To Subscribe Or Not To Subscribe, That Is The Question: Paid Streaming Services

[proserpina65]

3 hours ago, tessaray said:

Testing with the laptop or phone will give you some info. DSL used to be really slow compared to a cable broadband connection but iirc, at least you don't have others on your trunk line, like I do. (Which could have changed in the 15 years since I had to use it.)

In the past, Rokus have been very efficient users of bandwidth and it is a dedicated, proprietary OS that was more stable than Android but these days, who knows? 

You can always try a streaming site on a computer or phone app, just to see if it buffers as badly.

Thanks for the information. I just checked and apparently my internet download speed is poor, which probably explains it. 

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Does Comcast still own the routers, or do they make you buy one?
If they own it, they should be happy to replace it, although you might have spend eleventy million hours on hold to reach them.
But most hold times seem to be better these days.

They’re really good about replacing them but they just replace it with a slightly newer piece of crap. Been there, done that. 

 

9 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Thanks for the information. I just checked and apparently my internet download speed is poor, which probably explains it. 

Wifi or Ethernet? 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Thanks for the information. I just checked and apparently my internet download speed is poor, which probably explains it. 

Maybe at least see how much it would cost for a faster download speed?

The last time I inquired, they wound up increasing my speed and lowering my fee! The 2 things weren’t related, it was just something in the current “offers.”

Edited March 23, 2023 by shapeshifter

[Guest]

If you’re on wi-fi a poor speed test doesn’t necessarily mean paying for faster internet is the answer. The first thing to do is check how close the speed you are getting is to the speed you are paying for. 

For example, I frequently have buffering problems on my Roku and TiVo stream. Right now it is telling me my speed is good (29 Mbps) and with the number of devices connected I run into problems regularly. The real problem is that my Roku isn’t dual band and I can only connect to the higher trafficked 2.4 ghz. My 5 ghz network on my phone just tested at 417 Mbps. Even that is far less than what I pay for. There are a ton of things that cause you to get a lower download speed on wifi than you should. 

[shapeshifter]

10 hours ago, Dani said:

If you’re on wi-fi a poor speed test doesn’t necessarily mean paying for faster internet is the answer. The first thing to do is check how close the speed you are getting is to the speed you are paying for. 

For example, I frequently have buffering problems on my Roku and TiVo stream. Right now it is telling me my speed is good (29 Mbps) and with the number of devices connected I run into problems regularly. The real problem is that my Roku isn’t dual band and I can only connect to the higher trafficked 2.4 ghz. My 5 ghz network on my phone just tested at 417 Mbps. Even that is far less than what I pay for. There are a ton of things that cause you to get a lower download speed on wifi than you should. 

Yes.
And sometimes you can get someone from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to help you sort this out and what is required to fix it.☺️ 
But sometimes you cannot find a person with the knowledge and experience to solve your particular problem.😞

At the place I lived from January 2021 - November 2021, I had internet issues even though I had the ISP everyone in the area says is the best and the friendly ISP folks tried their best. 
At my current location just a few miles away, that ISP with the stellar reputation is not available, so I got the only other one available, and it's been perfect. And cheaper.🤷🏻‍♀️

[peachmangosteen]

14 hours ago, Dani said:

 

Mine's good then. 

On 3/21/2023 at 7:37 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

Sometimes, I go into my settings on Firestick and delete my cache on my apps. I’ve read it can slow you down.  I can’t say if it helps.   

I told my dad to try this and Disney+ still doesn't work for him. So odd.

[proserpina65]

16 hours ago, Dani said:

Wifi or Ethernet? 

Wifi, I think.

13 hours ago, Dani said:

If you’re on wi-fi a poor speed test doesn’t necessarily mean paying for faster internet is the answer. The first thing to do is check how close the speed you are getting is to the speed you are paying for. 

