Netflix Australia is it better than overseas versions

Netflix Australia

Introduction

Netflix won't, generally, give you latest movies or TV show episodes although Netflix is increasingly making its own shows such as "House of Cards" and "Orange Is The New Black".

Think of Netflix as you do your local library: it doesn't have every book ever printed but it does have enough titles to keep you entertained with titles being added on a regular basis. And if you want to borrow the latest bestseller, you put your name on the list with a possible wait time of several months before you get to read it.

Sign up and look around. The first month's free.

Plans & Pricing

Netflix is available in three different price plans:

1. Single-stream standard definition plan for $9.99 2. Two-stream high-definition plan for $13.99 3. Four-stream 4K ultra-high definition “family” plan for $17.99

Netflix can be billed through gift cards purchased in denominations of $20, $30 and $50 at participating retailers, including Woolworths, Coles, Big W, EB Games, 7-Eleven, Australia Post and Officeworks.

Netflix can also be billed through iTunes gift cards through iTunes via an Apple TV. These can often be purchased at a discount to save even more.

It is currently cheaper to purchase via Netflix Brazil. A comparison table of Netflix pricing worldwide is available at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vId7Jpl8pBUJNE4ghcuq24R9mD1k5BOsRC85cmnDB5s/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=1145141719

Content

Major TV Shows Available

House of CardsBloodlineMarco PoloDaredevilBoJack HorsemanLostUnbreakable Kimmy SchmidtOrange is the New BlackSense8Grace and Frankie

For finding content on Netflix the following sites may be useful:

What's New on Netflix – New Movies and TV Shows, updated daily, plus an iOS/Android appiStreamGuide – Searchable list of new titlesNetflix Australia Blog – Daily blog entry with the days newest arrivalsWhatsNewOnNetflix.tv – Mashup of new arrivals across 22 countries (including Australia and New Zealand)AllFlicks – List of Netflix Movies & TV ShowsComingSoon.net – NetflixCNET Netpicks – Find out what's coming online and going offline on NetflixFinder.com – Netflix Australia vs Netflix US TV Shows Library ComparisonInstantWatcher.com – Helps you find good streaming titles from NetflixJustWatch – Tells you which service (Netflix and others) has the particular showMoreflicks – Find Movies & TV Shows on NetflixFlixSearch – Search Netflix Regions Around The WorldNetflix Life – News & Updates on Movies & TV Show SchedulesNew On Netflix Aus/NZ – List of new Netflix additions. Includes Twitter, FaceBook, Google+ and RSS feedsWhat is on Netflix? – Find the best ranked movies on Metacritic, IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes streamable on NetflixWhat's on Netflix Australia – Find and sort movies and TV Shows on Netflix Australia, includes IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes rating filters.

Unmetered ISPs

iiNet Group – Including Internode (but not Internode's IPv6 services), Westnet, Netspace & Adam will offer unmetered Australian Netflix access via fixed line broadband, HFC and Fibre services (including Opticomm, TransACT/Grapevine). Includes Some Business Plans and Chromecast usage. Excludes all Satellite, NBN Wireless and Mobile Broadband customers. Adam WIMAX now unmetered.Optus – Fixed line home broadband customers will have unmetered Netflix access from April 17.SkyMesh – For NBN Fibre and NBN Fixed Wireless customers, Netflix content delivered over Australian peering links will not be counted against your data allowance.

Note: Only Netflix Australia content is umetered on the above ISPs. If you access Netflix via a VPN or DNS service to bypass geo-blocking (such as Getflix, Unblock US and UnoTelly), Netflix data will count towards your quota.

Device Availability

Streaming is available on “nearly any Internet-connected screen” including:

Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips & HiSense Smart TVsFetch TVApple TVRoku (not sold in AU though readily available from the US (Amazon))Google ChromecastXbox 360 & Xbox OnePlaystation 3 & Playstation 4Wii (set country to UK to install) & Wii USony, LG and Samsung Blu-ray playersApple iOS, Windows and Android tablets and smartphonesPCs & LaptopsWDTV Live Streaming Media Player

Data Usage

Adjusting the data usage settings for your account is the easiest way to reduce the amount of bandwidth used while watching Netflix. There are 4 data usage settings to choose from, each estimate below is per stream:

Low (0.3 GB per hour)Medium (SD: 0.7 GB per hour)High (best video quality, up to 3 GB per hour for HD, 7 GB per hour for Ultra HD)Auto (adjusts automatically to deliver the highest possible quality, based on your current internet connection speed)

Bandwidth Required

Below are the Internet download speed recommendations per stream for playing movies and TV shows through Netflix.

