Netflix (on Xbox 360) questions...

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CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#147250 13-Jun-2014 13:45

So now that you don't need an Xbox live gold account to use the entertainment apps I though I'd trial netflix. I managaged to set it up ok and was suprised when it accepted my NZ Visa as payment method for the trial. I've never had any luck getting online US retailers accepting my credit card, so I'm a little sceptical as to whether or not the transcation will actually go through when the trial expires. I did some googling but couldn't find any answers. Anybody here have a credit card that worked for the trial but not the actual billing?
My other question revolves around HD over component. I can't seem to find a definitie answer on whether or not HD streams over component. How do you tell if something is available in HD or not? I don't remember seeing anything on the UI indicationg this. I found you can switch from 5.1 to stereo on some streams, but I haven't seen any options about video quality. Also I thought there would be a setting somewhere about how much bandwith you wanted Neflix to use, like high.meddium, or low, but I can't find any adjustable settings.
I'm trialing getflix.com.au and it seems to work fine. I tried donwlaoding bbc iPlayer app but it told me I'm in the wrong region, it seems I need to connect to a full VPN to be able to donwload that, does that sound right?
Are there any other good video apps, preferably free, I should be trying on the Xbox 360?

EDIT - Typo

kingjj

1728 posts

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#1064930 13-Jun-2014 14:16

It seems that most NZ banks CC's are accepted by Netflix at this stage, My ANZ card has had no issues since I signed up a year ago (there was a thread last year discussing this). If it accepts it at trail sign up you won't have any issues.

To adjust streaming options you need to login on a computer and go to the account settings page. As for component/HD, I can't help there sorry, only just started playing with it on Xbox last week, haven't hunted out all the functions yet.

EDIT: 1000 posts....

CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#1064944 13-Jun-2014 14:46

kingjj: It seems that most NZ banks CC's are accepted by Netflix at this stage, My ANZ card has had no issues since I signed up a year ago (there was a thread last year discussing this). If it accepts it at trail sign up you won't have any issues. To adjust streaming options you need to login on a computer and go to the account settings page. As for component/HD, I can't help there sorry, only just started playing with it on Xbox last week, haven't hunted out all the functions yet. EDIT: 1000 posts....

Congrats on the 1000! woohoo. Right so I didn't spend much time on the actual web interface of netflix, I'll have a look tonight and I'll have a bit more of a play on the xbox 360. Found a few threads complaining of poor performance and being locked to 480p after an update to the app late alst year, can't seem to find if it is still an issue or not.

dclegg

2806 posts

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#1064946 13-Jun-2014 14:55

We've been using our BNZ Visa to pay for NetFlix since we signed up last year. No payment issues whatsoever.

driller2000

935 posts

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#1064988 13-Jun-2014 15:16

re cc - yeah my westpac nz one works fine at the moment

re resolution - i likewise didn't find any bandwidth options - however if you push one of the thumb-sticks in (lhs?) it will show what it is streaming - i believe it maxes out at 720p on the xbox360

re other apps - i assume you have switched your xbox360 to us? - assuming this is the case i tried a bunch of other apps - but many seem to not work on my slinghshot vdsl + global mode eg. huluplus - you may have better luck on getflix/unblockus

i guess you could test them on pc first to see if they are to your liking - some free ones seem to work ok - youtube / redbull - but many others do require a paid subscription

that said i am well pleased with what the switch to US has done in terms of opeining up more media options and add in the fact many of these apps won't need gold soon is a bonus.

CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#1067328 17-Jun-2014 11:11

Ok so I did some tests over the weekend. I could get The Avengers to play in HD on my PC but not on my Xbox 360. It would only play in SD. I found a link to a Netflix test video where it has the bitrate and resolution burned in. From my PC it would take several minutes but eventually it would get to HD at 720p, maxing out at 3,000 kbps. I then played the same test clip on the Xbox and it would only get to 480p at 1750kbps. I can get a local speed test to about 9.5 Mbps, and I tried a bunch of random speed tests to the states and got between 6 - 7 Mbps for most of those. Do you loose a chunk of speed going through the getflix dns server?
Anybody else using component on their Xbox 360 with Netflix? I have the Xbox outputting 1080i, I wonder if perhaps that is the issue, I can't change that unfortunately as the TV won't play nicely when I output 720p or 1080p.

I guess my next step is too see if youtube or something will play HD.

itey

476 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1067390 17-Jun-2014 12:30

is your xbox connected via wifi ?

CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#1067403 17-Jun-2014 12:55

itey: is your xbox connected via wifi ?

No, via ethernet. I think it must be Netflix not allowing HD via component, although I can't find a definitve answer on that from Netflix or Microsoft yet.

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garvani

1873 posts

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#1067405 17-Jun-2014 13:01

Component won't matter. Xbox360 is a 720p device according to that link so you should get that if the bandwidth allows for it.

Also for pc if you want to cheat and set your resolution manually you can do this when your watching a video (in normal windowed browser mode, not fullscreen), press ctrl alt shift S and a dialog pops up that allows you to choose your bitrate.

CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#1067409 17-Jun-2014 13:13

garvani: Component won't matter. Xbox360 is a 720p device according to that link so you should get that if the bandwidth allows for it.

Also for pc if you want to cheat and set your resolution manually you can do this when your watching a video (in normal windowed browser mode, not fullscreen), press ctrl alt shift S and a dialog pops up that allows you to choose your bitrate.

That's what I would have thought but I found some discussion on the net specualting that netflix no longer allow HD on non-HDCP compliant devices, such as over component.

safboy

62 posts

Master Geek

#1067828 17-Jun-2014 19:33

I'm straying a little from the OP.
Since xbox gold wasn't required, I have had netflix working on my 360.
Now, tonight, all of a sudden nothing...
I have confirmed via the network test tools on the console that I can connect to xbox live (using a unotelly dns with subscription). But when I click on the netflix app, it says I am not connected to the net...
I deleted the app and tried to reinstall, and the xbox tells me "sorry, there's a problem with the xbox service. Try again later. For help with this problem, go to www.xbox.com/error help. Status code: 807B01F4"
I went there and it tells me to refresh my network settings...
I haven't got a gold account currently so I can't see if xbox live is down for multiplayer.

Anybody got any thoughts/ideas that I could try to get netflix up and running again?

Cheers
Kyle

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646 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1067874 17-Jun-2014 20:43

Just a query on running netflix on my 360....

I'm with Slingshot, Global Mode on. I've got a Xbox Live Gold account but don't want to change the region of that so I can set up another account on the console and change that to US region? Then all I have to do is sign up for netflix with my NZ cc?

So once done does that mean I can change between my usual NZ based account, flick to the US based on to watch netflix and back when I want to play games?

blakamin

4431 posts

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Inactive user

#1067923 17-Jun-2014 21:34

logo: Just a query on running netflix on my 360....

I'm with Slingshot, Global Mode on. I've got a Xbox Live Gold account but don't want to change the region of that so I can set up another account on the console and change that to US region? Then all I have to do is sign up for netflix with my NZ cc?

So once done does that mean I can change between my usual NZ based account, flick to the US based on to watch netflix and back when I want to play games?

Make a US user, login with that user, download the netflix app, log out. login with your normal user, app will be there. I only used the US user I created to install netflix. I just login as me to watch it.

CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#1069612 19-Jun-2014 22:49

garvani: Component won't matter. Xbox360 is a 720p device according to that link so you should get that if the bandwidth allows for it.

Also for pc if you want to cheat and set your resolution manually you can do this when your watching a video (in normal windowed browser mode, not fullscreen), press ctrl alt shift S and a dialog pops up that allows you to choose your bitrate.

I tried that ctrl alt shift s thing, and the max it would let you select was 3000kbps. Is that what Netflix determines as the absolute best my connection can handle?

garvani

1873 posts

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#1069739 20-Jun-2014 09:17

Browsers can't get SuperHD, 3000kbps is the maximum a pc can stream. Unless you have the windows 8 app as that will go to superhd but just playing it through a browser limits you to 3000.

CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#1073942 25-Jun-2014 09:11

garvani: Browsers can't get SuperHD, 3000kbps is the maximum a pc can stream. Unless you have the windows 8 app as that will go to superhd but just playing it through a browser limits you to 3000.

Why is that I wonder, seems strange limiting it like that. I am now on a trial of Unotelly and perfomrance seems to be the same as it was on getflix, only 1750kbps 480p on the xbox360. I have since found that for some reason microsoft limit most video apps on the 360 to 720p (excluding their own service of course and possibly vudu) but I don't seem to be able to get that either. It may be due to the xbox outputting 1080i via component, I'm unable to try outputting 1080p or 720p because the television won't accept either of those. If I continuie with netflix I'll probably just downgrade to the SD only plan as I'm not gaining anything by paying the extra $1.