For example, I frequently have buffering problems on my Roku and TiVo stream. Right now it is telling me my speed is good (29 Mbps) and with the number of devices connected I run into problems regularly. The real problem is that my Roku isn’t dual band and I can only connect to the higher trafficked 2.4 ghz. My 5 ghz network on my phone just tested at 417 Mbps. Even that is far less than what I pay for. There are a ton of things that cause you to get a lower download speed on wifi than you should. 

Ugh, that means calling Verizon.  Although I didn't get the Wifi thingy from them, would that make a difference?

[Guest]

On 3/23/2023 at 9:25 AM, proserpina65 said:

Wifi, I think.

Ugh, that means calling Verizon.  Although I didn't get the Wifi thingy from them, would that make a difference?

It can although stand alone routers usually perform better than the modem/routers provided by internet companies. I think you said you didn’t have the buffering on other devices so it may be a problem with the distance to the router. You could try a speed test on a different device in different locations, including right next to the router and right next to the Roku to narrow down the source of the problem. 

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, Dani said:

I think you said you didn’t have the buffering on other devices so it may be a problem with the distance to the router.

I was wondering if that, distance to the router, could be the cause of my dad's issues with Disney+ but would something like that randomly affect only 1 app?

[Guest]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I was wondering if that, distance to the router, could be the cause of my dad's issues with Disney+ but would something like that randomly affect only 1 app?

It could. Particularly if Disney+ is streaming at a higher quality than the other apps. D+ defaults to play at the highest quality available that can be played on the tv. You can lower it in app settings to see if there is any improvement. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I’m really annoyed that I can’t watch How To Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story, even though I have the Lifetime app and access to it.  Even if you go there on your computer, it won’t provide access to that movie. They aired it live about a week ago.  From what I’m learned, the only way to watch this movie is on Philo, which is $25.00 per month.  What’s so special about this movie?  

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I’m really annoyed that I can’t watch How To Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story, even though I have the Lifetime app and access to it.  Even if you go there on your computer, it won’t provide access to that movie. They aired it live about a week ago.  From what I’m learned, the only way to watch this movie is on Philo, which is $25.00 per month....

11 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

...What’s so special about this movie?  

Emmy and Golden Globe winning actress Cybill Shepherd?
This is not the genre I generally watch, but I do have access to Lifetime and have noticed these type of movies tend to run repeatedly for a longer time, so I understand your consternation, @SunnyBeBe.
 
Maybe Cybill Shepard or her agents required limited airings in order to have her make the movie? 
Or maybe the ad revenue folks at Lifetime have determined they'll get more viewers if they air it rarely?

If you live long enough, it will show up on TV somewhere for free.

[AstridM]

15 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I’m really annoyed that I can’t watch How To Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story, even though I have the Lifetime app and access to it.  Even if you go there on your computer, it won’t provide access to that movie. They aired it live about a week ago.  From what I’m learned, the only way to watch this movie is on Philo, which is $25.00 per month.  What’s so special about this movie?  

Lifetime is particularly greedy with their content. I won’t pay for any of it. 

[SunnyBeBe]

2 minutes ago, AstridM said:

Lifetime is particularly greedy with their content. I won’t pay for any of it. 

Right.  I only have access through my cable package. You get to pick a select number of channels.  

[Jaded]

This is actually a new article. They are delaying doing anything again.

 Netflix delays password-sharing crackdown rollout, posts mixed results

[EtheltoTillie]

15 hours ago, Jaded said:

This is actually a new article. They are delaying doing anything again.

 Netflix delays password-sharing crackdown rollout, posts mixed results

I saw this article elsewhere, and I’m still confused. I have never been able to get a good explanation about how this would work for people who are not sharing but watch from multiple locations. For me it’s home, office and a second home.  I’m not going to pay extra for that. Then there are those supposed rule about logging in once every thirty days to home Wi-Fi?  I have three different home Wi-Fi’s. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I saw this article elsewhere, and I’m still confused. I have never been able to get a good explanation about how this would work for people who are not sharing but watch from multiple locations. For me it’s home, office and a second home.  I’m not going to pay extra for that. Then there are those supposed rule about logging in once every thirty days to home Wi-Fi?  I have three different home Wi-Fi’s. 

