Please tell me all about Netflix

[Mister Fixit]

If this is in the wrong place, please move it, Mods.

 

I've been wondering about getting Netflix but I know nothing about it.  Can anyone please give me a run-down on the basics?

I have 2 smart TVs, one upstairs, one down.  My wife tends to watch Thai TV channels downstairs and the occasional torrent film (which I have to load for her) but I download Western TV series and film torrents (I have about 3 terabytes-worth) and watch them from a USB drive upstairs.

 

I have a pal who has Netflix, but is as tech-savvy as half a brick and just can't really explain how it works.  He just tells me his 21 year old son 'sorts it all out'.  

 

What I want to know is this - 

 

1. He tells me that he and his son watch it and some of his son's friends.   I thought one person could watch it at a time, but apparently not.  I would like to be able to watch something on Netflix on my upstairs TV and my wife watch something else on Netflix downstairs.
2. Different devices.  I have the TV, a PC, a tablet and iPhone and so does my wife.  I resume we can just use whatever device we want to watch whatever we want at the same time as each other?  I heard something about setting up different profiles for each user, but how many users can there be?  I just want the basic package for now to try it for a few months.
3. Ease of operation.  My wife is pretty useless at tech stuff and if she wants to watch something off the USB I have to do it for her, but I don't want to have to traipse down all the time to help her watch something on Netflix.  
4. Payment.  I asked my pal how he paid, but all I got was 'my son does all that'.  I have seen voucher things in 7/11 for Netflix in varying amounts - are these used to buy time in advance?  And do I get a monthly bill which I can just by at 7/11 or from my phone?  
5. Is there anything else I need to know?

 

Sorry if these are basic questions but I'd like to sign up but can't get much information.

Any help much appreciated.

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Mister Fixit

[Peterw42]

Lots of information on their website, FAQ, and contact information.

https://www.netflix.com/th-en/

[Dart12]

1.  I forget how many accounts you can have from one "paid" account.  Like we have 5 different profiles on our one account. (not their intention, but whatever, we do it).  Each profile will start showing you different shows you might like (it learns your taste in tV).  It also tracks what you've watched in the past and have not...and will restart an episode for you wherever you left off.   

And, even if you are using just one profile in your house...you can both watch different shows at once on different TV's in the house (I think).

 

2.  Yes, you can use all those devices. and anywere you go.  We bought ours in US, have lived multiple places.  It's SaaS/cloud based, so anything that can get online can play it.

3. Super easy.  If you can flip channels on cable, you can watch netflix.

4. One fee (maybe $12.99 usd/mn ?) .  watch all you want.  Put your credit card on the account online.  Easy to cancel if you want.

5.  Smart TV's apps sometimes suck/ are terrible and don't work well.   If your's does not after getting Netflix, buy an Amazon Firestick or Rokue stick.  Both are around $60 to $80 USD. We Very small boxes about the size of a pack of gum.  You can plug them into any tv then and come with their own remotes.  I think you'd like this and recommend getting one or the other.  Firestick is probably slightly better.

Netflix probably has a free trial if you wanted to mess with it on your computer first.  On pc might be a little tricky at first because they auto play trailers when you hover over a show's link.

You'll have too much Tv for a lifetime if you join...and years of great shows to catch up on.

Hope this helps ya!
 

[dddave]

4 hours ago, Dart12 said:

On pc might be a little tricky at first because they auto play trailers when you hover over a show's link.

I was able to shut that annoying feature down...sorry, forget just how it was done but it's possible..  

 

I have 2 TV's in my apartment, one Netflix account.  People can watch separate shows simultaneously using separate windows devices, each on their own account.  

[UbonThani]

google it and sign up

 

[SteveK]

Netflix can be very good value. However, after a certain period of time, you will probably reach the situation I currently find myself in.

 

That is, anything half decent on there I have watched at least once, so I spend an outrageous amount of time sifting through unwatchable garbage that Netflix have picked up on the cheap to bulk out their library.  

 

I would say that about 90% of the stuff on there is filler content, the kind of movies you'd see for sale in a pharmacy for 99 cents. 

[4MyEgo]

2 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Netflix can be very good value. However, after a certain period of time, you will probably reach the situation I currently find myself in.

 

That is, anything half decent on there I have watched at least once, so I spend an outrageous amount of time sifting through unwatchable garbage that Netflix have picked up on the cheap to bulk out their library.  

 

I would say that about 90% of the stuff on there is filler content, the kind of movies you'd see for sale in a pharmacy for 99 cents. 

Can I advise you go to the Korean series, my wife and I have become addicted, although you have to speed read the subtitles on some.

 

After a while I have found myself left high and dry because I have to wait for series 2 or 3 and don't know when they will be coming out.

