Does anyone else have problems with Netflix via xbox?

I have heard rumors form my friend telling me that his Netflix is screwing up too, it has something to do with the new xbox thing and the Netflix servers. According to xbox I have been on Netflix for the last 37 hours, but I don’t have a subscription. I would hold off and see what happens.

HD streaming is not quite there on XBox…I have a Roku and it seems to work. I think I remember reading an article on Engadget about poor first version of software on the XBox Netflix service-I think they’re still working on it though.

Heck I have a hard time watching video from Netflix, without Xbox. What gives w/ that?

(Those Roku’s are fantastic!)

Andrew, what types of speed to you actually get (based off their speed test)?

There’s no way your connection fluctuates that much. Speakeasy is a real reliable company. HD video is huge. Streaming HD without decent compression isn’t really practical. Even the Roku player is max 320 hd.

I wouldn’t be shocked if the servers were getting hammered. I’m willing to bet that a lot of people are all trying to get at those movies at the same time.

Andrew, I would try a movie that you would assume is the most unpopular movie (since less people would be watching it) and see what type of reaction time you get.

My internet is crazy fast. I’ve got to wait for my internet to reset my allotted bandwidth and I’ll give this a try. I’ve been wanting to see how the Netflix interaction works with the xbox anyway so I’ll sign up for the trial and leave you some feedback as to how it works for me.

@bodyhead: I worry that the problem may be with the cable line going into the modem… hence the wild variance in speed.

Do you think your variance in speed could be caused by errored packets? Can you stream other things pretty well? Internet radio? Internet TV (Joost is what I use)?

I had a similar circumstance with variable bandwidth due to very high fluctuation in voltage/dB gain of the signal (mind you that this was quite awhile back, about 2 years ago), but it didn’t involve Netflix directly.

For me the fix involved an onsite service call and line test (and eventual replacement of cable lines from the house to the street); I would suggest contacting your cable operator and having them do a line test from your home; doing the “over the network” test from the operation center won’t solve the issue; in my case it was eroded lines that had been chewed through by rodents (squirrels at the phone pole)...they had to run a new line from the pole to my house, but from there on out it was smooth sailing.

I believe it’s Netflix. I’ve been looking around for an answer to my problem here – Time Warner Cable in LA – and I have found a lot of people with various ISP and setups, all having the same problem with Netflix right now.

I’m having terrible service. It used to look great, but for the past 2 or 3 weeks it’s been consistently 1 bar – the Heroes and Office episodes I’ve been watching look worse than the SD episodes one can find on bittorrent !!!

@thorne06 Hrm, I’m also Time Warner in LA… perhaps it may be that?

I’ve read a lot of reports on the Roku forums and other websites of people having problems with TWC. From what I’ve heard, they love to lower customers speeds during netflix streaming because they don’t want to lose cable customers.

I also have a roku and have great service on it. Prior to the Roku, I streamed on my laptop with no issue.

@dragonflyfaith Mmm…I actually think the issue was the cable line in my house. Once I fixed that, I’ve had no problem streaming.

Glad to hear it. I hope you’re enjoying your Netflix streaming more. I’m personally hoping for the HBO and Showtime they are thinking of adding.

I figured out the problem. You need to delete what’s in your instant queue.

Long story short. Netflix “streams” not only the covers of your movies and TV shows, but also if you’ve watched them, like them, and so forth. The more movies and TV shows you have, the more Netflix is already using of your signal (to display them on the XBOX software).

If you have a lot of shows and movies in your queue, and press play on any movie, it should show a weak signal and start out (sometimes it doesn’t start at all) with horrible pic quality. But then 3 or so minutes into the streaming, your XBOX will likely jump back to a normal strong signal and you’ll be seeing your shows / movies in the best quality available.

Reason this happens is cause Netflix drops the “streaming” for all those video covers and the content within.

So keep your instant queue as empty as possible, and you’ll be fine.

Your internet signal is fine and the Netflix software is fine. I hope this helps!