Once they roll it out you will have to set a primary location and login at that location on each device every 31 days or the device could be locked out.

Their FAQ in countries where they have already rolled it out says that there won’t be a problem at a second home or while traveling but doesn’t detail how it works. It says to login at you primary location once a month and when you arrive at your destination. 

[EtheltoTillie]

55 minutes ago, Dani said:

Once they roll it out you will have to set a primary location and login at that location on each device every 31 days or the device could be locked out.

Their FAQ in countries where they have already rolled it out says that there won’t be a problem at a second home or while traveling but doesn’t detail how it works. It says to login at you primary location once a month and when you arrive at your destination. 

Okay, so that makes no sense!  I have to bring my TVs from my second home to my primary home to log in?  I have to bring my computer home from the office to log in?  Ugh.  I may just cancel, and I really don't want to.  We have more than one  iPad and we have phones.  We have multiple Rokus and TV sets hooked up to them in different rooms.  We never use more than one at a time, though. 

Edited April 23, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Okay, so that makes no sense!  I have to bring my TVs from my second home to my primary home to log in?  I have to bring my computer home from the office to log in?  Ugh.  I may just cancel, and I really don't want to.  We have more than one  iPad and we have phones.  We have multiple Rokus and TV sets hooked up to them in different rooms.  We never use more than one at a time, though. 

Yeah. They are doing a piss poor job of explaining which is really not helping. Netflix’s customer support is giving conflicting answers. It sounds like you will probably asked to verify the devices away from your primary location but that they can always decide to lock out access and say you need to pay an extra fee.

[Irlandesa]

38 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Okay, so that makes no sense!  I have to bring my TVs from my second home to my primary home to log in?

As I said when I first heard about this, I don't like the idea that I'd have homework. I never go to Netflix on my phone at home.  I have a TV and a computer.  I do when I'm away (but not regularly).  I'd be so irritated if I forget to log in on my phone at home and can't access it away.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Dani said:

Once they roll it out you will have to set a primary location and login at that location on each device every 31 days or the device could be locked out.

My parents are password sharers -- they have an account (which they only access on their two home TVs; they never watch Netflix when they're out in their motorhome, nor do they watch on any mobile devices) and I'm logged into it at my house, via a Fire stick.  So if I took that Fire stick over to their house once a month and logged into Netflix there, we wouldn't have to pay the additional monthly fee to add me (once that's rolled out)?

It's feasible, as I'm usually there once a week, but I'm supremely lazy these days and paying the monthly fee seems like less hassle so long as it's reasonable.  I just think it's ridiculous they used to have an entire campaign encouraging sharing your password and now they're going to do this massive crackdown.  Why not just put a limit on how many devices outside the home can be used to access the account?  I agree with not letting people buy one subscription and then giving everyone they know access to it, but I imagine situations like ours are far more common than one account being used by numerous people.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

My parents are password sharers -- they have an account (which they only access on their two home TVs; they never watch Netflix when they're out in their motorhome, nor do they watch on any mobile devices) and I'm logged into it at my house, via a Fire stick.  So if I took that Fire stick over to their house once a month and logged into Netflix there, we wouldn't have to pay the additional monthly fee to add me (once that's rolled out)?

It's feasible, as I'm usually there once a week, but I'm supremely lazy these days and paying the monthly fee seems like less hassle so long as it's reasonable.  I just think it's ridiculous they used to have an entire campaign encouraging sharing your password and now they're going to do this massive crackdown.  Why not just put a limit on how many devices outside the home can be used to access the account?  I agree with not letting people buy one subscription and then giving everyone they know access to it, but I imagine situations like ours are far more common than one account being used by numerous people.