0.5 Megabits per second – Required broadband connection speed1.5 Megabits per second – Recommended broadband connection speed3.0 Megabits per second – Recommended for SD quality5.0 Megabits per second – Recommended for HD quality15 Megabits per second – Recommended for Ultra HD (4k) quality (see note below)

Note: Devices that support HEVC (e.g. Fetch TV Mighty) will be able to stream Ultra HD at 15 Megabits per second.

Special Offers

Netflix – A one month free trial is available to all new members.Microsoft (via OzBargain) – Three months free subscription for customers who purchase an Xbox One after March 24.Optus – Six free months of the service to customers who sign up for new 24-month contract broadband or mobile contract, or who renew an existing deal between March 24 until July 5. Applies to any home broadband bundle costing $60 a month or more, any contract mobile phone plan costing $40 a month or more, or any mobile broadband contract plan costing $30 a month or more.Optus – Three months free Netflix access for any customer who purchases a prepaid mobile phone or mobile broadband device.Samsung (via OzBargain) – Free 6 Month Netflix Subscription with Samsung UHD TVs.

Useful Links

Gizmodo – Inside Netflix: A Tour Of The Streaming Giant's Los Gatos Headquarters"Netflix ISP Partnership Options – Open Connect Content Delivery for ISPsNetflix Recommended TVs

FAQ

Can I record Netflix? No Netflix is a Video on Demand (VOD) streaming service. Choose a show and press play for near instant viewing.

How can I tell what quality I am streaming? It is different for every device. Netflix have pushed out an update that seems to be disabling this feature. Until we know more we will keep this part of the wiki.

On a browser press ctrl+shft+alt+dWindows 8 Metro App – Control Shift Alt D, but only gives bit rate (e.g. 3000 is 720p)on Apple TV it's not possible.on roku press the star (*) buttonon FetchTV – Pressing the info button.on androidon chromecaston TVon WDTV press "Options" buttonon Playstation 3 press r3 or the "Select" buttonon PlayStation 4 press "Options" buttonon xbox 360 click the right thumbstickon xbox One click the right thumbstickOn Samsung TV use the i/Info button

Browser Shortcuts (From https://markwarren.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/netflix-movie-player-keyboard-shortcuts/)

Confirmed in Google Chrome (Linux):

Space – Toggle Play/Pause Enter – Toggle Play/Pause F – toggle full screen Esc – Exit full-screen Left arrow – skip back 10s. Right arrow – skip forward 10s. Up arrow – Volume Up Down arrow – Volume Down M – Mute toggle

When not in full screen: Ctrl+Shift+Alt+D – Display A/V Stats on-screen Ctrl+Shift+Alt+S – current Streaming bit-rate and manual bit-rate selection

I don't appear to get HD content on my computer Most browsers are limited to 720p and even SD in some cases to prevent people recording shows.

Internet Explorer can do 1080p as can the windows 8 metro app.

How many devices can I register? There is no limit to the number of devices that can use your account.

Can I share my account with family or friends? Yes. Netflix does not prevent account sharing.

How many profiles can I set up? You can set up 5 different named profiles.

I set up a second profile but the quality seems worse. Each profile can be individually configured for stream quality and content recommendations/personalisation. Ensure you select the right profile when changing the desired settings

Is there a way restrict the stream quality for individual profiles? Yes if you are logged in to the website the settings for each profile can be managed separately. Choose the desired profile in the top right then navigate to the settings page.

It has been reported that you cannot change the stream quality for a kids profile. The workaround is to turn off kids mode then change the quality setting. Now you can change it back to a kids profile.

How can I delete profiles? On a Web browser click manage profiles then click edit profile for the one you wish to remove. Delete button appears next to the edit profile button.

How can I change my billing to iTunes to take advantage of discounted gift cards? Log on to the Netflix website, close your account. (Don't worry, you won't lose anything.)

It will tell you that your account will continue to be available as usual until the next billing date.

After that date, access Netflix (must do this at the TV) and you will be able to reactivate your same account (same user ID, password) and then you will be billed through iTunes.

