# Netflix streaming - PC vs. TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008 "2012-12-24T14:09:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/1 "2012-12-24T14:09:25Z")
I have used Netflix streaming on my laptop on occasion and have never had a problem. A few weeks ago I bought a TV that has Netflix capability built into it. Sweet, right? Not so fast. I cannot watch anything on TV-Netflix without it pausing every ten seconds to load. I have even paused it for a half-hour for it to catch up, but it still lags continually. I was going to holler at the service provider (ATT U-Verse), but the fact that the laptop streams nicely leads me to believe that is not where the problem lies. Am I correct? Any advice? Thanks, mmm ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/2 "2012-12-24T14:35:23Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I have used Netflix streaming on my laptop on occasion and have never had a problem. A few weeks ago I bought a TV that has Netflix capability built into it. Sweet, right? > > Not so fast. I cannot watch anything on TV-Netflix without it pausing every ten seconds to load. I have even paused it for a half-hour for it to catch up, but it still lags continually. > > I was going to holler at the service provider (ATT U-Verse), but the fact that the laptop streams nicely leads me to believe that is not where the problem lies. > > Am I correct? Any advice? > > Thanks, > mmm I have a similar setup (with a different internet carrier) and do not have this problem. Netflix works the same on my PC and TV. How are you connecting your TV to the internet? Is it the same method as your PC? If it’s wireless what kind of wireless signal is it using? Have you tried it with a hard wired signal instead of wireless? What brand of TV is it? ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/3 "2012-12-24T14:43:04Z")
Netflix can change the type of stream it gives you based on how good your connection is; so if your connection is fast, it’ll send you a nice HD stream containing lots of data, while if your connection is slow, it’ll send you a less data-intensive (and lower-resolution) stream. Is it possible that your TV is is automatically requesting the high-bandwidth version while your computer requests the low-bandwidth version? I’d dig around in your TV’s settings menus and see if there’s any way to customize the Netflix stream it requests. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/4 "2012-12-24T14:53:42Z")
Both TV (Sony, btw) and laptop connect to the U-Verse router wirelessly. > [@](#): > > what kind of wireless signal is it using? Ummm, I dunno. Don’t know how to determine this, either. Hard-wiring the connection would be a semi-major undertaking (TV & router on two different floors). > [@](#): > > I’d dig around in your TV’s settings menus and see if there’s any way to customize the Netflix stream it requests. I’ll try this, but I’m not hopeful; I don’t remember seeing any such option during previous digging-around. Thanks for the replies. mmm ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/5 "2012-12-24T15:01:43Z")
You could also be having a problem with the wireless components or signal strength at the TV. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/6 "2012-12-24T15:02:27Z")
Upon further reflection… Someone help me sort this out. My TV (actually, the DVR/cable box) is connected via the standard “cable” [connection](http://www.hometheater.com/images/archivesart/1105hook.1.jpg). But the Smart TV is connected wirelessly to the modem (as is my laptop). When **NAF** talks about hard-wiring, s/he means [this](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Cat_5.jpg/300px-Cat_5.jpg), yes? I just want to make sure I understand the very basics correctly. Thanks, mmm ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/7 "2012-12-24T15:07:35Z")
Here is what I find at the Sony support site: > [@](#): > > Unlike some computer programs, BD players and televisions operate on a fixed streaming rate that is determined before the movie starts playing. If the movie continues to buffer because of a change in Internet speed, stop and restart the movie to initiate a new streaming rate. So their helpful answer is to stop and re-start the movie and hope for a better stream. :rolleyes: mmm ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/8 "2012-12-24T15:48:31Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Upon further reflection… > > Someone help me sort this out. My TV (actually, the DVR/cable box) is connected via the standard “cable” [connection](http://www.hometheater.com/images/archivesart/1105hook.1.jpg). > > But the Smart TV is connected wirelessly to the modem (as is my laptop). > > When **NAF** talks about hard-wiring, s/he means [this](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Cat_5.jpg/300px-Cat_5.jpg), yes? > > I just want to make sure I understand the very basics correctly. > > Thanks, > > mmm Yes, and he. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/9 "2012-12-24T15:55:11Z")
I also have a Sony TV with Wifi, and the wifi is absolutely terrible. I quickly switched to a wired connection. I recently started using the Netflix app built into the TV and it works great. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/10 "2012-12-24T17:15:40Z")
