10 Best Netflix Tricks and Secrets to Improve Your Streaming Experience - CNET

2 years ago 63

Maybe you've yet mastered however to manipulate your Netflix recommendations, oregon turn disconnected autoplay, but there's much tweaking to beryllium done. It's apt 1 of the astir used streaming services in your household, and with that successful mind, a small fine-tuning tin marque your viewing acquisition better.

Whether you're a Netflix savant oregon a streaming work novice, you astir apt don't cognize each its secrets. There's a mode to clear your "Continue Watching" row and enjoy mobile gaming, but you tin usage immoderate much obscure features, too. Netflix has different ways to peek down the curtain and with a flick of the wrist -- oregon a distant -- you tin up your streaming crippled utilizing these tips.

Easily hunt for Netflix Originals

Tired of googling "Netflix amusement astir monsters"? Take your browsing skills to caller heights by digging for Netflix originals with 1 hunt term: "Netflix." Open the Netflix app and popular the brand's sanction successful the hunt barroom and it volition bring up each archetypal Netflix movie and bid ever released.

Take it a measurement further to find Netflix's interactive specials. Go beyond Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and propulsion up each the platform's programming wherever you tin determine what happens successful the adjacent scene. Type "interactive" successful the hunt container and this acceptable of Netflix originals volition appear, including the titles for kids.

You tin usage this aforesaid method to find contented that runs successful 4K oregon HDR. Type successful either word and Netflix's hunt results volition instrumentality titles that show successful that format. Keep successful caput that determination is simply a constricted magnitude of Netflix contented that displays successful 4K oregon HDR.

Use Netflix hidden codes to entree content

By now, you whitethorn person heard speech of hidden codes for subcategories successful Netflix, overmuch similar Starbucks' concealed menu. These exist. Narrow down your hunt for titles successful a circumstantial genre by utilizing four-digit codes erstwhile viewing successful a web browser.

With truthful overmuch to benignant through, this instrumentality tin assistance you easy find anime, enactment and adventure, sports movies, musicals and much with the close code. Check CNET's instructions connected wherever to find the benignant of movies you're looking for.

Control your video connected a keyboard

Do you thin to ticker Netflix connected a computer? If you do, you whitethorn trust connected a rodent to pause, rewind oregon power the volume. But determination are keyboard shortcuts for that. Toggle the measurement with the up and down arrow keys and deed the near and close arrows to fast-forward oregon rewind by 10 seconds. Hit M to mute the sound.

To intermission your stream, usage the spacebar; deed it again to unfreeze your video. Rather than click the full-screen icon to widen your view, simply pat F on your keyboard. To exit afloat screen, usage the Escape key. Boom.

Adjust your information usage

I cognize plentifulness of radical who emotion to ticker Netflix connected their mobile phones oregon tablets. For those with constricted data, that tin devour up a large chunk, depending connected the video quality. However, you tin tinker with the information usage to little the magnitude for your device.

Open the Netflix app connected your telephone and pat the More icon oregon your profile. Click connected App Settings and navigate to Video Playback to prime Cellular Data Usage. Per Netflix's help section, alteration your download setup to Wi-Fi Only to debar draining your mobile plan's data. Note that this volition lone popular up if your instrumentality operates with cellular data.

You tin besides alteration your Netflix information usage settings from your web browser for each your screens, including mobile. Open your illustration connected your relationship leafage and click Playback Settings. There are 4 options: Auto (the default), Low (up to 0.3GB per hour), Medium (up to 0.7GB per hour) and High -- the champion for HD -- which uses 3GB an hr for HD streams and 7GB for Ultra HD streaming. The little the quality, the little information is consumed. Remember to save your settings.

Want to debar these steps? Your different enactment is to download episodes oregon movies to ticker offline.

Use Audio Description for narration

A lesser-known diagnostic connected Netflix is the Audio Description function, which tin beryllium beneficial for visually impaired viewers. When you activate it, a voice-over gives a statement of what's happening onscreen during a amusement oregon movie. A dependable describes the facial expressions, clothing, scenery, carnal movements and different elements arsenic they happen.

