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Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#701

Post by kkarakk »

noir_lord wrote: post #671
joppy wrote: post #554

Earlier quoted context omitted.

During a pandemic which has forced a huge number of people to stay at home and is currently crashing the economy and costing hundreds of lives per day, it could help to be a little more sympathetic to measures like this. They might not be perfect, because everyone is having to react so quickly to what is going on, but we can appreciate that this is not a normal event and the vast majority of companies have never plan…

Couldn't agree more, I have the HD Netflix account and I literally couldn't give a flying fuck if they drop to SD. I'm far more worried about my mum than whether TV is SD for a month during a global pandemic. Fuck me people are ridiculous at times.

It's not either or...

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#702

Post by pythonaut_16 »

Symbiote wrote: post #664
newbie578 wrote: post #591

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a lot of people responding so I will answer it this way for visibility. I HAVE NO PROBLEM with Netflix reducing video quality. What I do have a problem with is Netflix KEEPING THE PRICE THE SAME. If my local gym chain (Gyms4You) can freeze memberships for EVERYONE and not price it in than Netflix can atleast do the same regarding the "premium" plan. I understand that this is an unprecented crisis, but that…

Before ranting on HN, repeating the same point that's made 50 times in this discussion, how about giving Netflix time to respond? The operations department won't have had the authority to give a €4 refund to everyone overnight (in Europe). They're probably working from home. See what happens i a few days time.

Defending Netflix here is asinine. They have handled this communication poorly, plain and simple. All they had to do was acknowledge that cutting bitrates might raise concerns about the quality of the service and the amount they charge and that they would look into it.

This is a brand image issue and is exactly the type of issue that should escalate quickly to the CEO if necessary.

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#703

Post by IAmNotAFix »

ralusek wrote: post #527
newbie578 wrote: post #524

This is pure bullshit. If Netflix won't commit to it's part of the deal (FULL HD and 4K) then why should I commit to my part (13.99 monthly)? You cannot decide by yourself to lower the quality of your services and keep the price same. Sometimes I wish I had enough money and time to seek "legal retribution" from these type of situations. I would love for this case to make it to the European Court in Strasbourg. "The v…

Don't you think it's okay for us to be slightly understanding and forgiving that there are some individuals and companies that aren't simply capable of flawlessly and immediately adjusting to major changes in their realities at the drop of a hat? I'm sure their usage is through the roof, and they probably didn't predict a pandemic with quarantines into their infrastructure improvements modeled around predictable usag…

Nobody gives a fuck about not being able to watch 4K. They just want to not pay 4K when you can't get 4K.

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#704

Post by pythonaut_16 »

vnnkov wrote: post #569
emerongi wrote: post #538

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not the point though. My gym was closed and everyone's membership was automatically paused, they don't get to keep charging people. I'm fine with not going to the gym and I'm fine with a lower Netflix quality. But you shouldn't charge me for a service that you're simply not providing anymore. Netflix should downgrade everyone's plan automatically or just charge them less.

As i understand they couldn't just charge less or change your plan because of bureacracy and all legal things. What they can do is give free month to all who was affected by this change. Or you could cancel your subscription if you can't live without 4k

"We acknowledge that this decision impacts the quality that our customers have come to expect. We appreciate your patience as we all face these trying times together, and we will explore additional options to make sure our customers are treated fairly and are fully satisfied with our service."

That's basically all they had to say. Something to the effect of "This sucks but it's necessary and needed to be done quickly. We'll try to make it up to you." Then figure out whether to refund people on the higher plans or give them a free month or credit on their account or something.

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#705

Post by johntiger1 »

rjyoungling wrote: post #620

There seems to be a big divide between two groups: One is of the mind that we should be empathetic and since it's not a lot of money, people shouldn't complain. The other is of the mind that, Netflix can certainly take those actions but shouldn't pass those costs on to the consumer. I'm in the second camp. In Holland, all the big gym companies still charge their memberships even though the gyms are closed. Since they…

In Canada, a lot of gyms simply pause the membership (or offer pro-rated refund) while everything is shut down. Seems scummy to do anything other than that!