 

Before having NetFlix, it was the pitz, I didn't even realise you could search other movies not advertised, like Goodfellas, OMG a classic if your into those old movies, I never rewatch movies, bit anything Scorsese, I'm in for it again.

[timendres]

1) One Netflix allows N multiple simultaneous logins. How many depends on the plan you subscribe to. My plan "Standard" allows 2 simultaneous logins. Netflix refers to these as "devices". For instance, I use the account here in Bangkok, and my brother uses it in the US. We can both be viewing at the same time. Each account can define multiple "Profiles", as mentioned by @Dart12. This allows my brother and I to use the same login, but keep separate wishlists and viewing histories, which makes the usage of the same account between us manageable.

 

I personally subscribe to both Netflix and Prime. I prefer Netflix for content, but there are a number of shows on Prime that I absolutely love, so I have both. I would not be happy with Netflix. I highly recommend it. I feel the combined price of both (~ $20 per month) is worth it.

[kekalot]

41 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Netflix can be very good value. However, after a certain period of time, you will probably reach the situation I currently find myself in.

 

That is, anything half decent on there I have watched at least once, so I spend an outrageous amount of time sifting through unwatchable garbage that Netflix have picked up on the cheap to bulk out their library.  

 

I would say that about 90% of the stuff on there is filler content, the kind of movies you'd see for sale in a pharmacy for 99 cents. 

he's not wrong.

 

they gave me a free month and all I could find that I hadn't watched yet or was interested in was a few standup comedians specials like Louis CK, Ricky Gervais and Bill Burr.

 

I downloaded all of them on Netflix and then never went on there again and once they expired, I had to go and manually delete the files to get the space back

I just went to fetch them manually elsewhere.

 

I have a lady that comes here once a while and she has a shared account from someone else, after a few years I saw that not much have changed and it's mostly still rubbish.

I mean, it's not expensive so if you plan on watching say at least 3-4 movies a month it's worth the price (vs rental, buying)

 

Netflix certainly works for some people but definitely not for me. it's a hard pass.

Edited April 29, 2020 by kekalot

[Dart12]

@SteveK and @kekalot are right.  content, or NEW content is limited.  But if you've never had it, you'll have a year solid of 40 hour a week shows to watch...

BUT you'll need to ask your friends what shows to recommend.  Theres a good 10 years of history at least of shows to get recommendations on that used to be on HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, the movie theatres, then their own original content.

They are not going to advertise it to ya, becuase, well, it's old.  But it's in there. Tell people what you like, then ask for similar recommendations and you'll get a 100 suggestions minimum I bet.

And when it is no longer a use...cancel it.  (or jailbreak it, but that sounds too techy for you at the moment ????

 

[Captain Monday]

What is amazing about it is there must be a huge amount of funding, most of the content is garbage.

After 3 months you will be bored. Then try Disney for 6.99 per month after the Mandalorian and a few other films you will lose interest. There should be a service the tshows independent films and local offerings.

[Mister Fixit]

11 hours ago, Dart12 said:

And when it is no longer a use...cancel it.  (or jailbreak it, but that sounds too techy for you at the moment ????

 

I wouldn't be using it on a phone much, mainly on my TV or PC.  And if I didn't like it I'd just cancel, rather than faffing about trying to save a few baht.
Not a good idea to make assumptions about someone's tech ability from a post asking for some general advice on something unfamiliar though.

I first started programming in 1981, way before PCs came along, on an ACT Sirius twin floppy under CPM-86, then DOS 1.25, before being upgraded to a massive 10 megabyte hard drive.  I had no idea what to do with all that space!  ????

Later, I used to build and repair PCS, install software etc as a second income.  I've just built myself a new machine with a 256 gig SSD, 3 Tb HDD, 32 gig of DDR and a nice AMD Ryzen processor.  Wish I had the budget for something better, but I have future-proofed myself for a few more years.

I must admit though, that 16 years here in Thailand, and teaching for most of it, I have lost a lot of skills and not really kept in touch with new tech, apart from PCs.  Never been a fan of smartphones and I resisted getting one until a few years ago. I'm still a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to new tech.   ????

Hence the request for a bit of information so I get my ducks in a row and don't waste money or time.
Anyway, having read all this, I shall enrol this weekend and see how we go.  It's only 280 baht a month so if it gets boring, I'll just cancel it.

BTW, what's it like for Thai TV and films for the missus?

 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by Mister Fixit

[Mister Fixit]

11 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

What is amazing about it is there must be a huge amount of funding, most of the content is garbage.

After 3 months you will be bored. Then try Disney for 6.99 per month after the Mandalorian and a few other films you will lose interest. There should be a service the tshows independent films and local offerings.

