5 MORE tricks to get more out of Netflix
June 29, 2015
5 MORE tricks to get more out of Netflix
By Justin Ferris
If you're streaming online video to watch TV shows or
movies, there's a good chance you use Netflix. It's the largest streaming
service around. In fact, it has more than 100 million hours of video, and
during peak hours it makes up more than one third of all Internet traffic.
One of the reasons Netflix is so popular is how easy it
is to use on every gadget. You can quickly find videos you want to watch, they
automatically stream at the best quality for your connection, and, as you watch
more videos, Netflix gets better about suggesting new ones you might like.
That isn't to say you can't improve your Netflix
experience. I've told you before about three tricks you can use to improve your
video quality and recommendations.
Now, I'm going to give you five more tricks that will
take your Netflix experience up a notch, from improving your recommendations
even more to saving money while you travel.
1. GET RID OF BUFFERING
One obstacle to enjoying online video is buffering. Buffering
is actually a good thing because it lets you load part of the video before it
starts playing. That means on a slower connection you can watch at a higher
quality than you could with real-time streaming.
However, if your Internet connection isn't steady, the
video can stop to buffer at the worst possible moments. And if you have a
steady but slower Internet connection, Netflix can take more time buffering
than it really needs.
If you're watching Netflix on a computer, start playing
the movie and hold the keyboard shortcut Shift + Alt and then left click the
video (Shift+Option+Click on a Mac). Select the stream manager to see the
buffering rate.
Click the "Manual selection" checkbox, then set
the buffering rate to the same number as the "Playing" number. Then
click "Apply." You should notice a drop in the amount of time Netflix
spends buffering.
2. GET BETTER VIDEO CHOICES
As you watch more videos, Netflix gets better at
recommending videos you might like. However, it isn't perfect; it has nearly
77,000 genres to match you up with, after all. Plus, Netflix it gets confused
if you have more than one person using a single Netflix profile.
Handy Tip: If you have several people in the house using
one Netflix account, be sure to set each person up with their own Netflix
profile to avoid these kinds of conflicts. On the Netflix website, click Manage
Profiles in the top right corner to get started.
The way to change your recommendations is by rating what
you watch. When you're first starting Netflix, you'll see a lot of surveys
called Taste Preferences that ask you to rate movies, shows and genres you've
watched recently.
Taste Preferences are important to fill out so Netflix
can build your Taste Profile. After a while, you won't see as many of these,
however. If you want to revisit your preferences, go to the Netflix site and
under Your Account load the Taste Preferences survey. Or click this link and
log in.
If you want to get away from Netflix's interface, there's
another way to find videos. The site What is on Netflix? lets you see the
top-rated movies from Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB and other review sites that are
streaming on Netflix. These aren't just new movies, but can range all the way
back to the 1930s.
3. GET A BETTER REMOTE
If you're watching Netflix through a streaming box, such
as a Roku, or on a smart TV, you know how annoying it can be to control with a
standard remote. Searching for titles, for example, means a lot of button
presses to select each letter.
It would be nicer if you could use your smartphone or
tablet as a remote, and you can. If it's newer, it's likely your streaming
gadget has its own custom control app in the Google Play or Apple store.
Roku, for example, has one that gives you the ability to
navigate with the touch screen and type with the on-screen keyboard. If you're
using a PlayStation, you can load up a video on your smartphone, or tablet, and
then start it playing in the Netflix app on the console.
4. DON'T MISS ANY DIALOGUE
Have you ever cranked up the volume on a video because
you can't quite hear what the actors are saying? Maybe they're talking too
softly, the soundtrack is too loud or they have an accent that's nearly
impossible to understand.
Instead of straining yourself or constantly rewind the
scene, you can simply turn on the subtitles. OK, I say simply, but the steps
actually vary depending on the streaming gadget you're using.
Fortunately, Netflix provides handy instructions for
every streaming gadget you might own. It also lets you customize the subtitle
font and color so it's easier for you to read.
5. SAVE MONEY WHILE TRAVELING
You're going to be going on a long trip and aren't going
to be using your Netflix account. Why keep paying for it?
If you cancel your Netflix account, Netflix keeps your
information for up to 10 months. You can restart it at any time within that 10
months with no penalty.
To cancel your account, log in to your Netflix account
and click "Cancel Membership." You can keep using Netflix until the
end of that billing cycle, then it will stop working.
To restart Netflix when you come back, log in to you
Netflix account and tell it you want to restart. You'll be back up and running
in no time.
Even if you aren't going on vacation, you can save a
little money for a month or two with this method. It's also handy if you have a
project you're working on and you need to remove the temptation to binge watch
some TV shows instead.
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