Did they make one of these tech blogs about how they couldn’t even handle broadcasting a boxing match?
Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
11–20 of 58 posts
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#12Maybe not directly related, but I dislike how Netflix obviously provides only 1080p HD on desktop-computer playback, while full 4k on TVs. Has anyone found an easy hack to ensure playback happens in 4k on desktop as well (e.g. url parameter)?
>Has anyone found an easy hack to ensure playback happens in 4k on desktop as well (e.g. url parameter)? Yes there is. It's called piracy.
Well, users paying for Netflix, are not supposed to be subject to unasked quality downsampling just because you watch from a non-TV device. This sort of optimization might be fine with small laptop screens, but not 5k Computer screens, and I don't know if Netflix does it on purpose or just put `if not TV => send lowerRes` in their code (simplified of course).
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Has anyone found an easy hack to ensure playback happens in 4k on desktop as well (e.g. url parameter)? Yes there is. It's called piracy.
Well, users paying for Netflix, are not supposed to be subject to unasked quality downsampling just because you watch from a non-TV device. This sort of optimization might be fine with small laptop screens, but not 5k Computer screens, and I don't know if Netflix does it on purpose or just put `if not TV => send lowerRes` in their code (simplified of course).
The answer is piracy. There are no content providers that are confident enough in their DRM to send 4k streams to devices that are in control of their owners instead of cooperations. PCs are the scariest thing ever and they will do everything in their power to kill them.
Pirate content and be free
Or buy an apple tv and hook it up to your monitor.
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#14Maybe not directly related, but I dislike how Netflix obviously provides only 1080p HD on desktop-computer playback, while full 4k on TVs. Has anyone found an easy hack to ensure playback happens in 4k on desktop as well (e.g. url parameter)?
Even worse is Amazon Prime, which doesn't even provide 1080 on Linux systems, even with Widevine.
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#15> One crucial way in which we do this is through the democratization of highly curated data sources that sunshine usage and cost patterns across Netflix’s services and teams.
No engineer has ever said this. I miss when engineering blogs were actual engineering. This blog post has been through so much management waffle rewording it no longer adds much to the conversation.
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, users paying for Netflix, are not supposed to be subject to unasked quality downsampling just because you watch from a non-TV device. This sort of optimization might be fine with small laptop screens, but not 5k Computer screens, and I don't know if Netflix does it on purpose or just put `if not TV => send lowerRes` in their code (simplified of course).
The answer is piracy. There are no content providers that are confident enough in their DRM to send 4k streams to devices that are in control of their owners instead of cooperations. PCs are the scariest thing ever and they will do everything in their power to kill them. Pirate content and be free Or buy an apple tv and hook it up to your monitor.
Pirate sites obtain the high quality material as soon as it's launched anyway, so this kind of "protection" just adds friction for the paying user.
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#17Maybe not directly related, but I dislike how Netflix obviously provides only 1080p HD on desktop-computer playback, while full 4k on TVs. Has anyone found an easy hack to ensure playback happens in 4k on desktop as well (e.g. url parameter)?
Yes it's the only way to watch documentaries at 2x speed but the quality becomes crap
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
Netflix's over-segmentation is the reason I ultimately stopped subscribing. You have to pay substantially more to get any of many screens, no ads, or 4K. As a single user who wants 4K, I then feel like I'm paying for something I don't need when the plan has many screens. None of the other big players like Amazon, YouTube, or Apple do this, all provide 4K to all subscribers and as far as I know only really segment by…
Amazon and Apple do not supply full HD or 4K to PCs at all. YouTube do not even supply anything more than SD to PCs for rented or purchased titles. Amazon lock Dolby Vision behind their ad free supplement. YouTube locks high bittrate 1080p behind YouTube Premium. Paramount lock 4K behind their upper tier. So do Disney. You are, bluntly, flat wrong here.
Sorry if I wasn't clear, I don't use any of these services on PC, I'm just thinking of regular TV viewing. Apple, Amazon, and YouTube all provide 4K at all paying price points.
> YouTube locks high bittrate 1080p behind YouTube Premium
I'm discounting free tiers. I think it's fine to segment aggressively to get people into paying tiers, but nickle and diming paying users just sucks.
> Paramount lock 4K behind their upper tier. So do Disney.
I've never had either of these, but would be less likely to as a result.
I know 4K streaming is substantially more expensive than 1080p, but honestly the delivery is such a small fraction of the price being paid that it does not need to be associated with an increased cost.
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
From what I understand, they use DRM to support this segmentation. Applicable both to the state of affairs and the hack
Netflix's over-segmentation is the reason I ultimately stopped subscribing. You have to pay substantially more to get any of many screens, no ads, or 4K. As a single user who wants 4K, I then feel like I'm paying for something I don't need when the plan has many screens. None of the other big players like Amazon, YouTube, or Apple do this, all provide 4K to all subscribers and as far as I know only really segment by…
I suspect almost everyone shares a netflix account with thier household and statistically there's few single person households. So this is life, everything is setup for the average even things like bin collections will assume multiple people in your house.
Re: Cloud Efficiency at Netflix
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Has anyone found an easy hack to ensure playback happens in 4k on desktop as well (e.g. url parameter)? Yes there is. It's called piracy.
Well, users paying for Netflix, are not supposed to be subject to unasked quality downsampling just because you watch from a non-TV device. This sort of optimization might be fine with small laptop screens, but not 5k Computer screens, and I don't know if Netflix does it on purpose or just put `if not TV => send lowerRes` in their code (simplified of course).
Which is just crazy, considering lots of the $15 HDMI switchers on Amazon actually strip HDCP, and you can then use a capture card to record whatever you want from a 4k supporting device. I guess they're just preventing the easiest methods.