I'm a prolific pirate. The Amazon offerings as pointed out by the author (Transparent, High Castle..) sit on my HTPC - downloaded from torrents because Amazon's streaming services are not offered here in Canada so how else would I get them.

I haven't pirated any Netflix shows because it's simply too cheap and too easy to just do it legit.

I have Amazon Prime and I've been forced to pirate the content because their streaming app on the Roku 3 sucks ass. On the same device, the Netflix app never buffers (I have a 55 Mbps connection). So, I recently downloaded a series I was watching. Turns out, I had paid for it (Hannibal season 3), in HD. Just couldn't stream, over a few days, without stopped. So, torrenting I went.

I have the same complaint about HBO Now on the Roku. Man, does it suck.

Lest people think the problem is my network, often when I have the issue I switch to Netflix and never once have I had a problem after the switch. Seems unlikely I just happened to switch when the network problems went away.

Sounds like the Netflix app just had better bandwidth detection and quality adjustment than Amazon or HBO. Not surprising, as the latter two are less mature apps and infrastructure built by relatively newcomers to the streaming business whose core competency is not in digital media distribution (regardless who may have built their system). Ironically, it might be because you bought it in HD that it buffers excessively on your roku, whereas it might stream better in SD.

But none of that matters, you are correct at this point that Netflix clearly has it figured out and working for you, while their competition does not. Only to say, the dynamic bitrate support is likely to improve on the other apps with time (not to mention, your internet connection is likely to periodically increase in speed for various upgrades to your equipment or your ISPs) so those issues are likely not permanent.

It could also be congestion at the peering points your ISP uses to connect (directly or through transit) to Amazon or HBO.

I think Netflix also still uses caching boxes in a few locations, but they are being phased out.

In other words, there are a lot more variables in the equation than just your home network and the Roku app.

> I think Netflix also still uses caching boxes in a few locations, but they are being phased out.

Proof? I don't see any indication at https://openconnect.netflix.com/ that their appliance is being phased out.

I think Dave Temkin mentioned this at a NANOG or two. Or maybe it was at the bar. I'm not sure. I could be completely wrong. That's why I typed "think"

Netflix is super cheap, and obscenely easy. It's more difficult to pirate than to watch something on Netflix, which should really be the goal of any service.

For me, it's almost entirely that it's easy. Aside from Daredevil and a handful of their comedy specials, I haven't watched any of their produced content, and I'd be just as satisfied if it didn't exist.

The Hollywood movie selection (non Netflix produced) is pretty horrendous. They have a fair amount of TV shows, but the movies are absent.

As always, licensing issues. Hollywood (just like music artists on Spotify) want more than their content is worth.

If its not on Netflix, its on your preferred torrent site.

I know the cause. I'm just stating that Netflix isn't a viable "cord cutter" option until they work something out.

I'm got too much to lose to be messing around with torrents. I just want to pay something and get the content I want. For now, that's cable TV, not Netflix.