One month with Netflix

My first free month with Netflix is almost up. So what have I watched and how reliable is the streaming service so far?

So far I have watched (or binged watched) How to Get Away with Murder, Making a Murderer, Jessica Jones, dabbled in Hemlock Grove, and currently trying to get up to speed with the latest season of Bates Motel.

Having watched my fair share or TV shows that I could possibly watch with whatever spare time I have within the month, I am quite pleased with the experience so far.

How I watch Netflix.

As you know, you can watch Netflix almost anywhere on almost any smart devices that are connected to the internet. Computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, smart TVs. You choose. For me, I use the Netflix app for the PS4 and watch all my Netflix shows on TV in my room using the PS4. For the living room, I use Google Chromecast to Google Cast my shows I select from my smartphone to the big TV. I don’t watch shows on my tablet, computer or smartphone.

How is the streaming quality like?

It’s actually pretty good. Probably because I am on a fiber broadband connection, so streaming full HD streams (up to two simultaneous and I have tested on numerous occasions) is no sweat. Upon initial buffering (which doesn’t take more than 5 seconds), you do see somewhat degraded picture quality, but it quickly upgrades to full HD quality once the connection is stable (usually within a minute). Throughout the 30 days I have used Netflix, I did not experience any slow loads, intermittent interruptions, downtime, or degraded picture quality while watching. The reliability of the streams is as good as watching TV off the cable network or terrestrial satellite TV. There are several instances where I just totally forgot that I am watching TV shows on Netflix. And with no ads, it’s just heavenly and makes binge watching all the more sweeter.

And I love the fact that it continues streaming the next episode once the previous one rolls its end credits. And I also love the fact that it keeps track on where you left off, so that you can continue without a hitch at a later time. Closed captioning is godsend but you can switch it off if it is too distracting.

Essentially, everything about Netflix in terms of account creation, UI navigation and streaming are flawless.

How are the TV and movie offerings like? 

They are somewhat lacking in my opinion. There is very little to no local TV and movie content offerings at the moment. Movies are somewhat old and limited, although there are some good classics available in the library. TV offerings are a little better (in terms of quality, not quantity). The Netflix Originals series are available which a number of them are actually pretty darn good, like Orange is the New Black, Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Narcos. Other notable shows available include Breaking Bad, Penny Dreadful, Bates Motel and some other older shows like Suits, Under the Dome and Spartacus.

Essentially there is nothing to rave about in terms of TV and movie offerings, but there are some good ones worth binging.

I am still hopeful that they will continue to improve their content offering in the near future. Netflix has invested heavily in the more original productions that would make viewers of all demographics happy and will continue to do so in the near future. In fact, the entire season of Daredevil season two will be out on March 18. That at least gives me a reason to maintain my subscription for the time being. And I haven’t really touched any of the movie offerings which I will do so when I have no TV shows left to binge on.