I don't think parents "sharing" a password with their own child should even be counted.  But who knows what Netflix really intends. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I don't think parents "sharing" a password with their own child should even be counted.  But who knows what Netflix really intends. 

Unfortunately it does in Netflix’s eyes. Parents of college kids have been told their kids will need their own accounts when they are away at school. On the Netflix Reddit there was one parent who was told their still underage child who was away at school would count as a separate household even they aren’t even old enough for their own account. 

But the answers have been conflicting and others have been told the account owner will just need to verify the device login.  

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

My parents are password sharers -- they have an account (which they only access on their two home TVs; they never watch Netflix when they're out in their motorhome, nor do they watch on any mobile devices) and I'm logged into it at my house, via a Fire stick.  So if I took that Fire stick over to their house once a month and logged into Netflix there, we wouldn't have to pay the additional monthly fee to add me (once that's rolled out)?

 

Sounds like that would work. 

My guess is that the actual implementation initially will be a lot less strict than the verbiage indicates. That lock outs will be rare as long as the account owner verifies logins away from the primary address. That initially it will force people who are using accounts of people the no longer know or barely know off. 

The changes have already been rolled out in Canada and as far as I can tell it hasn’t made a huge impact. People are still password sharing. 

[Guest]

I read some more reports from countries already impacted and some people are saying they have users watching in multiple countries with no problems but some who had users almost immediately locked out. Sounds like they are being extremely inconsistent. 

[possibilities]

I would think that a more sensible approach would be to say each sub includes X number of devices. If you have more than that many, you have to pay an additional fee. Or, only X number of devices can use an account at the same time. 

This way, if you own 25 televisions for your mansion and have five vacation homes with 5 tvs each, and a combined 100 family members, staff, and guests because all your houses are in use at one time and you also host overseas visitors for months at a time, you can pay more than the person who has a family of 4 with a summer home and a mobile device for each family member, or a single person with one TV and a laptop who lives alone and never uses more than one device at a time.

Software I buy licenses it for a fixed number of devices, and you can remove it from one device and transfer it to another if you want to (like if you get rid of your old computer and buy a new one), but you can't just authorize it for unlimited devices even if they are all at the same location, because they're not trying to run a gigantic server farm off one license.

I think Netflix freaked out when they lost something like 70% of their value overnight, and has been in panic mode, but at some level I get that it's not unreasonable to have some kind of limit on accounts with unlimited content. 

I think that if you actually use the service, it's fairly cheap. Compared to going out to see movies, or buying boxed sets of DVDs of seasons of TV shows, it's extremely cheap. It's only really if you don't use it much that it feels expensive, and if you are that person, then do what I do and spend $10 for the unlimited but not HD sub. I feel like I just can't complain, honestly.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by possibilities

[Irlandesa]

17 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I would think that a more sensible approach would be to say each sub includes X number of devices. If you have more than that many, you have to pay an additional fee. Or, only X number of devices can use an account at the same time. 

Netflix already has (or had) a limitation on how many people could stream at the same time.  I believe the highest plan allowed for four people to be streaming at the same time but it was as low as one.

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, possibilities said:

 

I would think that a more sensible approach would be to say each sub includes X number of devices. If you have more than that many, you have to pay an additional fee. Or, only X number of devices can use an account at the same time. 

 

It really doesn’t work if there is a fee because they will still end up punishing people who are using the services correctly. They already limit the number of profiles and simultaneous streams.

35 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Software I buy licenses it for a fixed number of devices, and you can remove it from one device and transfer it to another if you want to (like if you get rid of your old computer and buy a new one), but you can't just authorize it for unlimited devices even if they are all at the same location, because they're not trying to run a gigantic server farm off one license.

Software companies can get away with that but streaming services can’t just because of the amount of competition. Most people buy a specific software out of necessity but there isn’t that same level of necessity with streaming. Most people want convenience from streaming and when it stops being convenient there is not shortage of alternatives. 

