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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

(Mobile Post) Netflix + Wii = sad face


I have been a Netflix subscriber for approximately 1 year; streaming service only.  It seems to be the perfect compliment to our local cable service by providing plenty of viewing material for all of the family members.  Plus, for $8 a month the price is definitely right.  Recently, Netflix has been a terrible viewing experience on the Wii.  The selection will start playing and then stops unexpectedly with an error message stating that "there is a problem playing this selection. Please try again later or make another selection.".  Anybody out there have any suggestions?

I'be looked at the FAQ section and it is pretty much barren. All I could do was report a problem.

Service seems fine on mobile phone & laptop.  I want it to work on TV so the kids will have plenty to watch.

I have a large amount of selections in my instant Que - does that matter?

I have no interest in the mail service.

I tried Hulu Plus and it is even worse an the selection is terrible or was when I tried it.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. I really like Netflix and would like to keep it but I will probably look into other options if it will only work properly on the laptop or mobile phone.

Sent from my HTC Inspire™ 4G on AT&T

7 comments:

  1. It could be one of several things (or a combo):

    * Your ISP is throttling your connection rates
    * Netflix buffering requirements might not be aligned with the ISP's buffering settings.
    * (If using one) Something is up with your router.

    I am sure you know this, but keep in mind... if you are running off a router, make sure that you secure it. Someone could very well be leeching off of it, thereby causing the ISP throttling issue.

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  2. Hmmm....I will double check the settings. As far as throttling goes, I am assuming I am just stuck with it if that's the case? I will also troubleshooting the router, just in case. Thanks for the suggestions, Eric.

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  3. I doubt you are being throttled. However, you can run a speed test to see what your speed is.

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    1. Hmmm.....please explain. I have never needed to do so before so I'm not exactly sure how.

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  4. If it works on your laptop, then the issue is not with the internet or netflix. Either one of those would cause an issue with everything in your house. The idea behind throttling is that your speed is reduced always or during certain periods. If this is happening, then you would have the same problems on your laptop. While I don't use netflix, other place when they have connection issues will have the show stutter and pause to buffer. Your issue is one where it says there is an error and to watch something else.

    I would call their customer server at: 1-866-579-7172

    Now, if you want to or just want to prove to them before you call that it is not throttling, you can check your speed.

    You can do a search for internet speed test. Popular sites at pcpitstop and speedtest.net. What these sites do is measure how fast it takes to ping a server, upload, and download a bit of information. The most common, but not only way, of throttling, is when you are deemed to be downloading too much and then your speed is reduced.

    I would run a speed test on your computer to see what it is. It likely won't be completely accurate, but you will have an idea. If it is high enough, and ideally close to the speed you pay for, then things are likely ok.

    Assuming those numbers are fine, then you should try streaming on your computer. If you have no problems, then you know the issue is with the wii/router.

    You can also run the test while streaming. Your speed should be slower, but not to dialup speeds. If speed is reduced substantially, say from MB down to KB, then you might be something with the internet.

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  5. Do you have a numerical error code? Is so, have you looked at this yet?

    http://support.netflix.com/en/node/229

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    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, there is no numerical error code displayed. WOW! I haven't run across that error code site but I will definitely bookmark that.

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