Odd Netflix issue - X-High/HD no longer available - Page 2

Glad I found this thread. I'm having the same issues as you all. No X-high HD! It's pissing me off. I checked a bunch of programs I know for a fact were in X-High. Hard wired PS3, 20mps download speeds. Checked Vudu minute long test and maxed the meter out for entire duration a couple of times I ran it. What a shame they need to fix this and stop blaming others. Maybe a cancellation is in order. I just bought a new bigger tv and now they pull this crap.

This is the only thing that will play in X-HIGH HD- Example 8 Hour 23.976. Might be time to cancel Netflix. Next they will remove HIGH HD.

I know that none of the Epix content that I use to watch would play in X-High/HD only High/HD however content that always use to play at the highest quality like Alias, Transformers, GI-Joe, Quincy ME, Knight Rider, Hawaii-Five-O, Star Trek TOS and some movies like Mirror Mirror only now max out at High/HD. It is annoying to say the least but more annoying that there is nothing about this anywhere else.

this is just nuts...talking to NF and they ask me to power machine down and up. what a joke!
Edited by plasma21 - 12/2/12 at 4:53am

Luckily I just found this thread. I am in Brazil, and not only I but all other Netflix Brazil users are also experiencing this problem (HD streams maxing out at High/HD when usually they would go up to X-High/HD).

So it seems that it is either a Netflix issue (that they have not acknowledged it so far) or it is in fact they silently reduced the stream quality without properly notifying their subscribers (us).
Edited by drdsouza - 12/2/12 at 7:05am

Same issue here. Tons of stuff that used to play in x-high HD now plays in med/high HD. Example 8 23.976 always plays in x-high HD, so it's definitely on their end

Considering redbox is launching next week, this can't be something they're doing on purpose?

I called Netflix yesterday. The rep said he was unaware of this issue, but he did a quick google search and found a thread elsewhere on this problem. He thanked me and said he would forward the info. He said that the PS3 Netflix app receives its streams via the Sony Playstation network, so the problem might be with Sony. I just checked the Roku forums to see if there was a 1080p Netflix issue in November or December, and could find no evidence of a problem similar to ours.

The only thing I can get to run in x-high is the 8-hour Netflix "Example" video. None of the other Example videos will go above "regular" high. This is despite rebooting the PS3, uninstalling and reinstalling the Netflix app (along with deleting the associated "game data"). The PS3 internet connection test shows I'm getting about 9 Mbs, and PS3 Vudu HDX seems to be running fine. I use an ethernet cable to connect to my router. The speedtests I run on my PC show my FIOS connection speed is right at the 10Mbs I pay for. (Apartment buildings where the optical cable runs to copper-cable distribution boxes don't get the same FIOS speeds.)

I think it is possible Sony is doing this, perhaps temporarily. I noticed the recent update to the Playstation on the PS3 is extremely elaborate, and looks to these amateur eyes as if it might be absorbing a lot more of the Sony network's capacity than before.

It would be useful if other people would also call Netflix and report this issue. I'm going to try to report this to Sony next, if I can find a phone number where I can talk to an actual human being.

Correction to my previous post: I meant the recent update to the Playstation Store on the PS3. The new store looks to me like it might require substantially more of the PSN's capacity than did the old store. But I am not an engineer; perhaps others would speculate on this.

Same issue here. FIOS Ethernet directly into Panny Plasma using app on TV. Very frustrating.

I contacted Netflix again and they are still denying responsibility. They said they haven't reduced bandwidth/aren't throttling streams. The guy kept telling me it has to be a connectivity problem. I explained that it has only been in issue for a few weeks and that several people have been experiencing the problem with a variety of devices. They don't have an explanation and just put the blame on the is users end. I said they should expect to continue receiving calls because it is becoming more widespread.

You are right, Netflix has said that X-High streams require an 8Mbps connection. As far as the lower quality streams being due to high usage/peak hours, I don't think this is the case. I have tested this theory at various times of the day and the streams are never hitting X-High.

It certainly is not just the PS3. Please, lets not let Netflix slide. I also use the app on my smart tv other than the PS3 and I'm using a wired connection and it's the same deal only get HIGH-HD on all the shows/movies that were X-HIGH HD.

Netflix uses a headroom of 40%. Therefore, a 7.3 Mbps connection is needed to ensure the 5184 kbps bitrate streaming (4800 for the 1080p video and 384 for the 6-channel audio).

I just have a PS3 Slim 120 GB model hooked up to my TV and also watch Netflix on the Dell laptop. I don't have any other devices but the other devices are affected. Can anyone tell me what software version Netflix is using for WDTV and smart TV app? The PS3 app is version 2.11.

Also you said the tech guy said he did a Google search and found users having problems. Well I have done many Google searches from 'Netflix High/HD', 'Netflix throttling' and they all gave me crappy old results dating back from 2009 to 2010. Only searching for 'Netflix X-High/D' gave me one result from Yahoo answers which I responded to under the name 'Tony Ramirez'. So the tech guy is full of crap.

As I previously reported, I have a wired PS3 with a download speed of 25Mbps. All that I can get is HIGH/HD except for the 8-hour sample video. Netflix must have throttled everything else sometime in the last 10 days. Their tech people are either ignorant or not being honest I would think.

Exactly. Netflix rounds it up to 8 Mbps but it's highly dependent upon what you're watching. A dialog-driven title with little action isn't going to come near to averaging 4.8 Mbps and its 1080p encode can probably be streamed by someone with significantly less available bandwidth.

