Netflix adds 3D and Super HD - Page 26

The RT-N66U looks nice, but it's twice the price of the N16 that I'm comtemplating. My needs are simple (I've been fine with the WRT54G except that the wireless N would be nice for the wireless-connected Roku and Xbox downstairs). If I buy it, I'll run the Toastman version of Tomato which has some cool new features.

Earlier I was getting the SuperHD servers reliably through unblock-us for a couple of hours on my Roku 2 XS - now not so much

michaeltscott are you still getting SuperHD consistently with unblock-us through all your devices?

If not I would be interested if the WD TV Play is still getting SuperHD using unblock-us . As you can set a DNS server in the device it may be more reliable than the Roku and some of the other devices.

Thanks

I was checking out the Netflix streams last night on the Roku 3. I tried that example stream several times and each time I got the Super HD bitrates. What was surprising to me was that it always started streaming at 1080P, at the 3850kbps bit rate. Even when I tried it after streaming a couple fo titles from the Funimation app(err channel). When I went back to the Netflix app it would initially start at the 3850 bitrate.

It works on plenty. You just need tomato usb and/or the mods (shibby build is what I use(d). The latest device I used it on was the Linksys E4200 (v2)

It does appear that I spoke too soon. I tried it with region set to Canada, the UK, Brazil and Sweden, but I never tried it with US servers. Since my ISP is set up for Open Connect I don't use Unblock-US to get Super HD in the US anymore--I just set my router's DNS addresses to OpenDNS. I get the same erratic behavior vis-a-vis getting assigned Open Connect servers as before when using Unblock-US with area set to USA.

Of course, since I normally never use it with area set to USA I didn't lie--it is fixed for me .

I'll post a retraction in that support forum thread .

Never count your chickens before they hatch!





Ian

I am going back to OpenDNS for now.

I may try a WD TV Play and unblock-us DNS in the player if others are finding it connects consistently.

Sorry--no more consistently with Unblock-US set to the USA region. I never use that region to get Super HD (my ISP is set up for it) so I hadn't tested it.

EDIT: Just tried it on the Play with region set to USA and it got assigned OC servers twice in five starts. Ability to play "Example Short 23.976" seem to be an indicator of whether you got OC servers again. They also removed its 235-, 375- and 750 Kbps encodes so the ramp up is significantly faster when you can play it. That was a bug, so it looks as though they "unfixed" it. Would someone try playing it on a non-Open-Connect-access ISP without Unblock-US's DNS servers?

Example Short 23.976 is running here, through a non-Open-Connect-access ISP and without Unblock-US DNS. However, I believe this doesn't count much as I'm in Brazil and that test clip always worked for me, even when you've reported it wouldn't run unless you were assinged to an Open Connect Netflix server.

By the way, now, in the Brazilian catalog, you can disable subtitles when ýou select a non-Portuguese audio track.
Edited by CaioTheBrain - 3/11/13 at 6:03am

I am seeing the Netflix Super HD using Unblock and the US region on my Sony tv.

When you say it is running, do you mean it is running without interruption or that it runs at 5800Kbps? I am just curious as I thought you need either the open connect server or Unblock-US to get that high bitrate service.

Hmm Netflix on the Ps3 is giving errors now using unblock-us DNS. Works fine using ISPs.

Not entirely. Just scrolling through I see a number of things like The X Files and The Philadelphia Experiment II where you still have a choice of Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish but not "None". It may have improved though .

Currently I'm not having any problem on any device getting assigned OC servers when area is set to anything other than the US (I use Canada, Brazil, UK and Sweden: Brazil has a superset of Mexico's selection and Super HD, the UK and Ireland seem to have the same selection as do all of the Scandinavian areas).
Edited by michaeltscott - 3/11/13 at 2:31am

Yeah, I mentioned that in one of my posts above. At times it's every other attempt to run it.

It's not that people can't get it, it's that they can't get it reliably every time that they start their Netflix players. You have to start the player, test to see whether you've got OC servers (by playing "Example Short") then if you don't have them kill the player and start it and test again until you get them.

We know that two devices seem to always get assigned OC server when using Unblock-US with region set to USA, being the TiVo Premiere and the Win8 Netflix app. There could others; if your TV always gets OC servers when using Unblock with region set to USA it could be yet another such device.

Mike, why do I need to play the example short each time I start up weather it's on my PS3 or Sony tv? Can't you tell your on the OC servers just by seeing the titles listed as (Super HD). When I didn't hook up to the OC servers I never had the (Super HD) moniker on any titles.

