Smart TVs have largely replaced ordinary TVs in a great number of homes, because of what they bring to the table. However, Netflix being free is not one of those. But Netflix does offer a free trial month for new accounts.
Indeed, smart TVs are almost capable of performing everything a mobile phone can. Being able to install applications, play games, stream shows, everything can be done.
A Brief History of Netflix
Netflix, the world’s most popular video streaming business, began by mailing DVDs to clients. It now consumes more than 15% of the world’s network capacity.
Their subscribers are interspersed in more than 190 countries. Indeed, the journey from being a DVD rental to an online streaming platform has not been easy but it surely is a tale of success.
Netflix on Smart TV
Most of the smart TVs come with an already installed Netflix app out of the box. And for those rare cases which do not have a Netflix app out of the box, the app can be downloaded from the Play Store.
Downloading the application does not cost a penny. But even this is not enough. One needs to be subscribed to one of the subscription plans of Netflix in order to be able to login and watch.
This comes with a monthly fee and thus is not free at all. But as told before, the promotion Netflix is offering is a free month trial when you sign up for the first time.
Signing up for Netflix
Sadly, if you are a new user, then you cannot sign up on your Smart TV Netflix app. You need to open the website of Netflix on a browser on a computer or phone or a tablet, and sign up and enter your payment details etc.
Once you do that, you get a free trial month and then you have to pay monthly. If you do not pay on time, Netflix gives you a couple of days warning before putting your account on hold.
You are able to sign in even when the account is on hold, but you cannot watch any movie or season unless you pay the monthly fee.
Different Netflix Screens
On Netflix, if one person is watching something already, it means that he / she is using a screen. However, the number of screens you have access to depends on the subscription plan you have.
From a minimal of one screen to a maximum of 4 screens use at a time, the plans vary.
- Basic plan comes with just one screen.
- The standard plan allows two screens to be used simultaneously.
- The premium plan (Full HD) allows four people to watch on separate devices. This is the highest plan.
Users can also set PIN codes for the screens so that their viewing experience can be private as well. So, it does not matter who you are sharing the account with, whether your family or friends.
What happens if number of users becomes more than what is permitted by your plan?
Well, for instance you are subscribed to the premium plan of Netflix. Four people are already consuming content on different screens.
If someone else also logs in using the same account, he she will not be able to play anything instead browse only. If they try to play, you get a notification like the one shown below.
Someone has to logout from one of the screens so that the new user can watch what they wish to.
Smart TVs and Netflix, can every Smart TV run Netflix?
While its mostly true that Netflix can run easily on Smart TVs because they use Android TV OS, the smart TVs that came out way in the start may not be able to run the Netflix app.
Its because those were limited in what they could do and streaming seasons on Netflix is not one of these.
Smart TV not Connecting to Netflix
If your smart TV is unable to run the Netflix or the Netflix is stuck, then you can employ some methods to solve this problem.
- First of all, you need to restart the application and see if that works.
- If Netflix still is not working, then what you need to do is check other applications that use the internet. If none of these is working, then it means that you have an internet connection problem.
- In such a scenario, you have to first try restarting your router and see if the problem is resolved. If not, it is advised to contact your internet service provider.
- If everything else works just fine, then try signing out of Netflix and then signing in back again.
Netflix not working fine on Smart TV
if your Netflix is working, but not doing so perfectly, mostly the problem lies with the internet connection. It could be so that the internet speed is not enough to support Full HD streaming on Netflix, or the signals are weak from your ISP.
If you are using WIFI on your Smart TV, then make sure that the Smart TV is not too far away from your router. If such is the case, you should either relocate your router or your Smart TV, or use a LAN cable to connect the internet to your TV.
Netflix Video Quality is poor and buffers
This mostly happens when your internet connection is very weak and resultantly, the Netflix player has to adapt to low speeds and play a lower quality video.
As soon as the connection becomes better, the video quality is increase to Full HD almost immediately. Poor internet quality is also the reason for constant buffering.
In conclusion,
It is not free to watch Netflix on Smart TV, however once you sign up for the first time, then you get a free trial month by Netflix. This is followed by a monthly fee which you have to pay according to the plan you chose. If you already have an account, just log into your Smart TV Netflix app and you are good to go.
Related Articles:
