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Hidden Netflix tricks that can vastly improve your streaming quality

Published Sep 16th, 2015 4:24PM EDT
BGR

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We all love Netflix but there are times when we our streams aren’t as consistent as we’d like them to be. Because of this, we were intrigued to see Rather Be Shopping’s list of Netflix hacks that you can use to deliver a more consistent experience while watching your favorite shows and we want to draw particular attention to a list of secret commands you can use to improve streaming if you’re watching on a laptop or desktop computer.

LEARN MORE: How have you used Netflix this long without knowing these 10 tips and tricks?

When Netflix is open on your laptop or desktop, you’ll want to try out the following commands to open up Netflix’s hidden Stream Manager feature:

  • Control+alt+shift+S: This will let you raise and lower the bitrate of your stream and also change the CDN that’s sending you video traffic. Obviously you’ll want a higher bitrate to improve the quality of the picture most of the time, but during periods of network congestion you may want to lower your bitrate to get a full stream without frequent pauses.
  • Control+alt+shift+D: Using this command will open up a panel that will describe your current settings and tell you how those settings are impacting your viewing. Among other things, the panel will tell you your current bitrate for both streaming and buffering, your framerate and your latency.
  • Control+alt+shift+L: So let’s say you’ve fiddled with your bitrate and switched CDNs and your stream is suddenly even worse. What should you do? Well by using the Control+alt+shift+L command, you’ll get a log of all the changes you’ve made so you can easily switch back to your original settings.

These commands are just some of the tricks we learned in Rather Be Shopping’s article. To read the whole thing for yourself, click here.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.