Netflix Streaming Quality to Decide the War Between Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge

[steven36]

If you plan to stream 1080p HD video from Netflix on Google Chrome, then you are out of luck

It seems that Netflix decided to be picky about the browsers that got 1080p HD video streaming. If you are using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox for your binge watch by streaming sessions on Netflix, then you are limited to just 720p HD video.

BGR first reported the issue and pointed out that the support page on Netflix corroborates to the fact that the choice of browser does affect streaming quality. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera are not recommended for 1080p streaming quality. Instead users should opt for Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer (yes, this is true), and Safari browser (on Mac OS X 10.10.3 or later) for 1080p video stream.

 

Figuring out the difference between 720p and 1080p might be a bit tricky, especially for laptop users. You sure can figure out the quality difference, since YouTube has helped a bit in noticing the subtleties, but at times it’s a bit confusing. However, if you plan to plug in your laptop to a bigger screen then the resolution difference is quite noticeable. You will not be getting that crisp video quality from your Netflix streams.

If video quality is of prime importance to you and cannot bear to miss out those finer points then we recommend Microsoft’s trusty browsers, Internet Explorer and Edge. The thought of using those browsers just to be able to stream 1080p video from Netflix might be difficult to digest, but that is the case here.

The web browsers wars are heating up quite a lot, but Chrome has a significant lead over Firefox and Edge. After Windows 10’s public launch on July 29 for the free upgrade, Microsoft’s browser adoption rate received a spike and climbed to 12%. Google’s browser, on the other hand, roams near the 70% mark. Would streaming 1080p HD video on Netflix benefit Microsoft Edge in anyway?

Netflix recommends that users have an Internet connection of 5 Mbps for a smooth 1080p video playback experience. If 4K streaming is something that you must have, then Netflix would let you have that, provided you have a 25 Mbps connection and are subscribed to the Ultra HD streaming plan for $11.99 per month. New this week on Netflix is Adam Sandler's first movie on the streaming platform titled "Ridiculous 6" and as the name suggests, the movie is being reviewed as another failed attempt by Adam Sandler.

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[VileTouch]

what about changing the useragent?

[Batu69]

Netflix is without doubt a very popular service that allows you to watch TV shows and movies by streaming them to devices you are using.

The service is a lot cheaper than cable in most countries it is offered in, and since it is digital, enables you to pick what you want to watch.

 

The quality of the Netflix stream depends on several factors that include the bandwidth available on the customer's end, the player technology used to play back the video streams, and the web browser.

 

Especially the latter may come as a surprise to users of the service but the Help Center on Netflix's website indicates that this is indeed the case.

1080p playback on Netflix

The HTML5 Player may limit the quality of the stream while the Silverlight player does not. HD resolution streams are only available if the Internet connection supports at least 5 Megabits per second, but that is not the only restriction.

 

Only Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge on Windows, and Safari on Mac, support 1080p HTML5 player streams while Chrome, Firefox and Opera only streams up to 720p in quality.

What you can do to resolve this

 

 

 

There are several things that you can try to resolve the issue. First, you want to make sure that you are subscribed to the right plan.

The basic plan does not support HD or Ultra HD, and if that's your plan, it explains why you cannot stream in HD quality.

 

You can also verify the quality that you are getting by using the shortcut Ctrl-Shift-Alt-S while a stream is playing using the HTML5 Player.

A menu pops up listing all video and audio bitrates supported by the player. If you see 3000 as the maximum, you are only getting 720p at the most.

 

Some videos are not available in HD or Ultra HD, which means that you won't be able to play them in better quality even if you met all requirements. I suggest you try several movies or shows, for instance Netflix originals to make sure that is not the limiting factor in your case.

 

While you could switch browsers if you are using Mac or Windows devices, to watch in 1080p, you could also consider using one of the native applications that Netflix offers.

 

These apps, usually, offer HD streaming while web browsers may not. This is for instance the case for gaming consoles, the native Windows application and many more applications that stream Netflix.

 

 

You may also want to check the playback settings in the account:

 

1. Load https://www.netflix.com/YourAccount in your browser of choice.
2. Select "Playback settings" under My Profile on the page that opens up.
3. The default data user per screen value is set to auto. If your Internet connection supports the minimum bandwidth for HD, select High to enforce HD playback if supported.

 

Another thing that you can do is check the Netflix speed index to make sure your Internet Service Provider delivers the required bandwidth to watch streams in HD. This is especially important if you are using a native application or a system browser on Windows or Mac as they should deliver 1080p if the video is provided in the quality and the Internet connection supports the bandwidth needed to stream in HD.

 

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