Please note that there are more than six tools and secrets. There’s no doubt there are many, many more. This list just goes over the most useful and relevant items out there.
1. NEnhancer
If you’re looking for a better Netflix viewing experience in the web browser, NEnhancer for Chrome is a wonderful tool to check out. When you install it to your browser you’ll be shown trailers of the content you’re looking to watch along with Internet Movie Database (IMDB) and Rotten Tomatoes ratings next to each item, and many, many other features (hiding suggestions, rows of items in Netflix, etc.). If you’re a die-hard Chrome fan and love to use it to watch Netflix, consider checking out this extension. It really improves the viewing experience and is a great tool. Note: For those on Firefox, check out Netflix Plus for a similar experience.
2. Smartflix
The default look of Netflix on the Web or PC in general is decent. They generally do a good job of putting everything together. However, if what you want is more information on what you want to watch, Netflix alone really isn’t the best as the star rating system generally can’t be trusted. Introducing Smartflix. It’s a program that you can download for Windows and Mac that can give you an improved viewing experience on Netflix. Like NEnhancer (and Netflix Plus), you’ll get IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes ratings for everything and trailers too. On top of that, Smartflix gives you a Watch Later feature which allows you to set aside content to check out later on. Smartflix is a decent program, but it’s not free. If you’re okay with paying a little bit for a better Netflix experience, definitely check this program out. It’s certainly worth it.
3. Flix Roulette
Looking through your Netflix queue and have no idea what you want to watch? We’ve all been there. The problem is having too much choice. People tend to get overwhelmed, and it’s a problem. If you’re desperate to solve this problem, try out Flix Roulette. This tool takes the choice completely away from you and finds you something to watch completely at random.
4. /r/NetflixBestOf
This may not be software, but it’s a tool nonetheless. /r/NetflixBestOf is a wonderful reddit sub-forum that specializes in user-generated recommendations. If you’re out of ideas on what to watch, check it out. Since this forum is on reddit, thousands of users can up or down vote submissions, making everything vetted carefully.
5. The Netflix ID Bible
Though Netflix is easy to navigate, the service still manages to make things harder to find than it should. Often times you’ll find yourself digging through lots of different sub-menus, searching endlessly, etc. This page will stop your searching. It’s known colloquially as the Netflix “ID Bible.”
They break it down on the page, but essentially how this works is each Netflix item has it’s own ID. Instead of searching, you can head to this page, find the ID and paste it in to get what you’re looking for. For example, if I was looking to watch some “Action & Adventure” movies, I’d head to the page and scroll down to find the right ID and then paste it into my URL: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1365. If you’re tired of searching for genres, this list might be exactly what you’re looking for.
6. Hidden Settings
Is your Netflix stream lagging? Have you looked everywhere to tweak the settings but you just can’t find anything? There might be a reason for that. Netflix has hidden a stream-related settings menu away from its users. You won’t be able to access this in the settings area normally. You’ll have to enter a key combo instead.
Press “Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S” while watching content on Netflix. After that you’ll see a menu that looks like this. From here you’ll be able to configure settings to make your streams load a little better.
Conclusion
Netflix is a great service though it has some issues. The user interface could use some work, and some extra features added in would be nice. Regardless of that, it’s such a universally-loved platform that developers have taken time out of their lives to improve upon it. Do you know of any cool Netflix tools not on this list? Tell us below! Image Credit: techguyeric.com
