Netflix adds 3D and Super HD - Page 29

Seems the UnblockUS DNS system is wonky again today. It worked fine last night and this morning with the default DNS numbers, but now it is only partially working, resolving certain addresses but not others..

The backups provided yesterday still work fine. Just an update.

I've seen Shaper Probe before, however, regardless of the 'true' download' speed, as long as it is consistent, which it is, I have no issues with the Cablevision test. Thanks for your input.


Ian

Are you testing with a wired or wireless connection?

Wired, on this PC. I only use wireless for portable devices.

I find Vudu Speed Test, Comcast Speed Test, speedtest.net all consistently say I have a 24-25 Mbps - which I do for the first 10 - 20 seconds. I can see it in the bandwidth monitor on my router - then it drops to around 17 - 18 Mbps which is actual download speed I see over time. All quite expected given Comcast's Powerboost. My point is if your ISP is using traffic shaping none of the speed tests gives an accurate answer for the bandwidth you'll see for streaming etc.

Shaperprobe correctly reports the download speed as 17-18 Mbps. I'll try speedof.me

That said if you seeing consistent speeds and no problems every seems to be working fine for you.

(Comcast are supposed rolling out higher speeds which should eventually get to California and significantly increase my speed. Evidently Powerboost is disappearing at this time as at higher speed at has less and less benefit)

Cox has Powerboost; at my 25/2 tier it supposedly gives an extra 5 Mbps for the first 22 MB of a download if there's bandwidth to spare. I've seen it persist through long downloads though, so it's not as precise as all that. I've definitely seen it go away during high traffic periods.

Yep. Since I have Open Connect and rarely have streaming issues with Netflix, or most other sites, including Vudu and Amazon, that pretty much confirms what I've seen from the test. I've also used Speed Of Me and have seen slightly lower or higher results.


Ian
Edited by mailiang - 3/15/13 at 2:04pm

Something I just discovered: if you set your Unblock-US region to UK you can use BBC iPlayer .

I had wondered about that. Are you running iPlayer on a PC or other device.

Ideally I would like to use a iPlayer on a Roku 2.

My connection is Comcast with Powerboost. Powerboost rates are ~ 25 Mbps with sustained download speed of ~ 18 Mbps. Sustained upload speed 2 Mbps (more with power boost)

I just tried SpeedOf.me for the first time - it tests my connection speed as 26.4 Mbps down and 5.2 Mbps up.

Speedtest.net gives a download speed of 25.2 Mbps and upload speed of 9.61 Mbps

Vudu speed test gives Download Speed: 22.7 Mbps and Upload Speed: 10.1 Mbps - this result is pretty consistent every time I run it.

Shaperprobe gibes a download shaping rate (sustained speed) 17024 Kbps. (17 Mbps) and upload shaping rate of 2128 Kbps (2.1 Mbps)

All the speed tests are giving unrealistc and high numbers apart from shaperprobe.

The shaperprobe shaping speeds are what I'll get (best case) when streaming or downloading large files. I can also confirm it looking at the realtime bandwidth monitor on my router.

Yeah, I'd like that too. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any way to install the Roku channel from a US Roku account. Perhaps if you create a UK Roku account somehow (and I'm not sure that setting your Unblock region to UK will let you do that), factory reset your Roku and registered it to that account it might work but I'm not willing to go that far. I can run the web player and the PC desktop player. I don't know whether there's HD available in either.

There is some HD streamable in the web player and downloadable to the desktop one. Sadly, Doctor Who Series 7 is not one of them (they have the first two episodes).
Edited by michaeltscott - 3/15/13 at 7:25pm

I use ShaperProbe as the most reliable speed test as well, it always gives me virtually the exact provisioned speed my tier calls for, 16/2 which is the Blast package.

Blast:
16000 kbps / 2000 kbps

Actual:
Downstream: 17600 kbps
Upstream: 2200 kbps

(From DSLReports, What are the actual Provisioned Speeds?)

Yes I think I am on the same Blast package as you (I am also in the Bay Area) - as you probably know Comcast isn't very clear on what provisioned speed you are actually getting. Thanks for the link

What is a little strange is that I have had a Docsis 3 connection every since I got the service last summer - I can see 4 bonded downstream channels in modem which definitive evidence of Docsis 3 - yet I am not getting the Docsis 3 Blast speeds. Others near me in Santa County report the same. Do you know if you are getting a Docsis 3 connection?

