After requests for this, I’ve decided to do a how-to on watching Netflix through an Apple TV.
A couple of years ago I tried setting up Netflix on my Xbox 360 and it was a huge fail. I was still on the same 2Mbps+ WiMAX connection and it was lagging terribly – every few seconds it was buffering. So I gave up on it, but attempted it again last year using an Apple TV.
The Apple TV I found handles buffering well, which makes it a better streaming device. I’m still on the 2Mbps+ connection and I’m able to stream 720p HD content with no lag. When I select to watch a show, I just have to wait a little (less than a minute) for the buffer before it starts playing and thereafter it is seamless, unlike the Xbox setup, which stopped every few seconds.
Follow this simple steps to watch Netflix on an Apple TV (this is how I’ve set up mine):
1. You need an Apple TV (incidentally currently on sale at the iStore); connect it to your TV with an HDMI cable and hop onto your WiFi.
2. Create an account with Netflix – they offer a one month free trial but you have to put your credit card details – you can cancel at any time. There are 3 different price plans. A basic $7.99 one; a standard $8.99 one and a premium $11.99 one. I suggest the standard option as you can stream on 2 devices simultaneously (laptop, TV, smartphone, tablet); and you can stream in HD.
3. Sign up with Unotelly – www.unotelly.com – you need to mask your IP to make it look like you are connecting from the US. They also offer a free trial. I’m on the $4.95 price plan and paying through PayPal.
4. Keep your DNS info you just paid for (or on trial) ready to input on the Apple TV. They also offer step-by-step instructions on how to configure a device.
5. On the Apple TV, go to Settings > General > Network > Select WiFi network > Configure DNS > Manual. Put the details into this screen from step 4 and save it.
6. Go back to your apps on the Apple TV and select Netflix; login with your credentials and it should work.
7. Congrats – your life has just changed.
One more thing… to make sure your Apple TV is showing apps available in the US (you will need a US iTunes account too), go to Settings > General > iTunes Store > location and choose United States.
Remember, you can also sign up to other services like HuluPlus, etc. Basically, you can access content otherwise available only to US citizens.