How soon do new episodes or movies become available? Each show is different. Netflix Originals will most likely be available right away where as movies may not become available for a few months. A rough guide is in time with the DVD release of content. Most TV shows are released as a whole season.

How can I see whats new each day? http://au.allflicks.net/ Sort the list by the 'Available' column to see the newest content.

How can I see if a show is going to be removed from netflix You can view expiry dates (if there is one) by changing 'My List' to manual ordering. You will see a list of your queued shows. Shows with an expiration date will have the date in red next to the title.

How to I switch to Manual ordering? Note:This does not seem to be possible with an AU netflix account. Confirmed works for US netflix accounts

Log into Netflix Click on your profile to get the dropdown options Click on Your Account Click on Order in My List Click on Manual Ordering and then click on Save

Can I watch 4K content via a web browser? No, currently 4K content is only available on a limited number of televisions that support the H.265/HEVC decoder.

Is 4K plan worth it if I dont have a 4K device? The 4K plan also has 4 streams compared to 1 and 2 streams for the SD and HD plans respectively. If you need more concurrent streams then this plan is for you.

FAQ for region hoppers

How can I see content from other regions? Yes but only if you sign up to a smart DNS service or VPN usually at an additional cost. The recommended Smart DNS providers are Getflix, dns4me and Borderless Internet You change regions using the settings on the Smart DNS website (login via browser); region change is not done within Netflix..

Getflix has a lifetime (30 years) promotional offer available via Stacksocial.

Can I still get unmetered content? Yes. If you select 'off' or 'no region' or 'Australia' on your Smart DNS the AU content you view will be unmetered with the partnered ISPs.

Content from any other regions will be metered even if the show or movie is also available on Netflix Australia.

How do I convert my US/UK account to Australian billing? Will I keep my watch list? Yes you will keep your lists.

To do this you need to first cancel your netflix account and wait until it expires. Once it has expired you will be able to go to the Australian Netflix page and add a new plan with Australian prices. Be sure to set Australia as your region for your Smart DNS or completely disable it first. http://i.imgur.com/IVgoHKt.jpg for confirmation of process

alternate method if above fails Cancel US/UK account Get Netflix support to change the e-mail on your US/UK account to something else (usually by appending .cdn.netflix.com to your existing address.) You cannot do this yourself. Wait for US/UK account to expire. Register for a new AU account using existing e-mail address.

I have a foreign Netflix account. How can I see Aus content? Turn off your Smart DNS or VPN service and all your devices will now be seeing Australian content instead. The three main Smart DNS providers all have Australia as a region to select

Can I set up two devices on different regions? This is possible with a Smart DNS service. At least one device must be able to be manually configured to use certain DNS settings. Configure one device to use the Smart DNS and the other device to use your ISP DNS. ISP DNS will show the AU content only.

Do I need a US and an AU subscription? No, one subscription will give you access to all netflix content if you use a Smart DNS. If you do not use a Smart DNS or VPN you will just see Australian content (unless you travel to another country of course.)

Help getting Chromecast or Roku to stream Netflix Very specific Router Admin entries Needed to block google DNS. Add Static Routes for Googles 8.8.8.8 & 8.8.4.4 to an invalid destination will cause fall back to your default ISP, this page explains technique. Doing so, will cause Netflix Android app to stop working, you would need to set up iptables instead. http://ausdroid.net/howto/chromecast-coming-heres-can-get-netflix-work

PS4, XBox One and Android Devices PS4, Xbox One and Android currently require Googles dns to be redirected to your Smartdns provider. To do this you need a router capable of doing this. So far DD-WRT, OpenWRT, AsusWRT, and Tomato routers can do this as they support iptables. A suggested router is the Asus RT-AC68U, and running third-party AsusWRT-Merlin firmware.

Netflix Android 3.7.1 This version of Netflix for Android does not have Google DNS hard coded. Uninstall the version you have and then download and re-install here: http://assets.unotelly.com/downloads/apps/android/com.netflix.mediaclient-3.7.1-build-1711.apk

Static Routes Please refer to the static routes here: https://www.reddit.com/r/borderlessinternet/comments/4e2b2l/null_routing_ip_list_this_will_block_some_of_the/

IP Ranges for Netflix https://ipinfo.io/AS2906#whois