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Rosella Bowlan

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Aug 2, 2024, 5:34:22 AM8/2/24

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Can you connect your Mac to a different network to help rule out the issue being related to your network connection? This would be trying an Ethernet connection if available, or just a different Wi-Fi network connection: Connect to the internet with your Mac

My observation is that the Video Quality seems to dip in and out and at one time I thought it was the network. Running the Activity Monitor and watching Safari network activity and throughput suggested that every time the video deteriorates the network went slow - not the network but Mac's access. I thought I'd found it by removing a PROXIE setting and selecting Auto Proxy Discovery. Then, instead of allowing the Location to be Automatic - set up a new location with NO customisation. Every try improved the time between quality going from "Good to Best" (Amazon video definition).

But, it still seemed to happen - on all browsers, Chrome, Firefox, Brave and Safari. So it must be my MAC - where next? Well, watching Amazon Sport using a Private browser Window seemed to be the answer. What is loading and causing Safari to loose video quality? It's not the few extensions (switched off-even uninstalled) - it's not WiFi (used Ethernet connection the router) but, Private browsing fixes the problem - why? Don't know.

It's true unfortunately, I'm afraid I was too premature in reporting the workaround. I also had big hopes when I found that >Preferences >battery >Battery >uncheck "Optimise video streaming while on battery". Unfortunately, all these things seem to improved the time between video quality degrading episodes, but they don't fix the problem permanently.

Problem is, that for me, Safari is the browser I prefer and I want it to work. I'm sure that I have observed this HD degrade in Brave, FireFox and Chrome - so maybe we should be concentrating on the MAC. Why I say that is; "sometimes" when selecting a web video to play, the target tab turns black and there is no activity - if you then HotKey "option + Command + E" - you may need to have activated the Develop Menu is Safari Preferences (last item on the Advanced Tab), then as soon as the cache files are cleared the busy ring starts running and the video loads. May be a helpful clue?

yea this is nuts. even since jobs left us ,apple is screwing the pooch waaay too often . and i wish people would stop giving instructions to re-configure the entire setup or change an app or some crazy thing.

if my computer was streaming a particular site and now i installed an update /new mac os and now a particular thing isnt working . its a crap written codec . lets just get it fixed OR explain the setting that some apple clown added and turned ON instead of leaving it off for default .

I for one don't think that investigating ways to "work around" this, is in any way an attempt to fix it. But our experiences may be helpful to others. Finding a clue that could lead those, who do code Safari, to a code interaction with the OS that is causing the symptom we see. By the way, I've yet to hear anyone complain of Safari's video performance on iOS. To that end, I've added AddBlocker and other extensions I use in macOS and have tested them in iOS extensively without finding this "fuzzy streaming"

I've found that Apple have gained my trust and respect through the years. I wonder if you have ever worked in the "guts" of any complex IT environment? I've worked in IT since the '60's and swapped from an IBM PC (although I worked for them for 25years) to the Apple 1 in the late 70's - nothing ever released in IT is perfect and even if it is, there is no way it can be seen to be when it is added into a constellation of other software. The interaction between the 5 Apple products I use, is simply amazing and magical (defined by an awesome wonder on how they work). That some of these reactions may be broken or less that reliable is simply a given - that there are so few to complain about is a testament to;

I divided my WiFi channels between 2.4Ghz and 5Hhz on the router, as I had some of my "stuff" which could connect to the 5G WiFi and some could ONLY to the 2.4Ghz - mainly an old iPhone and a Google ChromeCast - they wouldn't even "find" the available 5G network. It seemed logical to me but then a tech at my broadband provider found this;

Effectively, doing this allows the router to "serve" both 2.4 and 5 Ghz devices when they connect to that one WiFi network. Switch off the (second channel) 5Ghz network and you'll find your old devices still connecting at their limit and the newer ones at the higher speed. (You may have to provide a password for them to do this)

Having just the one network (SSID) capable of doing that meant that all the "bandwidth" that the router possesses was dedicated to just that one channel. Funny thing though, I (THINK) remembering in the beginning, connecting my MAC to Ethernet and experiencing the degrading video quality?? So, there is still something unexplained but, the change has removed this problem from the browser (whichever one you use).