Ha!  I downloaded the Mandalorian series as a torrent and just 5 minutes of the first episode told me it was for 15 year olds!  
 

[Mister Fixit]

17 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Can I advise you go to the Korean series, my wife and I have become addicted, although you have to speed read the subtitles on some.

 

After a while I have found myself left high and dry because I have to wait for series 2 or 3 and don't know when they will be coming out.

 

Before having NetFlix, it was the pitz, I didn't even realise you could search other movies not advertised, like Goodfellas, OMG a classic if your into those old movies, I never rewatch movies, bit anything Scorsese, I'm in for it again.

That's a good tip - the wife loves those although I'm not keen.

What about other Thai stuff for her?

 

Yes, I know what you mean about when a new series comes out.  I usually just Google the name and see when the next season is due out then put a reminder on my phone and PC so I can start downloading it.

 

 

[Mister Fixit]

Thanks for all the info guys, but I am still not sure how I pay for it.  I have a UK credit card but I don't want to use that because of the foreign transaction fees.  I have a couple of Kasikorn accounts + a web shopping card.

I assume I can just use the Kasikorn card to pay in baht?  Or would it be better to get one of these cards I have seen in 7/11?  

 

 

 

[Mister Fixit]

On 4/29/2020 at 8:18 AM, Peterw42 said:

Lots of information on their website, FAQ, and contact information.

https://www.netflix.com/th-en/

Many thanks for that.  When I first started looking into it, for some reason I could not find any information apart from a basic info screen.  Mustn't have looked hard enough!  ????

I've been having a good read and may as well just sign up and if I don't like it, just dump it.  

 

[Sujo]

Im not at all tech savvy.

 

I used netflix for a month. First few days getting used to it, the next week watching anything and everything. By the end of the month couldnt really find anything new to interest me.

 

So the missus intervened and bought a kodi box, downloaded exodus redux onto it. Shazam, happy camper. Easy to do.

[Mister Fixit]

Further to the above about how do I pay, I finally found this - 

No way am I going to use my UK card due to foreign transaction and conversion charges, but perhaps they will let me use my Kasikorn debit card.

 

Anyone else used a Thai debit card OK?

Edited April 30, 2020 by Mister Fixit

[Saltire]

I look at Netflix a lot, having not really watched TV for about 10 years, so there is a huge back catalogue for me to work my way through.

 

How can you get around the regional libraries in Netflix? Sometimes my brother in the UK, or friends in the USA recommend something but it is not in the Thai catalogue?

 

Also I am the 4th 'user' on my brother's UK account set up while I was visiting the UK so obviously Netflix knows where you are. Is it easy to switch country libraries? Is the only way to use a VPN?

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, Mister Fixit said:

That's a good tip - the wife loves those although I'm not keen.

What about other Thai stuff for her?

 

Yes, I know what you mean about when a new series comes out.  I usually just Google the name and see when the next season is due out then put a reminder on my phone and PC so I can start downloading it.

 

 

Wife is pretty much like me, she is not into Thai stuff, although when she was in Sydney for 9 years, her friend would bring heaps of dvd's back and give them to her to watch when she was finished.

 

I suppose I corrupted her all those years, as she now loves mafia type and action packed movies like me, that said she still hasn't seen Scarface, keeps falling asleep whenever I put it on, I also think she has corrupted me of late with the Korean series, pass me the box of tissues tiruk ????

 

[flexomike]

1 hour ago, Mister Fixit said:

Thanks for all the info guys, but I am still not sure how I pay for it.  I have a UK credit card but I don't want to use that because of the foreign transaction fees.  I have a couple of Kasikorn accounts + a web shopping card.

I assume I can just use the Kasikorn card to pay in baht?  Or would it be better to get one of these cards I have seen in 7/11?  

 

 

 

you can use a Thai debit card, I use my Bangkok Bank card, no problem

[AtlasAus]

Please Note :

 

I am paying for HD in Thailand, but with so many people using it, the buffering got ridiculous.... Changed to SD and works fine, I believe you get the option to pay for either HD or SD, don't waste your money during this virus ????

[Mister Fixit]

2 hours ago, flexomike said:

you can use a Thai debit card, I use my Bangkok Bank card, no problem

Excellent news.  Thanks.  

Having said that, I just tried my Kasikorn debit card and it doesn't work.

Looks like a trip to the bank to see if I can get it changed to international transactions or get a voucher from 7/11.

Don't want to have to pay about £10-£15 on my UK credit card  for a 280 baht transaction.

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by Mister Fixit

[Surelynot]

Probably mentioned already but CBA to read the thread...........You can have five people access one account so get together and split the difference with family and friends. 