Anyway I am hoping Comcast roll out the new faster speeds for each package in California soon

I just tried the shaper probe. It got very close to the actual speeds I get when I max my downloads and uploads for extended periods of time in normal use
It showed 68.5Mb/s up and 152.3Mb/s down.

Just a note that Comcast is upgrading speeds. Blast! is going to 50/10. The old 50/5 is now 105/15. Performance will go from 15-16/2 to 25/5 (essentially permanent PowerBoost.) The PowerBoost feature will no longer be used, as it's not really worth it at these speeds.

Unblockus has similar advantages for people in the UK in that we can stream from the US TV network sites such as NBC, ABC etc. and HULU. Very usefull for us, as not all US shows get picked up by a UK broadcaster, and those that do are often shown months/years after the US broadcast dates.

Thanks. There don't seem to be any services other than BBC iPlayer that it opens up that I'd use. These region restriction circumvention services are more useful for those outside of the US than in (hence the service's name ). Their addition of the Netflix region selector was brilliant, giving it appeal to a whole new market.

You can use the PS3's BBC iPlayer app w/Unblock if you register a separate UK act.

Has anyone used that service that allows you to try out ultra hd with an ISP that doesn't support it? My bandwidth is plenty high enough to support it.

Make a UK account on your play station? Where do you get this app?

Can someone that's on an ISP that gives them Super HD change their DNS servers to OpenDNS and see if they still get Super HD?


Also, did anyone figure out what the DNS lookup is that resolves to Super HD?

Thanks.

I'd really like to be able to try this service out. I'm wondering if it's a significant difference or just a marketing gimmick.

I'm getting 8 bonded download channels here in Santa Rosa but only 2 up. Concerning DOCSIS 3 speeds, with our current tier D3 speeds would not be a factor as I believe D2 can deliver what we're currently getting now, you would not see evidence of D3 capability until you start getting higher speeds, which we're supposedly going to see this month. In other words, you have a D3-capable modem, but you're not subscribed to a D3 speed type of tier.
Thanks, I've been following that development over at DSLR for awhile. Given that my particular market has no competition for high speed broadband I figure that my area will be one of the last to see the increased speeds.

And to bring it back on topic, while the speeds I'm currently getting are more than enough for the bitrates Netflix is providing, it will be nice to see those higher speeds!
Edited by keenan - 3/16/13 at 11:14am

Anyone know when TMC is getting this?

Yep--I normally use OpenDNS. When I use my ISP's, OpenDNS, Google Public DNS servers and I get Open Connect servers.

Some guy who runs his own DNS server was trying to figure out what Unblock is doing. I can't say what they're doing, but when I use them for Netflix in the Win8 player, there is a constant low bit rate exchange going on between the Netflix app and one of their (Unblock's) servers. When I use OpenDNS (or my ISP's, or Google's) DNS servers, the same sort of trickle exchange goes on between the Netflix process and an Amazon AWS server. Even when the player is idle, the connection to that server is slightly active. When you ask to play something, a bunch of activity occurs, often with several streaming servers sending content at once, slowly dropping off to one or two; I believe that the whole process is orchestrated by that AWS server. I think that Unblock might be spoofing the function of that AWS server.
Edited by michaeltscott - 3/16/13 at 11:49am

If you'd read back a ways you'd see that we've been talking about it. It's Unblock-US.com and it costs $5 (Canadian) a month. You can try it for free for 7 days.

You scroll to the screen name column on the XMB, and when creating a new ID, you select UK as your location. You'll need a UK postal code (Google for one), and then sign in to the PSN under that new name. The BBC iPlayer & ITV iplayer, can be found in the Apps section (once you sign in under your UK registered ID, the store is specific to the UK/Europe). Download the player, and with unblock activated, you can use the player when using your regular ID without having to sign in under the UK one..

That was rather a spot of bother but it worked . Tip for anyone trying this, the BBC iPlayer app is no longer available through the PSN Store--you have to go to the TV/Video Services XMB category and select that channels thing at the top of it (little TV screen with color stripes). If you're logged into your UK account it'll be one of the apps. As advertised, once it's installed it'll work from your home nation account if you're using Unblock DNS servers.
Edited by michaeltscott - 3/16/13 at 6:09pm

Hello all
Is the 5.1 Dolby audio slightly better( higher bit rate) with the super hd compared to the standard hd?

Thx