Skip to main content

European Netflix customers are still seeing lower-quality video, slow speed

Netflix is still reducing video bitrates for its European users nearly two months after lowering bandwidth by 25% in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the company is still charging different rates for different video quality levels, angering some customers who are experiencing degraded video quality, blurring, and pixelation.

Netflix subscription plans in the EU include lower-tier, standard-definition streaming; two standard tiers for high-definition; and a premium plan for Ultra HD. All users still being charged at their existing levels despite seeing almost 50% reductions in bitrates.

In recent weeks, Reddit and Twitter have been filling up with European customers’ complaints, including a screenshot from a customer in Spain indicating internet speeds of just 0.51Mbps for an HD stream. Netflix itself recommends 5Mbps minimum for HD.

@Netflixhelps what's the point of having 1080p resolution with this ridiculous bitrate? The quality is really bad. pic.twitter.com/JN8HgO1lIA

— Juan Jesús (@juanjetomas) May 10, 2020

The company initially throttled its bitrates in March at the request of the European Union, which was concerned that increased internet usage during lockdowns would overwhelm ISPs. Other companies, including YouTube, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video, agreed to throttle speeds as well. However, according to the EU’s telecom agency, European internet networks seemed to be able to handle the increased load with minimal disruptions.

Netflix did not immediately respond to being asked when it would return bitrates to normal or whether HD and Ultra HD customers may be refunded, but told Variety: “As network conditions improve, we will begin lifting the bitrate caps we introduced in March on a country-by-country basis.”

Editors' Recommendations

Mythili Sampathkumar
Mythili is a freelance journalist based in New York. When not reporting about politics, foreign policy, entertainment, and…
Nvidia may launch 3 new GPUs, and they’re bad news for AMD
An Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics card seen from the side.

In a surprising twist, Nvidia might be releasing not one, but three graphics cards. They all fall under the same RTX 4060 umbrella, although two of them are RTX 4060 Ti models.

This marks a strong entry into the midrange segment for Nvidia, with one of the cards addressing a significant concern -- low VRAM. Should AMD be worried about losing even more business to Team Green?

Read more
Air New Zealand reveals cost of its comfy sleep pods
Air New Zealand's Skynest sleep pods.

Air New Zealand has finally revealed the approximate cost of booking one of its economy-class sleeper pods on a long-haul flight: $400-$600 New Zealand dollars ($250-$380) -- plus the cost of your seat.

Passengers will only be allowed one pod session per flight, so you’ll have to remain crammed in coach for the rest of the time.

Read more
A massive data breach has left Intel scrambling for solutions
A render of an Intel Core HX chip.

A security breach in March robbed MSI of up to 1.5TB of sensitive data. However, MSI is not the only company impacted.

As a result of the breach, Intel is now investigating a major leak of Intel Boot Guard keys. The extent of the damage is still unclear, but the worst-case scenario is that the security feature is now useless on compromised devices -- and that's a pretty lengthy list.

Read more