[timendres]

14 minutes ago, Mister Fixit said:

Excellent news.  Thanks.  

Having said that, I just tried my Kasikorn debit card and it doesn't work.

Looks like a trip to the bank to see if I can get it changed to international transactions or get a voucher from 7/11.

Don't want to have to pay about £10-£15 on my UK credit card  for a 280 baht transaction.

 

KBank does not allow the online use of the debit cards outside of Thailand. I had this exact same problem.

 

What you need to do is login to your online account, and apply for something they call a "Virtual" (at one point they also called it "Web Shopping") debit card. This will give you a valid VISA card number, but no physical card. I have used this card for many monthly subscriptions around the world, especially in the US, with absolutely no trouble.

[Peter Denis]

HI, I am interested in giving Netflix a try, but have 3 questions:

1 - I live 'in the sticks' and don't have cable, but use the dTac unlimited data package I have on my Smartphone, and use that as USB-hub to surf the Internet.  I can watch streaming movies and YouTube videos without any buffering, but not sure whether that would be sufficient to stream NetFlix movies/shows.  

Note: If it is possible to download them, I could of course do that and watch them off-line later.

2 - I did bring the Philips smart TV I bought in Europe some 7 years ago, when I moved to Thailand.  Would it be possible for me - using my smartphone as USB Hub - to connect with the TV as I do with my laptop?  Or would I need a 'Fire-stick' as some posters recommend?

3 - When connected to the Internet on my laptop, I have the option to make use of my company's Cisco VPN network, which allows me to log-in on the VPN of basically any country in the world.

When connecting via my VPN would I be able to access the US, British, French, etc netFlix content by simply connecting my VPN to Atlanta, London, Paris, etc.?

>>> Thanks for response!

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

23 hours ago, SteveK said:

the kind of movies you'd see for sale in a pharmacy

Haha! My bored, unemployed bro used to pick those up in the bargain baskets at Walgreens. I remember "Mafia's Greatest Hits". It was a fancy looking box with a big pic of Al Capone, a supposedly substantial collection of video on two VHS tapes.

 

Each of those tapes had less than 30 mins on it. Most of it was random stock footage from the 1920's, city life, cars, with barely anything mafia related.

[Mister Fixit]

23 minutes ago, timendres said:

KBank does not allow the online use of the debit cards outside of Thailand. I had this exact same problem.

 

What you need to do is login to your online account, and apply for something they call a "Virtual" (at one point they also called it "Web Shopping") debit card. This will give you a valid VISA card number, but no physical card. I have used this card for many monthly subscriptions around the world, especially in the US, with absolutely no trouble.

Yes, I have just been to the bank and done that.  Watch this space.

 

[Mister Fixit]

Right guys, it's done, but not without some hair-pulling and gnashing of teeth. 

 

I went to the bank who changed my account in minutes, but despite me asking, they didn't extend my shopping card expiry date when they were about it.

 

I eventually paid and signed on fine, created a profile for me and the wife plus her two nieces and nephew and set their language to Thai.  They only showed me three other profiles + mine plus the kids profile, which had to be modified to show all ages and renamed but we'll see how it works later.

I set up lists of series and films for both the wife and I, no problems there.

 

The first thing I noticed when I started looking at an episode of Fauda (well worth watching all 3 seasons) was that it stuttered and jumped, froze for a short time before restarting.  Also the audio and video quality was quite poor.  
I have all three seasons of this downloaded from a torrent site and the audio and video quality is far better from there than on Netflix.  This may be something to do with my internet connection of course, so I shall monitor that. 

I managed to set up the wife's and my Iphone without drama, but I can see she hasn't got a clue and I seriously doubt she'll use it much.

 

The remote on my 18 month old smart TV upstairs doesn't seem able to start and stop playing too well, and I can't skip forwards or backwards, but maybe that's not a function of Netflix.  Does anyone know?

 

So, I think that's about it - nothing to be concerned about, but trying to get information from my pal was like extracting hen's teeth and that's why I wanted to find out more on here.

The newer TV downstairs seems to let me pause and restart OK but there's an annoying lag between pressing the buttons and something actually happening on both remotes - does anyone else get that?

 

I think what people say is right - after a month or so I can see me dumping it.  I signed on for the medium 349 package which has HD but I might reduce it down to the 279 baht package if there's no advantage to the HD package.

 

Thanks for the feedback - if anyone has any other input, fire away.  

 

 

 

 

 

[tweedledee2]

 Google search automatically connects you to Netflix according to your geographical location. If you had specifically Googled "Netflix UK" you would have been directed to the Netflix UK site where you could have signed up and used your UK credit card.