I don’t know if this is relevant, but I tried using AT&T’s wireless cable system, in which a transponder, attached to the incoming signal, radios a tv signal to a remotely placed tv. In our case, that meant beaming the signal upstairs and into a room about 20 feet back. As the crow flies, probably about 45 feet. It didn’t work. Despite their commercials that imply that you could send the signal any old place in your house, including a garage, AT&T said that their signal was only good for about 20 feet !!! It may be that the wireless signal you’re trying to receive is also pretty weak, and where it might work for a small data stream, and to a closer system, the TV information is just too much, or you’re too far away, for the system to handle. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/11 "2012-12-24T20:52:06Z")
No matter what it’s called, no matter how you slice it, wireless internet is still a freakin’ radio signal, and will always have through-put and reception issues. As current technology stands today, I would not recommend using a wireless internet connection for streaming video to a television, HD doubly so. Run a length of CAT5 from your modem/router right to your smart TV and your problems will be solved. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/12 "2012-12-24T20:57:36Z")
I have never had an acceptable experience watching streaming video over WiFi - there are just too many additional things in the way compared to a wired network connection. (Understand that our house has three high-power Unifi pucks, one of them ten feet from the video stack, and I still see enough problems that I will drag a wire up from the basement router rather than try and rely on wiffy getting us through a movie.) Go wired, even if it’s a bit of a hassle. It makes net-based entertainment SO much less aggravating. There’s nothing worse than curling up for a quiet evening with something from Netflix or Vudu and having to fuck with network hardware for a half hour. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/13 "2012-12-25T08:01:18Z")
And consider powerline adaptors if running cat5 cable would be a hassle. I recently bought a Netgear Nano Homeplug AV 200 system for about $80 and while I don’t know if it matches my router speed it definitely handled my full internet speed of 11 Mbps. Works great for me as an alternative to pulling cable. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/14 "2012-12-25T10:27:40Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > And consider powerline adaptors if running cat5 cable would be a hassle. I recently bought a Netgear Nano Homeplug AV 200 system for about $80 and while I don’t know if it matches my router speed it definitely handled my full internet speed of 11 Mbps. Works great for me as an alternative to pulling cable. +1 for this idea Si ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/15 "2012-12-25T11:11:39Z")
If it’s a new TV, make sure all your updates are installed. Also, mine will occasionally give me the fits like you describe. When it does, I have to break out my 25ft Ehternet cable, run it across the living room and plug it in. That usually fixes it. (I keep mine rolled up like a water hose next to my cable outlet.) You may have to consider peak hours too. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but that’s what I hear. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/16 "2012-12-25T16:22:28Z")
I used to install and repair Uverse, so I’m speaking from experience here. Run a direct ethernet cable from the ethernet port on the back of your Uverse set-top box to the ethernet port on the TV. The set-top box is designed to act as a passthrough for ethernet. We were told in training not to do this, because, if the set-top box fails, then every device it’s giving internet to will lose its connection. However, the failure rate among non-DVR boxes is very, very low. If hard-wiring this way doesn’t solve the problem, let me know. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@The\_Dord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dord)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/17 "2012-12-25T16:26:02Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > No matter what it’s called, no matter how you slice it, wireless internet is still a freakin’ radio signal, and will always have through-put and reception issues. As current technology stands today, I would not recommend using a wireless internet connection for streaming video to a television, HD doubly so. Run a length of CAT5 from your modem/router right to your smart TV and your problems will be solved. Pretty much this. Unless you need to stream wirelessly to an iDevice/Android device, use a wired CAT5 connection. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/18 "2012-12-26T00:43:40Z")
I must be missing something. How can anything running 802.11n be the bottleneck? What kind of download speeds are you guys getting that a good wireless connection isn’t good enough? ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/19 "2012-12-26T00:56:27Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I must be missing something. How can anything running 802.11n be the bottleneck? What kind of download speeds are you guys getting that a good wireless connection isn’t good enough? It’s not so much the throughput as it is the razor thin buffers Netflix and other streaming services give you in an effort to keep minimum system requirements low and avoid sending unnecessary bytes. The slightest amount of latency caused by wireless interference can eat up the buffer in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008/20 "2012-12-26T01:00:09Z")
A lot of televisions have really crappy Wifi interfaces. If your wifi router is on a separate floor, the signal is probably of poor strength by the time it reaches your TV, exacerbating the problem. I had exactly the same problem trying to stream Netflix to my TV over my wireless network, until I bit the bullet and just ran some Cat5 up to the router. Now it works flawlessly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-streaming-pc-vs-tv/645008.md?page=2)