked with resolution/bit-rate information.

Originally Posted by Floydster 

But, you would agree that hops and distance have some effect on the stream?

Originally Posted by michaeltscott 

Physical distance between you and one of their snail mail disc distribution centers is not at all relevant to stream. They use a number of commercial Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and they don't own the servers which stream Watch Instantly titles to you. (Unless of course your ISP is one of the few who've signed up to participate in their single purpose Open Connect CDN, in which case they do own the servers).

Most if not all of the Netflix players embedded in devices like streaming STBs, BD players and game consoles over the past few years use a technology called Adaptive Bit-rate Streaming (ABS) involving a set of video files for every title, encoded at a number of different bit rates, up to 11 of them for HD titles if you have access to their new "Super HD" encodes (ISP hooked up to Open Connect). If, for whatever reason, the player is failing to keep its buffer full of the encode it's currently using, it will start buffering an encode at a lower bit rate and switch to playing that seamlessly when it runs out of the better stuff. If it subsequently sees that it's easily keeping its buffer full it will start buffering a higher bit rate video encode and will keep switching to high encodes until it gets to the best that it can play (or the best available for the title). It will switch up and down through the available encodes as conditions on your connections to their servers fluctuates; if conditions are rock solid it'll get to the highest bit rate it can handle (or the highest available) and stay there.

You can watch this happen by playing "Example Short 23.976", a test clip in which every encode is marked with resolution/bit-rate information.

Originally Posted by puregenius 

Has anyone else noticed a lower max bit rate on streaming? There were many shows I used to get X-high from my PS3 on, but now I just get High. The maximum bit rate on the example is down to 3.85 Mbps from the usual 4.8 Mbps. I get 15-20 Mbps when I speed test and run a stream at the same time so I doubt it is my connection.

Originally Posted by gushin 

Refer to : http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/08/netflix-1080p-streams-no-longer-called-x-high-company-credits-i/
And post #1 on this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1440503/odd-netflix-issue-x-high-hd-no-longer-available

Originally Posted by DenHeck 

What do you supposed would be the streaming quality if I were to sign up for Netflix steaming thru my Samsung Smart HDTV using my Verizon FIOS (Fiber Optic) account?

Originally Posted by puregenius 

I have noticed that the information overlay on "Example Short 23.976" does not appear on any of my Android devices. It shows correctly on my PC, PS3, Roku, iPhone and Xbox 360. I have tested on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 and a Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone. Has anyone experienced this?

Originally Posted by michaeltscott 

It would indicate that the set of encodes for that title which get played on those devices don't have that overlay printed on them.

I'm not sure why, but Netflix apparently uses different encodes for different devices. It seems to me that they should be able to use the same set of H.264 encodes for all of the devices with adaptive bit rate players. They do continue to support pre-ABS "legacy" platforms like TiVo Series3, the first gen Rokus and countless BD players release before 2011 (many released in 2011) but I'd expect those platforms to use the same set. They've recently stated (on a slide in a recruitment presentation) that their encoding process generates 120 "downloadables" for every title. I don't know how many separate encodes there are for the "legacy" platforms (and there may be more than one kind of legacy platform supported), but there are now 11 for an HD title for an ABS platform (including the two Super HD ones). How many distinct ABS platforms are there? Could be 8 or 9. What distinguishes them? Who knows.

The overlay does not appear on my HTC One V, but it does show up when I play it on my Nexus 7, so it's not all Android devices.

Originally Posted by puregenius 

Interesting, when you stream the example on your Nexus does it show the 560 Kbps encode as it is progressing? AFAIK that is the highest available on the iPhone regardless of available bandwidth. I have seen the 560 encode on the PC, Roku and Xbox 360.

Originally Posted by michaeltscott 

I'm pretty sure that I have seen it hit the 560 Kbps encode, but just now when I play it it leaps to the highest that it will give me, 1750 Kbps, the highest SD res (resolution of the Nexus 7 is high enough to support 720p but it won't go there). I dragged the scrub bar back to the beginning and it started again at 1050 but jumped to 1750 after a couple of seconds. Toying with it I can't get it to go under 1050 right now.

Originally Posted by keenan 

Anyone know why Netflix chose such an odd aspect ratio for their House of Cards series? After fooling around with the vid/proc for 30 mins and getting weird results I finally looked it up at IMDb and it's listed as 2.00:1, which results in displaying letter-boxed with 2 thin bars. What is the deal with that?

Originally Posted by puregenius 

...with all the encodes available neither of my Android devices hit the right one for the overlay. At the very least I would expect the Tab to hit one.

Originally Posted by mgkdragn 

Yep, I immediately noticed that myself .. I myself have never seen that ratio before .. not to say that it does not exist elsewhere ..

Originally Posted by gushin 

If it's 2.0:1 maybe Fincher wanted an anomorphic VistaVision 70mm look to it.

Originally Posted by Brian Conrad 

I don't notice any black bars because my 12 year old RP HD set has overscan and I've never had it shimmed.

Originally Posted by keenan 

There may be an answer in the House of Cards thread but I haven't finished watching the whole series yet and don't want to be spoiled by any plot revelations contained in that thread.

Originally Posted by keenan 

Anyone know why Netflix chose such an odd aspect ratio for their House of Cards series? After fooling around with the vid/proc for 30 mins and getting weird results I finally looked it up at IMDb and it's listed as 2.00:1, which results in displaying letter-boxed with 2 thin bars. What is the deal with that?

Originally Posted by undecided 

Strangely - or maybe not people are behaving in that thread. No spoilers yet.

Edit - I should add I am talking about the thread in HDTV programming - I think there is another one which may or may not have spoilers.....