Netflix pioneered the streaming model but have done a horrible job of adapting to the competition and have decided to put the blame on how customers are using the services rather than fixing the things customers have been complaining about. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Dani said:

Netflix pioneered the streaming model but have done a horrible job of adapting to the competition and have decided to put the blame on how customers are using the services rather than fixing the things customers have been complaining about.

And the thing is, they could have set their parameters very early on.  X dollars for one IP address.  XX for another.  It's however many years later and they're trying to change the rules that basically every other service has followed.

And they chose to be very stingy about it as well.  Only a 7-day pass when people might travel more often than that. 

[possibilities]

10 hours ago, Dani said:

have decided to put the blame on how customers are using the services rather than fixing the things customers have been complaining about. 

Maybe this is a good moment to make a list of things we've been complaining about that we'd like them to fix.

I personally hate the way they've redesigned the website so you can't get your saved shows in a simple list and have to look at a page of graphics about each one, arranged by Netflix and not yourself. I find it makes it harder for me to find things and I am actually using the site much les since they did that.

[Bastet]

This "log into each device every 31 days or risk it being locked out" thing could easily result in my parents' TVs right there in their house getting locked out -- it's not at all uncommon for them to go longer than that without watching anything on Netflix, especially on the bedroom TV (which uses a Roku stick for access to streaming).  What a silly thing to have to set a reminder for.

[Jaded]

I don't think this crackdown stuff is going to work the way they are hoping it will. They've been one of the most cancel happy paid streaming services especially before the HBO Max massacre. 

Netflix already have a lot of people unhappy with them due what I mentioned above and a myriad of other reasons so it really will be interesting to see what will end up happening in the future. I have Paramount Plus, HBO Max, Peacock and Amazon ( I got good deals on yearly subs for the first three). I've never seen mentions of them having sharing issues the way Netflix has even if they have been. Of course they weren't out there encouraging their subscribers to share their accounts for years...🤷‍♀️

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Jaded

[possibilities]

I didn't think about them requiring a log in even to devices that are stationary at your primary address. That's crazy.  I also don't use my account that often, so I could get locked out even though I never use it away from home and only have the one device I ever use for it.

[SoMuchTV]

Yeah, so far all this Netflix stuff just doesn’t make sense. In my household, between smart tvs and streaming devices and phones and tablets and desktops and laptops, we probably have a dozen devices that might access Netflix. Maybe I want to open Netflix  on my computer to put something on my list, or cast it from my phone to a motel tv. But if I have a one-screen at a time plan, why should they worry about how many different devices could use it or how often they sign on? I’m hoping this will all shake out before they start enforcing anything. 

[paulvdb]

It's my understanding that not logging in from your own home once a month will only lock a device out from being used at other locations. You will still be able to use that device in your own home. I'm assuming Netflix uses your IP address to determine that you log in from your own home. So any devices that you only use in your own home won't have to log in once a month.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, paulvdb said:

It's my understanding that not logging in from your own home once a month will only lock a device out from being used at other locations. You will still be able to use that device in your own home. I'm assuming Netflix uses your IP address to determine that you log in from your own home. So any devices that you only use in your own home won't have to log in once a month.

That makes more sense. These days, most families have a lot of devices! 

[Bastet]

18 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

But if I have a one-screen at a time plan, why should they worry about how many different devices could use it or how often they sign on?

Exactly; that's what my parents have, so with me having access to their account, we can't watch something at the same time.  That's no problem, as I have it on my bedroom TV, and only watch that when I go to bed -- which is hours into their sleep.  It's really not much different than if I lived with them, and was tucked away in my childhood bedroom watching, but they're not accessing it on either of their TVs.  And that would be perfectly fine with Netflix.

