How to Improve the Video Quality of Netflix Easy Guide 2022

Improve the Video Quality of Netflix

If you’ve arrived at this page, you’re probably one of Netflix’s 221.8 million subscribers, wanting to find out how to improve the video quality of Netflix. It’s not surprising, especially if the 2022 increase in Netflix’s monthly subscription prices has affected you. Of course, you’ll want to get your money’s worth even more. But streaming high-quality Netflix videos could mean even more cost since it’ll take up more data.

Don’t worry this page is about helping you enjoy high-quality Netflix streaming without hurting your pocket.  how you can make Netflix better by changing a few settings.

How to Change your Netflix Streaming Quality 

If you wish to improve the Netflix video quality, here are a few easy steps on how to change the stream quality on Netflix. But before you even start, take note of the following.

  • The quality of the video you stream dictates how much data does Netflix use. The amount of data you use. The HD mode would be eating so much of your data, which could be a problem if you’re using mobile data.
  • The process involves making a few changes to playback settings that are unique to each profile. So, if you want everyone in your household to use the same settings, make sure you change the settings for all of the profiles in the account.
  • If these two points are already clear to you, then you can proceed to learn how to improve the video quality of Netflix.

1. Open a web browser (e.g., Google Chrome, Edge).

2. Go to Netflix.com.

3. Select your profile.

4. Click the profile icon in the top-right corner of the page, then choose Account in the drop-down menu.

5. Scroll down until you see the Profile & Parental Controls section.

6. Click the down arrow next to your profile and click Change next to Playback settings.

7. Choose a data usage setting, which you can do in one of four ways: auto, low, medium, or high (more on these later).

8. When you’ve made your choice, click Save.

Understanding your Netflix Video Quality Options

The key to understanding your options for streaming on Netflix is understanding the concept of resolution. Keep in mind that the higher the resolution, the better the quality of your video. But what does the resolution mean?

The standard resolution, or standard definition (SD) footage, is 480p or 640×480. It has two sets of numbers: the first set is for horizontal pixels, and the second set is for vertical pixels. This resolution is what you typically get from your DVDs. Meanwhile, the video becomes widescreen by default at 720p (1280x720p).

You now know that 1080p is better than 720p. Now, 4K (2160p) is even better than 1080p. Of course, we’re talking about a theater-like experience right at home with the right equipment.

You are not forced to go HD. Netflix understands how you might want to save on data usage or if your device is not really set up for HD. So here are your options:

  1. Auto: Allow Netflix to select a data usage setting based on your current connection, but this is not ideal if you need to limit your Netflix data usage.
  2. Low: Get “basic” video and audio quality while only consuming 0.3GB of data per hour. If you really need to save data on Netflix, this is the way to go, but expect fuzzy, blotchy video quality.
  3. Medium: Obtain standard-definition (SD) video while using only 0.7GB of data per hour. The quality will be good on your phone, but not on your 65-inch 4K TV.
  4. High: Get the best video quality while burning up to 3GB of HD video per hour or 7GB of 4K (or “Ultra HD”) video per hour. Video will look great, but if you have a data cap at home or on your cell phone, you better think this through carefully.

However, if you want to go HD, you’d better check out how much does Netflix costs for the subscription you’re on. You might not be at that level where HD is available. 

 

Upgrade to 4K Resolution

If you want 4K on Netflix, you need to be on a premium subscription.

Take note that Netflix has three plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium. The Netflix Basic plan limits streaming quality to 480p on any device, while the Standard plan goes up to 1080p video resolution. The Premium plan gives you UHD video and HDR.

It’s also worth noting that not everything on Netflix is available in higher resolutions. Some content is in HD or standard definition. 

How to Take Control of Netflix

You can take control of your Netflix account by adjusting the video quality settings. If you don’t want to break the bank with your data usage, you will have to do this. Despite 4K being able to give you the best viewing experience, it will use up so much of your data.

Apart from changing your video quality settings, you can also take control of your Netflix account by managing your devices, especially when you are sharing your account. You can also control the languages by turning on and off the subtitles or changing the language dubs. Of course, you can control your recommendations and make sure Netflix shows you the right shows for you. 

How to Adjusting Video Quality on Netflix on a Phone or Tablet

If you are using Netflix on your phone or tablet, then you will have to follow the steps below to adjust the video quality. 

1. Open your Netflix app and click on your profile in the top right corner. You’ll be directed to Profiles and More.

2. Select your profile (this is important because you might end up changing others’ profiles).

3. Select App Settings.

4. Choose Cellular Data Usage

5. Choose the data restrictions you want: auto, Wi-Fi only, save data, or maximum data. 


Frequently Asked Questions

Distorted, blurred, or low-quality video streaming on Netflix could be caused by your Internet connection or a Netflix account setting. Other online activities on your network may affect your connection, such as gaming, file sharing, or video streaming.


At least 25 Mbps is needed to run 4K content.


Conclusion

To sum up, in order to improve the Netflix video quality, users need to change stream quality settings on Netflix. It is important to understand that high resolution will offer higher video quality for viewers.  The viewers can control their Netflix account by adjusting the video quality settings as per their preferences.