Before adaptive bit-rate streaming (ABS), the players would test available bandwidth and choose a video encode accordingly. Now it's completely dynamic. I think that the players will perform a test to decide where to start, but they keep stepping up through the available video encodes until they get to the highest bit rate one with which they can keep their buffers full under current conditions; if the buffer starts emptying out they'll step down to a lower bit rate/lower picture quality encode before they run out of content to play, but they'll keep trying to step back up to better quality video.

Netflix titles have standard-def video encodes at 235-, 375-, 560-, 750-, 1050- and 1750-Kbps; HD titles have 720p encodes at 2350- and 3600-Kbps and (usually) a 1080p one at 4800-Kbps. Add to that 192 Kbps for stereo sound or 384 Kbps for 5.1 channel DD+ (when available). There's a special 64 Kbps stereo sound encode which I think is only available for PCs and portable devices.

I noticed probably over two months ago that they were having problems with the display. It used to always display the time stamp, video and audio. Then a couple months ago I hit the display button and it only displayed the time. No video quality or audio. Another time it would display time stamp, video quality and audio unknown. Example this weekend , same show. Satuday display showed me time stamp, video quality and audio......Sunday, time stamp, video quality, nothing at all for audio. So, I noticed the display reading acting up a couple of months ago and a couple weeks ago noticed no X-HIGH HD. This is trying Netflix on two different sources and checking my network over and over. They are having some issues these past couple months I'd say. I should get it touch with them and direct them to this thread.

The netflix operator actually pulled up my streaming data and said that my connection yesterday went up and down in speed 19 times and dropped 3 times. Therefore, according to their tech guys, it must be my problem.

Of course this is all BS because, at all times, I can get the example 23.976 short to play in x-high HD no problem. The operator has no answer to that.

I have Fios 35/35 and my wireless ps3 network test shows 19 mbps/sec.

I have a theory. The company's financial troubles and stock price performance is well known. How do you get the stock price higher? You sign more subscribers but you dont invest in more infrastructure to support them. This saves costs and increases profits. An easy way ( i think) to accomplish that is to reduce the max streaming quality which will likely allow more users on existing systems.

Alternatively netlix could just raise prices ( i would pay more fwiw). But after the utter fiasco in 2011, company may be loathe to try that.

Basically, another bone headed decision by a very poorly managed company.

I think we should just keep calling and calling netflix and throttle their operators' bandwidth.

You may be right plasma21. What bothers me is that Netflix makes changes and doesn't notify it's subscribers or even acknowledge a change. Unfortunately, I think most subscribers don't care that much about quality and Netflix will probably get away with this.

"Unfortunately, I think most subscribers don't care that much about quality and Netflix will probably get away with this."

Bingo!

Maybe....maybe not....

Hypothetically, I am planning to get in touch with a stock analyst covering NFLX and make them aware of this issue. If i am an analyst I would sure as hell want to know about unadvertised changes being made by the company to its service.

More importantly, netflix operators can bamboozle us on the phone and evade our questions. Not so easy to do so with an analyst whose good graces you kind of need....

Has anyone tried writing the engineering staff at Netflix?

A lot of tech analysts are not to be believed these days they can hurt your cause as much as help it.

Is it possible that the ISP's are responsible for the bandwidth squeeze??? It might be interesting to know what providers you all are using.
I'm on Comcast; usually have 15-20mb/s download speeds...

Leeb

At any time, I can get the 23.976 example 8 hour short to play in x-high HD for extended periods.

That rules out ISP as a cause.

I stand corrected on the Sony issue. I had not read the previous entries in the thread carefully enough.

The unresolved question now is whether Netflix has abandoned 1080p temporarily or permanently, or whether there is some kind of technical glitch affecting only some devices. In this thead we have Western Digital streamers, PS3s, some Panasonic plasma TVs, and maybe a Sony Blu-ray player. If Netflix has shut down all 1080p streaming then eventually all devices capable of streaming Netflix at 1080p AND which permit the viewer to confirm this level of service should surface in this thread. I have checked both the Roku and Apple TV official forums and found no evidence of our problem, but I don't consider this definitive. It is possible that the users of these devices are not able to check for x- high. For example, my 2010 Samsung plasma TV does not appear to have a quality indicator for its integrated Neftlix streaming app, nor does the embedded quality indicator in the "8 hour Example" video appear.

It would be great if someone would test whether these, and other, alternate devices are experiencing our problem.

Of course, there is the possibility that Netflix could be testing the waters in a very quiet way, and disabling only a portion of their 1080p customers in order to measure the outrage, or lack thereof. I agree with those commenters who fear that Netflix might be abandoning 1080p streaming in order to reduce costs. It has always impressed me that, unlike Vudu with their HDX, Netflix doesn't stress 1080p or PQ in their advertising. Their strong desire to ween customers off Blu-ray and into streaming is not a comforting forerunner.

Come to think of it, this may be in response to carl icahn acquiring a stake in netflix. The company immediately adopted a poison pill....

Throttling streaming from 1080 down to 720 is nothing in comparison....management is just awful...

Like I said before 720p does not look that bad because I only have a 32" 1080p TV however I do notice the difference between there 1080p streams as 720p the colors are more washed out and they have a more pinkish tilt to them. Still not as bad as the abomination Low/SD which they should get rid off.