I just meant it plays. It doesn't get Super HD.


Yes, you're right.

Honestly, I have very little problems with Unblock now, especially getting SuperHD. When I get an error connecting to another region, and its stubborn, I just switch back to U.S. connect to that region, back out and it works fine in other regions from there.

edit: the SuperHD works for me on my Viera and PS3 EVERY TIME (I cant tell on the Roku because of lack of indicator but I am sure it does too) the only thing that is inconsistent with me is 3D. On the U.S. region, I have to play a title in 2D for a bit then I can get 3D. (If I disconnect from 3D most of the time, I have to play around to get it to work again) I have NEVER gotten a title to play in 3D from any other region besides the U.S. however....no matter what I try. I wonder if the 3D works seamlessly for those on ISPs that are on OC?
Edited by synistr - 3/11/13 at 6:38am

The Super HD logos on the titles do not indicate that you're assigned OC servers. Due to some bug, if you're using Unblock DNS servers and you try to play "Example Short 23.976" without being assigned OC servers it will fail to play and pop up an error message. It seemed as though they'd fixed this so you couldn't use that as a test anymore but it appears to have gone back to the way that it was. (You could still kind of use it as a test by seeing if it got up to at least 4300 Kbps but that's inconclusive, since it might be streaming through OC servers but conditions on those connections won't give it sufficient bandwidth to get that high.

When I test I bring up the admin console of my router in a browser on my tablet and look at the list of TCP/IP connections held by all devices. If when I start playing a title no connections are made to machines in the nflxvideo.net domain then that device isn't assigned OC servers (not entirely true, since if you're using the Nordic regions the OC servers don't resolve to names, but have addresses which begin with 37.77).

Are you sure about that Mike? I mean, I dont even use Example Short anymore. I have used it maybe 3 or 4 times in the past couple of weeks. If I do use it, the only thing I can ascertain is that if it starts at a low bitrate then it will ramp up to SuperHD immediately. If the bitstream starts off higher then it takes a while to get to 720p and higher. You say that about the connection to the OC servers in several posts but I have no issue getting up to SuperHD on any device at any given time. Maybe something on my end is different now as Example Short ALWAYS plays for me, it hasnt given me an error in forever.

I am absolutely certain. If you're using Unblock's DNS servers you will see Super HD logos in title descriptions (in every region except Mexico) even if you don't get assigned OC streaming servers. I was testing Unblock with area set to USA yesterday and this happened multiple times.

What country are you located in? Is this true when you set area to USA? You're the only person to say that it works for you every time on the PS3. It does work for me every time on every device if I'm using any region other than USA. (That's why I thought it was fixed; since my provider is set up for OC access I don't use Unblock to get Super HD for US Netflix so I never tested it until people said it was still broken for them).

With my Roku 3 the example short has been starting at the 1080P, 3850kbps bitrate and going up from there.

I haven't seen that. You may have higher nominal service bandwidth though (you're FiOS, right?). My cable service is 25 Mbps (30 if there's plenty of bandwidth) and since I switched to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem I haven't seen it test below that at any time of day.

Mine generally starts at 560 Kbps, hangs there for 5-6 seconds then starts ramping up, staying at each bit rate for a second before hitting 5800 Kbps.

There must be something special about Roku 3. I have several superhd capable bluray players and Win8 PC but I have never seen anything start that high.

I am in the USA and as long as I connect to NF (sometimes I get an error when connecting to NF, but that has been decreasingly present), SuperHD works for me EVERY TIME....except Canada! I have not been able to get more than SD on Canada . Now whether it ramps up and stays at SuperHD is variable. Sometimes it gets to SuperHD then drops to 720p and stays there for a while. I havent had any issues connecting to any regions recently and but I havent been using USA that much.

I've given up on the "Example Short" because it's had so many problems lately. Maybe I haven't waited long enough for the results to change?

If you don't have problems getting OC servers and Super HD when using Unblock with region set to USA then I think that you are unique among participants in this thread. I always get OC servers when using other regions now (and I didn't at first) but the US region remains a problem. Thankfully, I don't need Unblock for OC server access to the US catalog .

yes, true, but I also seem unique in the fact that I cant get Canada region in HD, much less Super

That's because it's new chip is FAST! 5 times that of the Roku 2. I can only assume that also translates into much quicker buffering.


Ian