Netflix isn’t done coming up with clever ways to name and shame ISPs that deliver slow streaming services. Wired has spotted a new tool on Netflix’s website that will let you know exactly how fast your ISP delivers Netflix video streaming traffic so you can see whether you’re actually getting the “high-speed” service you’re paying for.
The page contains a small video called “Example Short 23.976” that will play a series of seemingly random video clips that Netflix will use to calculate exactly how quickly — or slowly — your ISP is delivering you video. As you watch the video, Netflix will post its streaming bit rate and resolution in the upper left-hand corner so you know exactly how fast your video is streaming and at what quality.
Strangely, Netflix isn’t advertising or promoting this new tool as far as we can see, which seems odd given the company’s recent efforts to send out messages to Verizon subscribers letting them know that they should blame Verizon for choppy, inconsistent streaming performance. Netflix does put out monthly rankings of ISP streaming quality as just Google has started doing recently with YouTube streams but this video seems like an even more effective way for Netflix to help its customers learn which ISPs are up to par and which need improvement.
