Netflix Doubles Video Quality Making 6Mbps SuperHD Streams Available To Everyone

Consumers using ISPs that aren’t in Netflix’s Open Connect program, have to date, been shut of out getting Netflix’s best video quality, dubbed “SuperHD”. But starting today, Netflix announced that all consumers can now get SuperHD quality, on limited devices, even if their ISP doesn’t participate in Netflix’s Open Connect initiative. Netflix only has a limited amount of content available in SuperHD and not all devices support it, but for the ones that do, SuperHD content will now be streamed at double the quality before.

Previously, Netflix highest quality video, available to those with ISPs not in the Open Connect program, was encoded at 3850Kbps. With SuperHD, video is encoded at 4300Kbps and 5800Kbps and adding the audio bitrate brings SuperHD encodes to about 4.5Mbps and 6.0Mbps. Netflix is essentially doubling the quality of their video, for a limited amount of their content. Currently any 1080p version of Apple TV and Roku supports SuperHD as well as the PS3, Nintendo Wii U, TiVo Premiere and Windows 8 app. Note that SuperHD is not available via computer browsers and can only be seen on the PC for those that use the Windows 8 app.

This is great for consumers and maybe it will also stop some ISPs, like Time Warner Cable, from complaining that Netflix was holding SuperHD content “hostage” from their network. Back in January TWC said Netflix was, “seeking unprecedented preferential treatment from ISPs”, when at the time, Netflix simply wanted to make sure that ISPs could handle delivering the increased level of video quality on their network.

While Netflix’s website says that SuperHD streams are available up to 7Mbps, Netflix says the site will be updated to reflect a max bitrate of 6Mbps. Netflix won’t say how many titles are available in SuperHD quality, but more than half the titles they have now are already available in regular HD. If you have one of the supported devices fire it up and check out the SuperHD quality, it’s really, really nice on a large screen.

  • Alex Z

    Is the 4300 kbps a 720p or 1080p profile?

  • Streamingguy

    Any indication of the level of participation of major ISPs in Open Connect Dan?

  • jaak defour

    Is there a way for a netflix subscriber to traceroute the cache where a particular netflix video is coming from?

  • Will.I.am.not

    So, now I will hit my 200GB/mo threshold on COX faster. Thank you Netflix! I guess I will have to watch a SUPER HD stream to see if it’s worth it. I feel the normal HD streams look pretty good as they are on my 51″ TV.

  • Brady

    Let me make sure I understand this…

    In response to increasing demand for streaming video, ISPs like Comcast start charging CDNs and throttling users. So in response to becoming a chief source of network congestion, when Netflix came out with SuperHD, they limited it to only the ISPs that chose to peer with them via OpenConnect.

    Despite being free, hardly anyone signs up, and TWC even declares Netflix is “holding SuperHD hostage” from their customers in a move to make them sign up for OpenConnect (again, free). So, in response to demand, Netflix releases SuperHD for the masses.

    Now it’s only a matter of time before ISPs start complaining to Netflix’s CDNs again, I’m sure… Then Netflix will again have to adapt their strategy to attempt molding their innovations to the demands of archaic but powerful ISPs. I seriously doubt this is how Internet innovation was supposed to go, but until ISPs realize times have changed, the consumer just gets caught in the middle over and over.

  • Ryan Doyle

    Whatever. I have a Blu Ray subscription with Netflix and watch movies and shows which average about 20 Mbps. I don’t understand why people care so little about quality.

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  • Bob

    Some of these tiles look fantastic. Mrs. Fisher’s Mysteries looks amazing, better than most Blu-rays.

  • j

    hi there yeah still under highs net 10 mega bytes per second I use my Nintendo 3ds at very low 3d too watch few 3d movies and with data cap at 25 gigabytes per month max 40 gigabytes per month on gen 4 at 15 megabytes per second soo here is a way too make money on 40 million Nintendo 3ds and 3ds xl sell 3d movies on sd cards for about $30 per 3d movie on sd cards that’s at least 1.2 billion dollers because there are no 3d movies for Nintendo 3ds and 3 ds xl the resolution of 3ds and. 3ds xl has only 840 by 480 in 3d

  • Philosophy Science

    That is still 1/10th of just the video bitrate supported by 3D Blu Ray, which is not even UHD Blu Ray.