At this point, Netflix is an entertainment staple and a full-fledged cultural phenomenon.
And you may think you have it all figured out, but there are plenty of tricks to help
you take your night-in experience to the next level.
So get on in your couch groove and prepare to binge.
Here are the Netflix hacks you'll want to try ASAP.
Category codes
Netflix's recommended categories can get old pretty quickly, and those old fallbacks just
don't have the spark they used to.
Get familiar with sub-category codes, which give you access to more specific films, like
"Dramas Starring Colin Firth" or "Greek movies."
There's a list seemingly a mile long, so you're essentially guaranteed to land on something
you'll love, no matter how obscure.
"I decided I would use my new Kung Fu powers to fight crime so I became the best cop in
the world.
I became Kung Fury."
Highest quality
We've all been there.
You're trying to watch something on Netflix, but the quality keeps going out the window.
Life just...it loses all meaning after that.
Well, you may not be getting the best out of your default Netflix settings.
Squeeze the best quality out of your subscription by customizing your playback settings to always
stream in high definition.
Head into "Account," then "My Profile," and then "Playback Settings."
Here, you have some choices.
Choose between "Auto," which is the default setting; "Low," for basic video quality; "Medium,"
for standard playback; or "High," which plays all your films and TV shows in crisp HD.
Hotkeys
Watching Netflix on your computer?
Netflix has some built-in hotkeys to make your viewing experience easier.
You can press "F" to go full-screen, and hit Escape to return to normal.
Pressing enter or the space bar will allow you to pause, and "M" mutes the video.
You can also rewind or fast forward in ten-second increments by using the left and right keys.
Clear out "Continue Watching"
It's great to be able to go back and finish shows and movies later, but that "Continue
Watching" queue can get seriously bogged down over time.
When are you ever going to finish watching Boyhood?
And that last season of Dexter was WEAK.
Fortunately, it's easy to keep your "Continue Watching" queue nice and organized by getting
rid of random titles.
Dive into "Account," then "My Profile," and "Viewing Activity" to remove any shows you've
stopped watching.
Click the tiny "X" near each title you'd rather forget you watched, and Netflix will clear
it from the list, allowing you to get back to the things you're really interested in.
"That's a laser raptor, I thought they went extinct thousands of years ago."
Kill all spoilers
You know what's the worst?
Spoilers.
You're blazing through Twin Peaks or Breaking Bad when you glance at the next episode's
description, and suddenly Making a Murderer just got a lot more literal.
Fortunately, you can fight back with Flix Plus, a Google Chrome extension that works
with Netflix to blur out any hidden spoilers in film and TV show blurbs.
So sit back, relax, and let your favorite characters do all the killing, spoiler-free.
Try new features
Netflix is constantly developing improvements and enhancements and testing them in real
time with real-life people.
Take new features out for a spin before anyone else by going to "Account," then "Settings,"
and "Test Participation."
Enrolling is as simple as shifting the "include me in tests and previews" option to "on."
You may even get your hands on the feature that changes Netflix forever, months before
the general public does.
Control your account
These days, Netflix accounts get passed around faster than earplugs at a Dave Matthews concert.
You give your login to a few friends, and suddenly, you've lost track entirely of everyone
on your plan.
If you've had multiple people using your Netflix account in the past, see who's still benefiting
from your monthly payment by checking "Account," then "Viewing Activity," and clicking "See
recent account access."
Do things look strange?
Is Aunt Gertrude watching Knitting Wars out in Iowa again?
Take back the gift that keeps on giving by signing out of all currently logged-in devices.
4K viewing
We've all heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Well, Netflix has taken note and started introducing 4K titles to its library under certain subscription
plans.
If you've got a 4K T-V and a strong internet connection, and want to get the most out of
your hardware, just type "4K" into the Netflix search box to browse Netflix's Ultra HD library.
Rating control
You're probably already aware that Netflix caters its suggestions to you based on your
watch history, but you can tell Netflix what you really want to watch by going to "Account,"
and then "Ratings" under the "My Profile" section.
Here, you can alter or remove ratings to fine-tune your Netflix recommendations.
Watch offline
We've all had a time when we wanted to watch Netflix without an internet connection.
Maybe you're on a long flight and itching to binge some Black Mirror, or you're out
getting in touch with nature but get bored with the dumb flowers.
Well, you're in luck.
There are a number of films and series ready for download in Netflix's library, but this
feature is only accessible on iOS and Android devices.
All you have to do is install the Netflix app on your phone or tablet, and when you
log in, you'll be greeted with a "Download & Go" splash-page, where you can tap "Find
something to download."
Alternatively, you can make your way to the main menu, where you'll find the "Available
for Download" section.
Tap the arrow button to save to your device, and you're all set for offline-viewing!
Outside opinion
Next time you're about to spend two hours on a movie you're not sure about, check out
Rotten Tomatoes first.
The site's "On DVD and Streaming" section collects everything available on Netflix,
plus a ton of other streaming services, so you can browse ratings to weed out anything
that's guaranteed to be awful.
The site also has a list of new releases hitting Netflix soon, so you can always pick a winner.
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