Netflix says astir of its originals person Audio Description available, and it works for immoderate different titles connected the level too. To crook it on, statesman playing a video connected your device. Mobile instrumentality oregon machine users tin pat their screens, portion astute TVs, Apple TV oregon gaming consoles volition request to usage the distant control.

Select the Dialog icon container to spot which languages Audio Description is disposable for and take your option.

Change the look of your subtitles

Enjoying the latest overseas rubric streaming connected Netflix? Dubs are cool, but immoderate viewers similar to ticker definite contented like K-dramas and anime successful their archetypal connection with subtitles. You tin set the subtitle settings for font type, size, substance shadowing oregon background.

You'll request to unfastened Netflix successful a web browser and prime a illustration from the relationship page. Click connected Subtitle Appearance to alteration the settings and past click Save. This tin beryllium done for each illustration connected your Netflix account. You whitethorn person to reload the app connected your TV for the changes to instrumentality effect. If you don't similar the caller setup, simply take "Reset to default" to reconstruct the erstwhile subtitle settings.

Lock down your profile

Do you stock your Netflix relationship with idiosyncratic who occasionally watches worldly connected your profile? Maybe your tween likes to sneak-watch Riverdale oregon different amusement that's meant for mature audiences. If you privation to forestall others connected your relationship from messing up your proposal flow, popular a pin connected your profile. Head to your relationship leafage from a web browser and scroll to the Profile & Parental Controls settings. Click alteration connected Profile Lock, and participate your relationship password erstwhile prompted. Check the container wherever it says, "Require a PIN to entree XYZ's profile." Enter a four-digit PIN.

You'll person to benignant it successful each clip you unfastened the app and click connected your profile, but you'll beryllium the lone 1 privy to this information.

Check your spot complaint stats

Wondering what the streaming prime is for your favourite show? Check the spot complaint with Netflix's "Stats for nerds" menu. A higher spot complaint equals higher video quality. With your video open, press Ctrl + Shift + Alt + D connected your laptop keyboard to cheque retired your spot complaint speed, buffering authorities and framework rate. On this screen, HD viewers tin corroborate velocity and resolution.

Some astute TV models are susceptible of pulling up these stats too, but you'll request a distant power with an Info button. Click it arsenic your Netflix video plays to cheque the nerd stats. For Roku users, take a amusement oregon movie and earlier pressing play, deed the asterisk * button doubly to spot the numbers. Click it doubly again to disable the view.

You'll privation to intermission your video truthful you tin seizure the codification accusation without missing immoderate scenes from your favourite show. The different catch? You can't edit immoderate of those stats if you're successful the temper for a debugging session.

Bit complaint accusation isn't lone absorbing for the technically minded, it tin assistance erstwhile you're facing streaming issues oregon buffering. For example, it tin usher you wherever to determination your router oregon streaming instrumentality to amended your Wi-Fi signal.

Really emotion a show? Give it 2 thumbs up

This April, Netflix launched a caller feature: Two Thumbs Up. As portion of its proposal system, this signifies your passionateness for a rubric and helps Netflix hone successful connected what you truly similar to watch. Though the modular thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons let you to springiness a basal standing to a amusement oregon film, clicking 2 thumbs prompts feedback that reads, "We cognize you're a existent fan!"

You tin usage this enactment portion watching Netflix connected your TV, web browser oregon mobile device. The streamer notes that if you pat Two Thumbs Up to explicit your emotion for a circumstantial TV bid oregon movie, the strategy volition drill down and urge much titles related to the formed members, accumulation teams, quality types oregon niche genres affiliated with your pick.

Set up notifications for shows and movies

While Netflix whitethorn already email you astir what's coming soon oregon recently added movies that "you mightiness like," you tin instrumentality matters into your ain hands by activating alerts wrong the app. Set up reminders for titles that are arriving successful the adjacent future. For example, The Sandman debuts connected Aug. 5. Rather than trust connected representation oregon Google for the information, you tin navigate to the show's rubric page and click Remind Me to person a notification from Netflix erstwhile it drops. It volition besides beryllium automatically added to My List once it's disposable to stream.

You tin besides alteration propulsion notifications connected your telephone oregon tablet for the app. Netflix volition alert you with recommendations and caller TV amusement oregon movie releases.