Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
amarryat
Enthusiast - Level 3
Even the most basic service should allow you to stream Netflix perfectly since those streams are only a few megabits max.
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Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
DChar
Newbie

Utter Garbage......the lack of ability to watch Netflix in HD is going to be the final straw. Why pay for 30Mbit service if it can't stream 2Mbits of video? And then Customer Service has the gall to blow smoke up my "Optic Fiber" and blame everyone else but themselves. The individual I spoke to said that Verizon treats all network traffic the same. Really? Then why did you feel it necessary to shake down Netflix for a paid peer agreement in April? That sounds like a bribe for preferential treatment. And lo and behold, Netflix calls them out for not delivering and all of a sudden the service goes to pot. I don't think I can continue to be a customer of a company that takes me for a fool. If Netflix is overtaxing Verizon's network, maybe promising everyone 15X the bandwidth needed to watch a movie is too much to handle for the rookie ISP. I almost feel bad for the poor CSRs who have to deal with the ever increasing disappointed (ripped off) customers. Looks like its time to cut the fiber....Hopefully the FCC digs up the dirt on Verizon and deals with them appropriately.

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Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
deepafp
Newbie

Since Jan 2014, almost all video streaming services have been HORRIBLE. 

Netflix, Youtube are especially pathetic on all devices EXCEPT iPad. Now I don't understand this. 

Speedtest consistently shows > 50Mbps download and over 35 Mbps upload to any device. 

However, Netflix and Youtube or espn.com don't need this bandwidth to stream one single HD stream. You need no more than 8Mbps connection for that. 

What is also odd is every device plays Netflix or Youtube in absolute crap quality - pixelated like a mosaic on PC (with Firefox, Chrome, Opera, IE), Mac (with Safari, Opera or FF), any Android tablet (Kindle Fire, Galaxy Note 10.1, Nook) and Windows Surface Pro BUT ........ But..... it plays in HD quality on my old iPad (first gen) using the Netflix app. 

This tells me that Verizon is throttling video connections by checking user agent that Netflix is sending and throttling? I haven't tried changing UserAgent yet. (or using a VPN). 

I am dismayed by how great Fios was these past few years to stream Netflix or Youtube in HD and now its so {word filter avoidance} annoying with its constant buffering, absolute crap quality - espnfc.us is so bad, I cannot see the score or ball or anything. .

If it doesn't improve with my next round of testing, I will cancel and switch to Comcast (my only other horrible choice) available here. 

Why cannot we get Net Neutrality (the proper version w/ no pkt inspection/throttle) passed already? C'mon.... 

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Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
JEC3Beach
Newbie

Netflix is unwatchable on FIOS in Baltimore, MD due to constant pauses to reload. This is true almost all day long not just during peak hours. I have a vacation home where the only high speed internet service available is Mediacom and I have virtually no pauses to reload. I am unable to get HD video with Mediacom even though I have 20 MBPS service, but at least Netflix streaming is watchable. In order to verify my equipment. I swapped everything except the Verizon provided modem/router between the two locations and the problem remained at the Baltimore location. Also, all my equipment is hardwired so WIFI is not the cause. I have several Sony and Samsung devices and they all have the same problems in Baltimore but not when swapped into my vacation house. This certainly makes Verizon look like the party at fault. Of course they deny having a problem.

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Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
db909
Contributor - Level 3

@deepafp wrote:

If it doesn't improve with my next round of testing, I will cancel and switch to Comcast (my only other horrible choice) available here. 



My advice, go to Comcast.  After Netflix agreed to start paying Comcast months ago for a high speed lane, the buffering issues disappeared within days.

Besides Comcast is way better on the TV side now with the X1.

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Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
Scarecrow1
Enthusiast - Level 1

Guys, before you drop the DSL.. do a little research. It took me about ten minutes to scour the news sources and find that this war between Verizon and Neflix should be over shortly. I personally refuse to go to Comcast so Im willing to wait. I was glad to find the problem was not my router or other equipt and now I see others also have the issue of Neflix pausing and reloading. Verizon is quoted less than a month ago here saying... Verizon VP David Young told CNET, "We can't just snap our fingers and the network is upgraded. We need new facilities. We have to do the equipment engineering. Build it and test it. We are doing all of that right now. And it should be completed during this year." When finished, Netflix's connection to the Verizon network will supply "adequate capacity to satisfy the needs of their subscribers."

Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
nick_d
Enthusiast - Level 3

How about the people who traced it to a verizon peering point that's clogged? I had a friend in the same city start streaming the same show, same episode at the same time. His netflix never stopped to buffer, he is on a 5Mbps connection from Bright House. Mine, however, stopped to buffer about every 30 seconds to 2 minutes and I am on a 300Mbps connection with FiOS. I experience this problem even connecting to an Akamai Edge Server, which as I hope you would know, is a company well known within the industry to have one of the most robust and high capacity networks in the world. I cannot reliably connect to iTunes to stream an entire movie without buffering. Youtube is awful, too.  But it's not Verizon's fault??? Give me a break.

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Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
nick_d
Enthusiast - Level 3

Really? You wanna quote a verizon originated article about how it's not Verizon's fault? That's like me saying I have a fantastic article about how you should invest money into my campaign aganst FiOS, here read the article I wrote if you wanna see that I am right. Do you work for Verizon?

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Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
tns2
Community Leader
Community Leader

@nick_d wrote:

Really? You wanna quote a verizon originated article about how it's not Verizon's fault? That's like me saying I have a fantastic article about how you should invest money into my campaign aganst FiOS, here read the article I wrote if you wanna see that I am right. Do you work for Verizon?


There has been a decline in complaints lately, so I would say that SOME progress is being made.  E.g., some posting showing connections going through Texas directly from a Verizon network to Netflix.  Still obviously need to continue to add connections in all areas of the country.

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Re: Netflix is slow lately on FIOS
deepafp
Newbie

@db909 wrote:

@deepafp wrote:

If it doesn't improve with my next round of testing, I will cancel and switch to Comcast (my only other horrible choice) available here. 



My advice, go to Comcast.  After Netflix agreed to start paying Comcast months ago for a high speed lane, the buffering issues disappeared within days.

Besides Comcast is way better on the TV side now with the X1.


Actually, I cannot edit my comment but even iPad is horrendous. I was incorrect in my earlier statements. It is terrible on EVERY device. 

The past 2-3 days were inexplicably super! I was watching in super HD with no loading, no buffering, literally instant play of netflix movies and now ..... back to garbage quality. What! Why! How! 

I am a tech person and I'm now at a loss - I was thinking unoptimized routes, lack of netflix CDNs etc. But why did it get better for like 2-3 days and now back? Is it because of fourth of July people not being at home or people being at home and Verizon not throttling it to avoid complaints? Who knows? 

Even espnfc.us is horrendous now. Even highlights which you'd think more people have watched and so gets cached somewhere by Akamai type cache locally. But nope.

I've looked up Comcast now and it is $89 for its triple play with up to 105Mbps. I think I have to take my chances with them rather than keep complaining with Verizon and suffering like this in 2014!!! 

I'm just shaking my head at the state of this country..... 

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