First World problem #564 – Buffering.
You’re watching your favourite Netflix show and it’s just getting to the dramatic denouement when bam! It freezes and the little wheel of death starts spinning.
Buffering! It’s 2016 for f**k’s sake! You’re waiting on a knife edge to find out who dies or how the whole thing ends and you have to wait a whole 20 seconds for it to catch up loading.
If there’s a more annoying First World problem, we’re all ears. It makes our sh*t itch!
But there is a cunning way to get around this. Hidden on Netflix, there exists a secret menu which, unbeknown to many people, is the panacea to this age-old problem.
Essentially you’re clicking on this menu and altering the buffering settings on your computer to a level that your internet speed can handle.
Yes it may affect your image quality – but you’ll be able to seamlessly stream House of Cards or whatever else you’re currently bingeing on.
This thread on Reddit basically explains how it’s done.
Step 1:Â When you’re playing your video perform one of the following actions (depending on your device) to bring up this secret menu
Windows: Hold down Shift + Alt + Left click
OS X: Hold down Shift + Opt + Left Click
Chrome browser: Hold down Ctrl + Shift + Alt/Opt + S
Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation 3: Using the directional pad, click up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, up, up, up, up.Â
Step 2:Â The Diagnostics menu will appear – then click on Stream Manager
Step 3:Â Once there, just check the Manual Selection box and then choose which buffering rate you want. Seal the deal by clicking Apply and you’re done.