Internet Speed - and Ookla SpeedTest (50Mbps down 13up) are the definitive way(s) to measure your internet performance - BUT, they just gave impressive performance numbers and didn't indicate the network maybe at fault. However, Apples network performance tool gave a hint - that motivated calling the broadband provider;

Whenever you watch Netflix, you can adjust the video quality of what you're watching to match your desire. This can come in handy if you want to control how much data you use or how much weight is put on your Wi-Fi network.

First of all, if you've signed up for the Basic plan, you'll only be able to watch content in 480p resolution, which isn't much. Therefore, even if you go into the settings and make changes, it won't help you much.

Subscribers with the Standard plan can watch content in a 1080p resolution, which means HD and Full HD. Premium subscribers get it all; the only limitations imposed on the top resolution levels come from the content itself. With the Premium plan, you can watch Ultra HD (4K) and HDR content. Figuring out which Netflix subscription plan is right for you is definitely a whole process.

Changing Netflix video quality can be done from both the service's website and the mobile app. The changes will help you save data if you have any caps you need to be mindful of. Learning more about how much data Netflix actually uses can be helpful when doing the math.

Now that we have the steps out of the way, we have to mention that you should always be mindful of what Netflix video quality you're using, especially on mobile, as your bill may end up being entirely too high if you have limits on your account.

I have an 49XD8099 with Android 6.0.1. Simply put, to watch "The OA" from Netflix in HDR is unbearable. It's like if they added a wall of fog. Disabling the HDR the image improves considerably, still being a bit washed out. Other shows, when watched in HDR, don't look better either, so much that I decided to have a video mode with HDR off for Netflix only.

I must says that the HDR quality of various new Netflix videos quite improved. I am not sure if the Android TV updates and/or the fact that I watch Netflix via Apple TV 4K helped as well. So, to me it isn't a big issue anymore.

Secondly - im just going though a few posts that have been missed recently and found this one - Reading through, I am unsure on how to help you to be honest - other than suggesting that you choose the non-hdr version of OA

HDR on TVs that doesn't meet the HDR specifications will always look awful and never will be HDR. Just like DD with just 2 speakers is not exactly a DD. And the idea of marketing TVs as HDR while they are not is just a bad idea. Sure, they can process HDR signal but display can't reproduce it in a way that it should look.

I believe it is possible on some 4K HDR content on Netfix.... Or was it Amazon, im now unsure. Basically you could choose the 1080p version over 4K HDR version instead due to it being in another category. I did it not long ago.

I couldn't find any way for Netflix. It is also not possible on a system level to disable HDR. At least not for ATV1. Maybe @Jecht_Sin or someone else has an idea how to achieve that. I think on ATV2 there is an option, see above quote and link to FlatpanelsHD.

The quality standards that is followed by netflix is just great and appreciate teh type of contetn being posted on their sites!!! thumbs up. [Link removed by moderator] is also similar to netflix where one can watch movies,cartoons,daily soaps anytime they feel like.!!

- After posting this I had a chat with Netflix, and no, there are no options to disable HDR in the player. The most one can do, from the settings in the web browser, is to reduce the available bandwidth, so that it will stream at 1080p. - The other option is to simply disable the HDR in the settings for a channel, but that disables it everywhere.

Still the issue is mostly with "The OA" (which I could just avoid watching for this reason and for the other more important reason that it is a stupid show. What a waste of time). Other HDR videos in Netflix look much better, and "Grand Tour" in Amazon looks amazing. So do the HDR demo downloaded from the internet at full bit rates (and they look awful with HDR disabled).

I must also say that Netflix streaming quality, in my opinion, can be disappointing. Many UHD videos look granulated. I have a fiber connection so it isn't a bandwidth issue. I am honestly a bit surprised. Even Youtube videos look better!

Sorry, sometime the English words flips in my brain. I meant an image mode. Then I have got also confused with the inputs (like HDMI 2 vs App (Video) ). Anyway, from Android changing the HDR to NO in a image mode (like custom) it puts HDR NO in all modes.

During playback, even though the video starts fine in HD quality after a few minutes it drops way below 1080p. It only happens with Netflix because Prime Video, YouTube, Twitch for example, work fine.