geekiegeek: I have the same issue with Apple TV via Astrill VPN. Just recently it started giving this error re unable to contact netflix. The first time I reconnected my VPN and it worked and the other couple of times I restarted the ATV and it sorted it. Happens everytime I try to use Netflix although once fixed its OK until the ATV goes to sleep next.

Seems to have started around the same time that the NZ apps became available on other platforms??

I'm suspecting some sort of DNS issue - Astrill recommend using google DNS.

My question would be if I don't use Google DNS and block it, what DNS do I use?

wasabi2k:

geekiegeek: I have the same issue with Apple TV via Astrill VPN. Just recently it started giving this error re unable to contact netflix. The first time I reconnected my VPN and it worked and the other couple of times I restarted the ATV and it sorted it. Happens everytime I try to use Netflix although once fixed its OK until the ATV goes to sleep next.

Seems to have started around the same time that the NZ apps became available on other platforms??

I'm suspecting some sort of DNS issue - Astrill recommend using google DNS.

My question would be if I don't use Google DNS and block it, what DNS do I use?

If you are routing all your traffic through a VPN you can use Google's DNS.

If you are using a DNS provider then you must block them.

martinjward: Yeah looks like it was a Gremlin.... worked fine last night...

freitasm: Why? Are you guys intercepting requests to Google DNS?

mdooher:

martinjward: Yeah looks like it was a Gremlin.... worked fine last night...

My Apple TV does a similar thing. When I go to play the content I get the spinning wheel of fortune and about 1/2 the time it comes up with "content cant be played" or some such.
When I then go back to the previous screen quite often the Apple TV crashes and restarts. But either way I wont be able to watch Netflix again until I pull the power on it and manually restart it.

Once I get the thing going it seems to go well until the Apple TV sleeps (not sure really I don't watch Netflix every night)

I use Unotelly with the DNS entries in the apple TV
Blocking Google's DNS servers has no effect for me

Otagolad:

mdooher:

martinjward: Yeah looks like it was a Gremlin.... worked fine last night...

My Apple TV does a similar thing. When I go to play the content I get the spinning wheel of fortune and about 1/2 the time it comes up with "content cant be played" or some such.
When I then go back to the previous screen quite often the Apple TV crashes and restarts. But either way I wont be able to watch Netflix again until I pull the power on it and manually restart it.

Once I get the thing going it seems to go well until the Apple TV sleeps (not sure really I don't watch Netflix every night)

I use Unotelly with the DNS entries in the apple TV
Blocking Google's DNS servers has no effect for me

I suggest that you set the aTV to not sleep as "sleep mode" is a know cause of problems both within internal networks and for external services - leaving it on all the time uses neglible power.

Ragnor:

freitasm: Why? Are you guys intercepting requests to Google DNS?

Pretty trivial for an ISP to "transparent proxy" any/all/specific DNS requests and replace with results they desire. They probably need to do it for global mode anyway.

RIP "end to end principle" on the internet etc

freitasm:

Ragnor:

freitasm: Why? Are you guys intercepting requests to Google DNS?

Pretty trivial for an ISP to "transparent proxy" any/all/specific DNS requests and replace with results they desire. They probably need to do it for global mode anyway.

RIP "end to end principle" on the internet etc

Yes, I know it's trivial. I wanted to know if that is the case because... you named it.

howduz1: FYI OP

My netflix dropped out first week in Feb. (I'm on snap and getflix), Tried all sorts of faultfinding, google blocks etc (which didn't fix it). Am currently on level 3 support with getflix. Latest ATV update (7.1) didn't change anything. Have tried trials of the other 3 big DNS providers - all with same fault which is US region (and a few others) won't play any titles. I can view all the titles perfectly well but it times out with the 139 error when I try to play.

However, other regions like Canada, UK, Ireland, Denmark (and others) etc play fine. So I have just resigned to the fact that Netflix US region is broken and forget about it. I can usually find a title on one of the other working regions (using moreflicks).

Everything else on the ATV works fine by the way, hulu, crackle etc.

bjorn: 

Follow this: https://support.unlocator.com/customer/portal/articles/1524376-how-to-bypass-forced-dns-on-roku