Like I said, I understand wanting to make it impossible for someone to pay for an account and then have half a dozen other households using it rather than paying for their own.  But they need to be more targeted in addressing password sharing (you know, that thing they used to encourage everyone to do) to eliminate those scenarios without scooping people like my family up in the same net.  We have a measly three people using it, but only on one of three TVs at any given time.  Is it really a big deal that one of the TVs is ten miles away from the others?

They also might find it goes over better if, whatever reasonable limit they imposed, they did it for new customers, while those who have simply been doing what they encouraged them to do are not stripped of access.

Every paid streaming service to which I have access is through someone else's account -- Netflix and Discovery+ through my parents and Paramount+ and Prime through one of my best friends.  I have a shit ton of stations via Dish and a large DVD/Blu-Ray collection; additional programming is a nice bonus, not valuable enough to me that I'd pay for it.  IIRC, all of those set a limit on how many profiles the account can have, how many devices can be used to access it, and definitely how many devices can be accessing it at the same time.  I find that quite reasonable.  Netflix, on the other hand, is over-correcting to a custom they initiated.  If I was going to pay for a streaming service, it would be Netflix, as I have oodles more on my list there than the others combined.  But they're not handling this well.

[MaryMitch]

From TIME magazine: a comparison of streaming services. There is a video "Bela Bajaria Explains the Netflix Crackdown on Password Sharing" in it but I didn't watch it.

https://time.com/6258245/streaming-service-guide/

[Bastet]

Netflix is ending its DVD rental program in September.  I know it's because there are only a handful of us who still use it, but I'm going to be bummed if I don't make my way through my list by then -- they have a lot of titles that don't air/stream anywhere, things I don't necessarily want to buy because I won't re-watch them, but things I want to see.  They're really grinding my gears lately.

[SunnyBeBe]

How do I even know where my primary address is according to Netflix? Is it the address on the credit card I pay the fee with?  

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

How do I even know where my primary address is according to Netflix? Is it the address on the credit card I pay the fee with?  

They say you choose you set primary address but I’ve read reports of people getting locked out before that happens. 

[SunnyBeBe]

34 minutes ago, Dani said:

They say you choose you set primary address but I’ve read reports of people getting locked out before that happens. 

I just looked at my account info and I don’t see an option for an address.  They do show my use history and show last dates I used their service. It’s listed by the particular Firestick (2 Firesticks), 1 Fire tv and 1 ipad.  They are never used at the same time.  I don’t even see an option for adding anything else.  

Edited April 28, 2023 by SunnyBeBe

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I just looked at my account info and I don’t see an option for an address.  They do show my use history and show last dates I used their service. It’s listed by the particular Firestick (2 Firesticks), 1 Fire tv and 1 ipad.  They are never used at the same time.  I don’t even see an option for adding anything else.  

If you are in the US it hasn’t gone into effect yet. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Just now, Dani said:

If you are in the US it hasn’t gone into effect yet. 

The problem is that we can't even get a sensible idea of what the actual protocol would be. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, I’m at two different houses most every week.  And, occasionally at a friend’s house where I might want to watch something.  So, if I insert my Firestick into his tv, does that count as my home address for Netflix purposes?  ………hmmmmm that sounds a little weird, but you get what I mean. Lol

Edited April 28, 2023 by SunnyBeBe

[Gramto6]

Well, so glad I have been getting the Spam messages that my Netflix Acct has been put on hold until I verify my info! I haven't had Netflix for 18+ years so they don't scare me at all. But with all this new stuff, I wonder how many people are falling for this scam? That is kind of scary.

[Guest]

19 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

The problem is that we can't even get a sensible idea of what the actual protocol would be. 

Netflix is doing a horrible job with this process but if you go to their FAQ and switch to a country where the new rules are already in effect you can get some information. That information is often still baffling and may make you want to scream in frustration though.  

