Streaming platforms are more established than ever. The way we watch movies and series has changed enormously and many now choose to pay a monthly fee rather than download anything by torrent. Smart TVs also make the experience much more comfortable: we have applications that connect directly to Netflix or, more recently, HBO. This increase in the consumption of audiovisual material on the Internet has had an impact on the amount of data we consume. On mobile, packages that exceed 10 GB per month are already offered and at home it is rare to see who has less than 50 MB of download. Still, in the domestic format, fiber still does not reach everyone. Many still have to settle for the ADSL connection, which barely reaches 10 MB.
That is why, if you are a Netflix member, you will like to know how to reduce the quality of the videos so that you can watch them properly on your computer. But what if we want to see the movie or series directly on TV? How do we reduce the quality if the app on smart TVs do not have a settings section? Well, very simple: from, directly, the website on a PC.
Change the quality of a Netflix video in the Smart TV app
In order to watch a video at a lower Netflix quality , either because you do not have a Full HD TV or because your connection is not very fast, you must do the following.
Go to the Netflix website. Copy and paste in the browser bar www.netflix.com or directly by clicking here.
Now let's look at the top of the screen. Right next to our username, there is a small arrow pointing down. Simply place the mouse cursor over it.
Click on 'Account'.
Once inside, look at the bottom for the 'Playback settings' section in the 'My profile' category.
Once here, you have to look at the first section that appears. 'Data usage per screen', that's what it's called, and you'll be able to regulate the video quality that you 'download' (see) while you're playing a series or movie. By changing here you will be changing it, not only in Netflix web, but in the mobile application and, what interests us, the television application.
These are the options you have when it comes to reducing or increasing the quality of the video:
- Automatic: Default data usage and video quality
- Low: Basic video quality, 300MB per hour
- Medium: Standard video quality, 700MB per hour
- High: High video quality, 3GB in Full HD, 7GB in 4K.
Set the switch to the desired quality and you're done. Hit 'Save'. Now, open Netflix on your TV. You will see how it has taken effect and the video is in low quality.
If you want to have high quality again in your Netflix videos, you just have to go back into Account> My profile> Playback settings and put it where you want. We have warned you that the process until it reaches the appropriate quality can be high: if it is not changed automatically it is normal.