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#706

Post by v77 »

abjKT26nO8 wrote: post #606
rococode wrote: post #246

I've been having major internet issues lately (Seattle area), have had 4 techs come try to figure it out. Yesterday's tech finally correctly diagnosed the problem as happening before the connection reaches our home but was unsure of the cause. He called his supervisor to investigate, and they found that the capacity for our neighborhood's node was nearly at 100%, while ideally it should always be under 80%. Fortunate…

You're describing an issue specific to US ISPs. It doesn't apply to Europe. From what I read even before the pandemic the US ISPs offered rather crappy services. In Europe, particularly in Poland, I don't have and haven't heard about anyone having any issues with connectivity right now, even though the country is in lockdown, schools and universities are closed, restaurants work only in delivery/take-out mode, compan…

This article is literally about the EU asking Netflix to reduce bandwidth in Europe.

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#707

Post by hoffs »

kilroy123 wrote: post #643
rjyoungling wrote: post #620

There seems to be a big divide between two groups: One is of the mind that we should be empathetic and since it's not a lot of money, people shouldn't complain. The other is of the mind that, Netflix can certainly take those actions but shouldn't pass those costs on to the consumer. I'm in the second camp. In Holland, all the big gym companies still charge their memberships even though the gyms are closed. Since they…

I'm with you. The average everyday person is going to bleed because of all of this. Forget letting some massive billion-dollar company get a break. If they can't deliver what you are paying for, you should get a discount on your next bill or some kind of compensation. I realize Netflix might not have control over the situation, but in the end, they'll be ok. While the average person will not.

What will average person lose? You are really exaggerating this...

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#708

Post by pythonaut_16 »

newsclues wrote: post #330
orcasauce wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I understand it Netflix has hardware in ISP data centers to do exactly that. https://openconnect.netflix.com/en/

Large residential buildings (condo and apartments) need a small edge Data Centre in them.

This might be a more realistic compromise.

Maybe if the industry can agree on an OpenConnect standard with some traffic shaping. Then Netflix, Hulu, Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, EA, Disney+, etc could all share the same edge CDN hardware. Then residential buildings, cities, individuals, whoever, could run their own caching hardware that would cache based on downstream demand.

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#709

Post by isoskeles »

samatman wrote: post #415
isoskeles wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I keep being amazed at how consumerism drives side benefits. Without Netflix and gamers, how much worse off would we all be right now? Oh, I'm over here wondering how much these consumer activities contribute to climate change.

I guarantee you that a switch from activities which use gasoline and aviation fuel, to those which use wall power, is a net positive for CO2 emission.

Yes, I suppose it would work like that when you set up a false dichotomy.

Re: Netflix to cut streaming quality in Europe for 30 days

#710

Post by DJHenk »

emerongi wrote: post #655
teekert wrote: post #578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That also means reducing the wages of employees, people not whinig is the only shimmer of hope we have at keeping the economy the same when we emerge from this. Sure, I can't go to my gym, but if we all cancel now, there won't be a gym when I am allowed to go again. At the same time my income might, at some point, also be affect. But, as it is now it is not (yet), so I'll keep it going. I have to admit I did cancel m…

If your gym won't be able to re-open after this thing is over, it only shows the quality of management of the gym as well as of the government. It should not be your burden to bear and build a buffer for them for their mistakes. Someone higher up pocketed all the profits while things were good and is now not ready to invest that money back into it to keep it afloat and that's THEIR problem. They have the money, let t…

> If your gym won't be able to re-open after this thing is over, it only shows the quality of management of the gym as well as of the government.

Yeah, right. So if I am to open a gym, or any other kind of business, I should have it in my business plan that I must have a big enough reserve to survive having my shop closed for months with only days notice. How many businesses do you think will pass that test? I think zero.

Maybe society is more than just the economic transactions that take place and maybe that gym should be opened despite failing this new test, because it is important that we have gyms that keep people fit.

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