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macola2

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 30, 2012
2
0
Does anyone else get this, Neflix is unusable on the Apple TV, can't watch for more than 30 seconds without buffering. It works great on my PS3.

Randall
 

chenks

macrumors 65816
Oct 23, 2007
1,187
489
UK
netflix on the ps3 continually adjusts the quality to suit your connection, so quality drops when your speed drops.

netflix on the appletv is does not adjust quality, so if your speed drops you will start to get buffering.
 

EvilC5

macrumors 6502a
Sep 22, 2010
504
0
Hanover MD
are you wired or wireless (G or N) and how fast is your connection thru your ISP?

I went in and changed my DNS servers to google and open DNS and that cleared up some of my previous buffering issues.
 

whooleytoo

macrumors 604
Aug 2, 2002
6,607
716
Cork, Ireland.
netflix on the ps3 continually adjusts the quality to suit your connection, so quality drops when your speed drops.

netflix on the appletv is does not adjust quality, so if your speed drops you will start to get buffering.

I don't think that's true. On my ATV2, it does switch from a HD stream to lower quality streams if the datarate can't be sustained (in my experience anyway!).

To the OP - it might change over time. I had lots of problems with mine, watching HD streams and it would pause and/or drop quality every couple of minutes. But, without me doing anything, it fixed itself and has been near-flawless for several weeks now. It may well be a Netflix server problem rather than a device issue.
 

maturola

macrumors 68040
Oct 29, 2007
3,863
3
Atlanta, GA
netflix on the ps3 continually adjusts the quality to suit your connection, so quality drops when your speed drops.

netflix on the appletv is does not adjust quality, so if your speed drops you will start to get buffering.

This is completely untrue, the quality of the stream is adjusted depending on your internet speed and bandwidth and all clients including the ATV.


The OP issue is due to Netflix servers and not the ATV itself, the protocol use by the PS3 and the Xbox are different from the one use by Apple, and sometime they can behave differently. there isn't much you can really do since it is not on your side.
 
Last edited:

chenks

macrumors 65816
Oct 23, 2007
1,187
489
UK
This is completely untrue, the quality of the stream is adjusted depending on your internet speed and bandwidth and all client including the ATV.

if this is untrue then it must have changed to this variable quality very recently.
if very much was static quality when it was first added.
 

maturola

macrumors 68040
Oct 29, 2007
3,863
3
Atlanta, GA
if this is untrue then it must have changed to this variable quality very recently.
if very much was static quality when it was first added.

Sorry, but it had been like that since day one, this is not even a feature of the client, this is a server side service, it happen on the Netflix side not on the ATV side.

I used to have Cable internet when it was introduced, and between 5 and 8 PM, when everyone was getting home from work, the speed would drops considerably and you could see the ATV netflix client actually changing between high and low quality quite often during a playback
 

btbrossard

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2008
973
11
Chicagoland
and you could see the ATV netflix client actually changing between high and low quality quite often during a playback
I see this all the time on our ATV depending on what other network activity is going on.

For example - If I'm downloading files or whatnot, the ATV will display a lower quality stream to compensate for the reduced available bandwidth at the time. It will also switch mid stream to either a higher or lower quality if network conditions change.

I find that the ATV stops to buffer much less than Netflix via our xbox.


To the OP - you could try to force your ATV to use a lower quality stream via your Netflix account for troubleshooting purposes (or to reduce the amount of bandwidth your ATV is using for Netflix to stay under caps or free up capacity for other clients).

You log into your Netflix account and choose "Manage Video Quality." You can change this setting at any time.
 

blacktape242

macrumors 68000
Dec 17, 2010
1,906
2,814
Sacramento, CA
I'm having the same issue! so annoying!

my roku works great, why doesn't my apple tv!

I have done just about everything to get it working (resetting my modem, atv, my wireless, plugging it into my modem, software updates, turning off all other wired/wireless devices) and it still buffers.

My ISP is running at 18mbps so I know thats not the problem.

anyone?? i want to throw this little black box through the window!
 

thatoneguy82

macrumors 68000
Jul 23, 2008
1,895
2
Beach Cities, CA
Hmm.. I have 4 AppleTVs. 1 first gen, 2 second gen and 1 3rd gen and have no issues with them at all. The second and third generation have no issues with Netflix at all, they all work flawlessly. I watch A LOT of Netflix, so I definitely would notice if I would have any buffering/low quality issues.

As far as the connection, I have VZ FiOS and have a sustained speed of 25/25MBps. One of the second gen AppleTVs are connected via the ethernet straight from the router itself. The other second gen and third are connected wirelessly. The third gen is a bit different in that it's connected via the ethernet but through a wireless extender (?) of the Airport Express. Anyway, I have NO ISSUES at all. I also have a PS3 and BD players and TVs with Netflix capabilities and they do not come close, in my opinion, to the AppleTV's ease of use and especially for my needs.
 
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