Yeah artifacts and pixellation is about right. It just seems unable to stream above 1mbps. Something is limiting Netflix and Netflix only, and its something in either the ATV software or hardware.
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Why is Netflix so poor on ATV?
- Thread starter striker33
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Yeah artifacts and pixellation is about right. It just seems unable to stream above 1mbps. Something is limiting Netflix and Netflix only, and its something in either the ATV software or hardware.
Did you purchase yours in an apple store? If so try exchanging for another. Yours is probably just defective although sounds much worse than mine.
I think it's netflix. Roku also has artifacts at times with their 1080p streaming devices. The boxee has no artifacts, but limited to 720p. So I'm guessing netflix is having problems with 1080p adaptive streaming on some devices.
A lot of people on this thread say 1080p is fine on their end. I've also had it confirmed by Netflix that the Apple TV is limiting the bandwidth available to the Netflix app. Apple on the other hand still havent told me anything.
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Got mine from Argos. Will be getting a call off Apple tomorrow so will discuss my exchange options then.
Here is a duscussion with all the problem from the roku forum with Netlix.
http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=48012
http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=48012
Definitely seems to be a problem with the Apple TV. I got mine exchanged today, same issues still. I then took it round to a friends house, as per Apple's advice, and it was still locked in standard definition at around 1mbps. My friends internet is 8mbps as well, 2mbps faster than mine.
I then called Netflix again, who told me lies about my streams on PS3 not hitting above 2.9mbps, despite a few days ago, being told its was hitting 4.7mbps+ for the highest quality. I'm running a LAN monitor right now and it proves that I'm hitting the 5mbps requirement for HD streaming. They basically tried to pawn me off to Apple again. She also kept telling me to get a faster internet connection. Unfortunately the majority of the world still has substandard broadband connections. 6mb is actually very good for where I live. But thats not the point. The difference between ATV3 and PS3 is like DVD vs Blu-Ray. Its that big.
No one wants to take the blame. Apple tell me to get it repaired, Netflix tell me to call Apple. A simple google search would point the finger at Apple, given their past reputation with Netflix issues on ATV2.
I've been thinking of just selling up and getting a Roku XS, but the tacky interface and remote really put me off, as well as the lack of iTunes Match.
Does the quality of the HDMI cable make any difference to anyone? We've had sporadic Netflix problems with the new Apple TV also. Sound, etc. Wondering if going to a higher quality or more expensive HDMI cable would solve the problem. This is our first Apple TV.
It could have changed, but it was the case that an 'n' spec wifi network would slow all devices down to a slower speed if there was any device connected on a slower protocol. It might be that because your PS3 is connected with the 'g' spec, your network is being restricted to that. Maybe the ATV is sensing 'g' and automatically selecting SD because of that?
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An HDMI cable is digital. Usually it works or it doesn't work. It is possible to have an intermittent not working / working fault if there is a loose connection or the HDMI is not fitted correctly. More expensive cables are actually more likely to have a problem because many of them are heavier, sometimes too heavy for the connection.
There are 2 different HDMI cable types, category 1 and category 2. The difference is in the bandwidth they are certified for and not specifically related to price. Category 2 (also called High Speed) is required for 1080p and above. Intermittent problems are possible with a category 1 cable at 1080p (or some unrated cables dating from before the categories were introduced) which worked fine at lower resolutions so I would not rule it out. However a replacement cable doesn't need to be expensive, as long as it is category 2 certified it should be fine.
One thing I will say about all 3 generations of Apple TV is that the HDMI connector seems very fussy about being seated perfectly. I've had times when it's worked perfectly for months but then lost the picture and it just needed jiggling to make it start working again. I've never had this problem with any other HDMI device.
In the same position as you. Let me tell you, the service itself is excellent, but the UK content library is seriously lacking.
I'd recommend signing up to unblock us and changing the DNS settings on the ATV. I think theres a one week trial available still.
Works a treat and no problems streaming US content on my 5mb line
I signed up for the one month free trial when Netflix came to the UK, I spent the month using it on both my ATV2 and my PS3, both wired to a 10Mbps internet connection.
The PS3 worked perfectly, not a single issue, but the ATV2 was a nightmare, constant buffing issues, getting halfway through a program only to have it stop and drop back to the menu, not very good at all. On the PS3 I was always getting the content in HD but on the ATV2 it was very low quality and only seemed to be SD.
Ultimately in the end I didn't continue the subscription mainly due to the shocking lack of TV content in the UK.
The PS3 worked perfectly, not a single issue, but the ATV2 was a nightmare, constant buffing issues, getting halfway through a program only to have it stop and drop back to the menu, not very good at all. On the PS3 I was always getting the content in HD but on the ATV2 it was very low quality and only seemed to be SD.
Ultimately in the end I didn't continue the subscription mainly due to the shocking lack of TV content in the UK.
I have been thinking about that actually, certainly a good idea until the studios decide to actually care about getting their content over to the UK on Netflix.
Since UK accounts apparently work with a proxy, I'm assuming that when I'm in the US next week I will be able to use my UK account on my iPad to see what content US Netflix has. It might influence whether or not I go the proxy route when I get back, or just cancel the sub.
I've been using unblock us for the last year here in Canada. Works great for Netflix. With my atv 2 I'm able to use the same Netflix account to get to access to both the US and Canadian Netflix content. I only pay for my US account. Just change the dns to access Canadian content.
In UK on a stable 11mbps connection, Netflix on my atv2 streams perfectly in HD - not seeing the issues described tbh.
My PS3 isnt 5GHZ capable. Infact the only devices which are connected to my 5GHz network atm are my ATV and iPad. It shouldnt matter anyway. My PS3 can stream a 15mbps Avatar rip over wifi, so its hardly down to a slow G speed network.
I didn't mean that the g speed network was slow in itself, but that the ATV was sensing that the wifi wasn't running at n speed, so automatically adjusting quality settings. It was only a possibility, hence my use of could, might and maybe. Just trying to help.
I was just about to my breaking point with the Netflix issue and decided to run through all the options available to me. The only thing I hadn't tried was doing a complete restore of the Apple TV. It was a pain to set everything up again but so far (knock on wood) it has been worth it. I've since watched about 2 hours of flawless Netflix streaming - before I couldn't watch for more than 5 minutes without random pauses.
It might be Netflix reading an Apple setting.
p.s. I didn't give you the negative vote.