Here is the Canadian link for setting your primary location. 
How to set or update a primary location

Basically you can log in through a tv and request a link to set your primary location. It is not clear if this requires entering in a location or if it just sets the IP your tv is on as your primary location. And it says you can only do this through a tv. It’s not clear if you could also do they through a phone or tablet app. It’s also not clear if that only mean smart tv’s can do this or if any streaming devices is being counted as a tv. They use wifi when they clearly mean network so they do use incorrect terminology.

If you don’t set a primary location it will set one for you. I did see one Reddit report where the account owner was the one locked out because Netflix automatically set their parent’s home as the primary location. In that instance the account owner decided to pay the extra fee to add themselves to their own account. 

It says if you don’t watch on a tv you can’t/don’t need to set a primary location which makes zero sense. Seems to me if you use a device other than a tv it would be more important to set a primary location so that they don’t decide the Starbucks you spend your lunch break at everyday is your primary location.

tldr:

[possibilities]

I only ever watch on my computer. I don't take it anywhere, either. And I don't even have a "smart TV". So... this is annoying. I don't account share, sor travel with my account. So they really ought to not have any issue with me anyway, but now I'm not sure!

[SunnyBeBe]

2 hours ago, Dani said:

Netflix is doing a horrible job with this process but if you go to their FAQ and switch to a country where the new rules are already in effect you can get some information. That information is often still baffling and may make you want to scream in frustration though.  

Here is the Canadian link for setting your primary location. 
How to set or update a primary location

Basically you can log in through a tv and request a link to set your primary location. It is not clear if this requires entering in a location or if it just sets the IP your tv is on as your primary location. And it says you can only do this through a tv. It’s not clear if you could also do they through a phone or tablet app. It’s also not clear if that only mean smart tv’s can do this or if any streaming devices is being counted as a tv. They use wifi when they clearly mean network so they do use incorrect terminology.

If you don’t set a primary location it will set one for you. I did see one Reddit report where the account owner was the one locked out because Netflix automatically set their parent’s home as the primary location. In that instance the account owner decided to pay the extra fee to add themselves to their own account. 

It says if you don’t watch on a tv you can’t/don’t need to set a primary location which makes zero sense. Seems to me if you use a device other than a tv it would be more important to set a primary location so that they don’t decide the Starbucks you spend your lunch break at everyday is your primary location.

tldr:

Good points.  Here’s an article about IP addresses.  It talks about security risks with it.  I’m not sure a Netflix has thought this through.

 

https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/IP-address-Internet-Protocol-Address#:~:text=What is an IP address (Internet Protocol address)%3F,for communicating across the internet.

Edited April 29, 2023 by SunnyBeBe

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, Dani said:

If you don’t set a primary location it will set one for you. I did see one Reddit report where the account owner was the one locked out because Netflix automatically set their parent’s home as the primary location. In that instance the account owner decided to pay the extra fee to add themselves to their own account. 

Hopefully "it will set one for you" means they chose the address tied to the credit card they bill every month, because if they do it based on the address accessing Netflix most frequently, they will count my house - where I'm using my parents' account - as the primary location, rather than my parents', who are the ones who pay for the account.

We'll just wait until this is actually implemented here and then try to follow whatever instructions they put out, but if my parents get locked out because of any of this nonsense, I guarantee they're just going to cancel rather than hassling with getting it reinstated.  And I'm sure as hell not going to sign up for my own account.  So Netflix will lose money on that one; their boohooing that a whopping three people are accessing one account - never at the same time - because it's happening in two different houses, so they want extra money, will result in losing the money they were getting and seeing that replaced with neither household paying them a dime.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Hopefully "it will set one for you" means they chose the address tied to the credit card they bill every month, because if they do it based on the address accessing Netflix most frequently, they will count my house - where I'm using my parents' account - as the primary location, rather than my parents', who are the ones who pay for the account.

Unless they change it before it is rolled out in the US it is not based on the billing address. 

Quote

If a primary location hasn’t been set, we will automatically set one for you based on IP address, device IDs, and account activity.