Netflix is re-encoding its whole catalog for better streams that use less data

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bwana

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Netflix has spent four years rethinking the way it serves movies and TV shows to its customers over the internet, and it's in the process of rolling out the result. Pretty soon the company's streams will use up to 20 percent less data, though Netflix is confident that no one will notice any degradation in picture quality. In fact, the content you care about most may actually start looking better than it does today. Variety has the backstory on the company's new encoding process which, rather than apply blanket rules across the entire catalog, now adjusts the quality level depending on the content you're streaming.
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http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/15/10205062/netflix-better-streams-less-bandwidth
 
Sheesh transcoding that much is going to take sometime
 
Smart way to go about it. I always download animated stuff at 720p. I cant see any difference between the 720p and 1080p animated stuff.
 
H265 encodes are vastly superior to h264. Half the data twice the resolution. Have 12 series encoded h265. No comparison and with 4Kstreaming cutting down file size will help immensely
 
Damac10 said:
H265 encodes are vastly superior to h264. Half the data twice the resolution. Have 12 series encoded h265. No comparison and with 4Kstreaming cutting down file size will help immensely
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But pretty much zero hardware support, which means that most people using Netflix would be screwed as the bulk of their business doesn't stream via a PC.
 
backstreetboy said:
All 2014/2015 4K tv's already support H265 HEVC with HE-AAC and VP9.
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4k TVs. Significantly fewer 1080p models. And then your cheap set top boxes like the Roku 3, doesn't support it either. The relatively new Roku 4 does though. Apple TV doesn't. The original Chromecast doesn't but the new one does.
Very few chipsets used in Android media players support it either. Nvidia and Amlogic are pretty much it.
 
I don't think the re-encoding they're speaking about here is h264 > h265, but rather fixed bit rate to variable bit rate.

They might be changing codec's as well, not sure.
 
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Shalin_ZN said:
I don't think the re-encoding they're speaking about here is h265 > h265, but rather fixed bit rate to variable bit rate.
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Pretty much what I got from the article...they're already testing it with customers so no way they could have changed formats \ containers. They're tweaking bitrates basically and applying different settings per episode which gives them a lot more granularity than one bitrate to rule them all.

No one's doing H.265 at the moment except scene releasers and home hobbyists....the client-side device support is not there.
 
Neoprod said:
Pretty much what I got from the article...they're already testing it with customers so no way they could have changed formats \ containers. They're tweaking bitrates basically and applying different settings per episode which gives them a lot more granularity than one bitrate to rule them all.

No one's doing H.265 at the moment except scene releasers and home hobbyists....the client-side device support is not there.
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Apparently Netflix is using it for 4k? Just what I've read, and makes sense since pretty much if not all 4k TVs support h.265 in hardware already.
 
Messugga said:
Apparently Netflix is using it for 4k? Just what I've read, and makes sense since pretty much if not all 4k TVs support h.265 in hardware already.
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Maybe so...I don't have anything to say yes or no to that. The article in OP's post is about HD and Full HD.

So Netflix's servers will send out very different streams for an animated show like My Little Pony versus a proper feature film like The Hurt Locker. Animated content rarely calls for the same, consistent visual fidelity as Hollywood blockbusters, so Netflix will now use less bandwidth to stream the former. They'll still be in 1080p, but Netflix is pulling back on bitrate to somewhere around 1.5Mbps. That actually lets more people watch animated shows and movies in Full HD, since previously — when Netflix tried to deliver everything at a top bitrate of 5.8Mbps — weak internet connections might've produced viewing interruptions or dropped the overall stream quality down to 720p.
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Neoprod said:
Maybe so...I don't have anything to say yes or no to that. The article in OP's post is about HD and Full HD.
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Wasn't saying you're wrong. In fact, I fully agree that it doesn't make sense on the lower resolutions yet, due to lack of device support.
 
Messugga said:
4k TVs. Significantly fewer 1080p models. And then your cheap set top boxes like the Roku 3, doesn't support it either. The relatively new Roku 4 does though. Apple TV doesn't. The original Chromecast doesn't but the new one does.
Very few chipsets used in Android media players support it either. Nvidia and Amlogic are pretty much it.
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Classic Apple yet people still buy it.
 
Messugga said:
But pretty much zero hardware support, which means that most people using Netflix would be screwed as the bulk of their business doesn't stream via a PC.
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Every new media player from China to nvidia shield TV supports h265. Mygica , minix and the Razer Forge TV I have all play h265 in its glory.
 
Messugga said:
4k TVs. Significantly fewer 1080p models. And then your cheap set top boxes like the Roku 3, doesn't support it either. The relatively new Roku 4 does though. Apple TV doesn't. The original Chromecast doesn't but the new one does.
Very few chipsets used in Android media players support it either. Nvidia and Amlogic are pretty much it.
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Amlogic accounts for the majority of android boxes sold but rock chip also supports h265. Most android box or stick devices released last two years support at least 720p h265.
 
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