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Help Me Diagnose Netflix Networking Issues

Okay guys. I have an annoying problem that I think should be simple to fix but I am not seeing it. We have a Netflix streaming account and it works fine 99% of the time. Whenever we have had trouble it is usually due to something in the router not letting our devices connect to the Netflix servers.

We have two devices in addition to our pcs that connect to Neftlix. A Samsung BD-C5500 and new Playstation3. These both worked fine till my daughters fiddled with the network cable that connected them to the router. We have one patch cable we had been switching between devices since I don't have a switch located next to the tele. Well, not yet anyway. Well I did not know this and I went to use the Samsung and promptly got a "no internet capability" warning or something similar. No problem I thought. I will just reconnect the cable and it should be fine. Not so fast. Now it would not connect at all. It said it was taking too long and to try again. Just for giggles I tried it on the wife's netbook and it started playing a television show immediately so I knew it was some issue of getting through the router so the devices could "see" Netflix. All the other streaming services like Hulu and Pandora worked so I knew it was a Netflix network issue.

Okay fine. I have been through this before. I went to my Netflix account and deactivated the PS3 and the Samsung. I rebooted the router completely with the cat6 patch cable removed. Still no dice. I uninstalled the Netflix app from the ps3 and reinstalled it and sure enough, I got a screen to enter my login information for Netflix and it still tells me it is unable to connect. I know the console is connected because I can go through the "playon" interface and watch my queue just fine.

What is going on? I cannot use Playon forever because it is a two week trial and I doubt I will keep it. I also do not like its interface. I did just go back into the Samsung's menu system and this time it flashed me a code to enter into Netflix's site. It worked. The BluRay is back up and running. But what to do with the PS3? This is infuriating. I need to have it up and going because my oldest daughter will take one of the devices to use in her room. Can someone suggest ANYTHING to get this back on track?

Again, just for clarity. The PS3 is online when the patch cable is plugged in. The network tests prove a connection. The Netflix app will NOT connect to allow viewing of my instant play queue.

Regards, Todd
 
Thanks Chris. I will give it a go this morning and see what happens. Bummer about Showtime and Netflix not coming together for series content. Looks like Showtime is trying to get into the direct streaming/selling of content as well. Albeit for their current cable/sat subscribers.

Regards, Todd
 
I also had the same issue last night. The PS3 was connecting to other online components like friends and the store, but not Netflix.

We switched to my Wii, and after a couple tries it worked. I'd say it was a slight issue on Netflix's side, not your computer. Don't worry.
 
Henry; Yes indeed, it was able to connect to other sites. I assumed it was Netflix issues but having had some weird issues over the months, I figured it was a good idea to ask.

For the other responders. Thank you for the help. From what I can gather it was indeed a Netflix issue. The Playstation3 connected just fine this morning.

I can tell you, after one year of service with Netflix I am more than satisfied with the service and wholeheartedly recommend it. Saying that there are a few things I wish the device makers and Netflix would remedy. I jumped the gun on resetting my router and devices but will plead desperation since I have had to do that a number of times when I first go the service. If ANYTHING glitched, changed, or we suffered a power outage, getting the Neftlix apps in the devices firmwares to simply go grab the queue was an exercise in frustration. It really did necessitate a complete jump start of the systems. Thankfully after a few firmware upgrades the Samsung performs nearly flawlessly. And I will pick at the PS3 interface a bit. It is quite clumsy compared to the simple menu and icon system of the Samsung. Back to work Sony. In its defence it is a game system first and it excels at it but the multimedia access necessitates wading through a crosswise menu system and then scrolling up and down. How about some simple icons for each function and then let us address a menu?

Thanks again chaps. I have become quite fond of Neftlix and get a bit grumpy when it is not available.

Regards, Todd
 
Glad you got it working again Todd. I'll have to revisit the service - a year ago it couldn't compete with BlueRay. Of course I should hard wire the xbox to the router...
 
Glad you got it working again Todd. I'll have to revisit the service - a year ago it couldn't compete with BlueRay. Of course I should hard wire the xbox to the router...

And it still will not. Not really. What I like about it is the pure convenience. The newer eight dollar per month plan makes it a super economical Red Box for standard def type viewing. Most worthwhile but no, it is most certainly not HD.

Regards, Todd
 
And it still will not. Not really. What I like about it is the pure convenience. The newer eight dollar per month plan makes it a super economical Red Box for standard def type viewing. Most worthwhile but no, it is most certainly not HD.

Regards, Todd

I totally agree. The quality will never be as good as 1080p Blu-Ray, but it is much better than standard definition TV.

As for selection, my wife and I have been very pleased. We've watched most of Futurama, Scrubs, all of Arrested Development, Battlestar Galactica, IT Crowd and much more. We just never run out of great stuff to watch.
 
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