How do I force Netflix HD on Android?

I have an LG G2 on the newest software update and have noticed that Netflix HD is only in 4:3 and no widescreen. What do I need to do? I can't seem to find the settings. Thanks!

My TV is 4:3 and my phone is 16:9, so I'll assume it's the same. When you go to the Netflix site and sign in, go to settings and make sure you are choosing HD for the TV. If that's not happening, try checking your phone's settings under Display, and if it doesn't say "Auto" or something else that should be fine, but it might also say 1920x1080 and then you need to check in Display that it's the right option, in case that's what you were trying to change.

Thank you! It was definitely the settings. The "Auto" was checked. Now I have everything running smoothly.

How do I get 1080p Netflix on my computer?

As of late, the quality of my Netflix streaming has degraded.

I've run diagnostics and have tried all the suggested solutions, but nothing seems to work. What can I do?

When you have your computer on, open Netflix on your computer. When you're logged into your Netflix account, click "Settings" on your computer. Click "Mobile" in the settings. Choose "Change video quality". Under Choose a lower quality, choose "High" or "Low" instead of "Best".

If the quality is still not good, try downloading the Netflix app to your phone or iPad and using the "Watch Instantly" tab there. Netflix's support site had me try downloading and reinstalling the client, which seemed to work at first but is now reverting back to the old low quality. @JeehanBaggu -- The main issue I have is that I'm not getting the 1080p on the iPhone app, nor on the computer. I get 480p. If I'm streaming from the computer to the phone, I get 720p on the phone and 480p on the computer, so it's just the streaming to the phone that's the problem. I don't want to go through the trouble of downloading and installing an app, as I already have one for that. But it's clear that if I can't stream at 1080p, I may as well quit. Thanks for the suggestions.

I am having issues with the iPhone app and the pc Netflix app. I am getting the black screen that says We are updating our system and I cannot get back into the app. I am also getting the message Error: Could not find the requested device file

I think the issue is being caused by a corrupted installation of windows. As I have this issue on both my laptops and a mac mini.e. When I attempt to play the same movie on the same computer from the previous day. This will also cause the black screen on the phone app.

I've tried every resolution offered under the mobile category (480, 720, 1080, and I believe even 2k), and I still get the error message "Could not find the requested device file." Netflix was working just fine until today, when I started getting this error message.

Does Netflix use widevine?

In my case, I use Netflix as a secondary source of video, and have been very pleased with the results.

I have not been able to run any tests on the media since it's all done via the PC, but I have been curious about whether or not Netflix is using Widevine for their DRM.

According to the Netflix website, the player downloads the Widevine software from their site. However, they also state Widevine is used on the player only, it is not used for Netflix streaming. This was my first clue that perhaps they are doing something special.

But it's also possible that they're just playing it safe. There have been a few widevine exploits in the wild recently, so they're being cautious. But that doesn't mean it's impossible. I found a pretty extensive investigation of Widevine in 2023 from the Google Chrome team, and while it seems they had some technical difficulties, they managed to pull off a nice bit of testing to confirm what they suspected.

The Netflix side of things isn't really clear to me. The only things I know are that it's supposed to be installed on your computer (and not something you do remotely), and that it has no effect on the streaming experience. They could be doing some kind of special DRM stuff. Or they could be pulling it out of a regular web page and running it through the Netflix player. I just don't know.

I'm curious to know what other people think. Have you noticed Netflix is using Widevine? Are you using it? Have you run into problems? Let me know in the comments.