Getting the Most out of Netflix
Hi everyone! It’s Corbin from Techboomers again, 
and this time, we’re going to take a closer look at
the website Netflix. In case you’re not familiar with it, Netflix is a website that lets you watch thousands of different movies and television shows whenever you want, however you want, all for a low monthly price! It has become really popular as an alternative to cable and satellite television subscriptions (i.e. “500 channels and nothing’s on”), as well as nights out at the movies (which can get expensive once you factor in the price of tickets, refreshments, and even just gas to get to the theatre). If you’d like to get in on the action (or if you’re already a Netflix user), here are our top 5 “director’s cut” tips on how to get the most out of Netflix.
- Pick the plan that’s right for you
Netflix has three pricing plans available. Depending on which plan you choose, you can have one or more people watch Netflix on the same account but on different devices (see tip #5), or choose between standard-quality and high-quality video. The standard plan is $8 per month, allows one user at a time, and offers only standard-quality video. The advanced plan is $9 per month, allows two users at a time, and offers the choice of standard-quality or high-quality video. The premium plan is $12 per month, allows four users at a time, and offers the choice of standard-quality or high-quality video.
So, if you’re the only one in your house who uses Netflix, pick the standard plan. If you live with someone else who likes to watch Netflix, pick the advanced plan. And if you live together with several other people who all love Netflix, maybe the premium plan is right for you. If you’d like more information, you can read this How Much does Netflix Cost? article on Techboomers.com.
- Keep an eye on your data usage
While Netflix is relatively inexpensive, your monthly Internet bill might not be if you use Netflix too much. Many Internet providers place a limit on how much information (data) you can process over your Internet connection per month, and watching videos on Netflix can take up a lot of that information quickly. If you go over your data limit, you might get charged extra money on your next telecom bill. You might want to contact your Internet provider (Verizon, Time Warner, Comcast, etc.) and ask how much data you’re allowed to process per month, and then regulate your usage of Netflix accordingly. As a rough guideline, standard-quality video uses about 1 gigabyte of data per hour, while high-quality video uses about 3 gigabytes of data per hour. For a more detailed explanation on the relationship between Netflix and Internet data limits, as well as options to limit the amount of data that Netflix uses, check out this Netflix Data Usage tutorial.
- Use profiles to control who can watch what
While you only need one account to watch Netflix, you can have multiple profiles on the same account. One of the important features of profiles is that you can use them to control what kind of shows the owner of that profile is allowed to access on Netflix. So, if you have children or grandchildren who like to watch Netflix when they come over to your house, you can set them up with their very own profiles. You can then put controls on their profiles, so that they can’t watch anything on Netflix that’s overly violent or sexual in nature. You can also use profiles to make it so that everyone in your family who uses Netflix can have their own unique taste preferences (more on that in the next tip). Turn learn more about Netflix profiles, check out this tutorial.
- Adjust your taste preferences to find new shows to like
Looking for new shows to watch? Well, what are you into? Action? Comedy? Drama? Horror? Documentaries? Cartoons? As you watch movies and television shows on Netflix, Netflix will use that information to recommend similar programs that you might like. For even better suggestions, fill out the “taste preferences” survey on Netflix, and specify what you like to watch in terms of mood, genre, language, release date, and more. These preferences are tied to your specific profile (instead of your whole account), so the watching habits of other people who use your Netflix account won’t affect yours if they use their own profiles.
- Connect Netflix to your TV for a big-screen experience
Why limit yourself to a small computer monitor when you can watch Netflix on your big screen TV? If you use an H.D.M.I. cable (or a combination of audio and video cables), then you can connect your computer to your television, and then watch Netflix that way. There are also video game consoles (such as the Nintendo Wii U, Sony PlayStation 4, or Microsoft Xbox One) and other digital media devices (such as Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV) that you can connect to your television and use to watch Netflix. Certain cutting-edge televisions will even let you watch Netflix directly on them, without having to connect anything! To learn how it all works, head over to this How to Watch Netflix on TV tutorial!
Well, we hope those tips help you have the best experience possible with Netflix! If you’d like more information on using Netflix, from how to start an account to how to watch an entire season of your favourite sitcom, check out our other Netflix tutorials at Techboomers.com!
