Another "Netflix not working" post

[GManCandler]

I replied about this on somebody else's similar thread, but I figured I might be more likely to get a response making my own thread.

I am having a problem with Netflix on my new 55" Q8DA (QN55Q8DAAFXZA).  What is strange is that it worked fine for a couple of weeks (we just got the TV about 2 weeks ago), and then 2 nights ago Netflix froze the TV while I was watching a movie.  Since then I have tried soft reboot (holding down the power button), reset by unplugging the TV, updating firmware from 1805 to 1904, reinstalling the Netflix app, signing out and back in (with 2 different Netflix accounts), rebooting the internet modem, full factory reset on the TV, and contacting Netflix's useless customer service.  Netflix app is 5.3.27 released Nov 2021. 

I have determined that Netflix will consistently play about 15 minutes of content and then the picture freezes and TV remote becomes unresponsive (except for holding down the power button to restart the TV).  I also have noticed that the frozen picture will sometimes move forward about 1 frame every 5-10 seconds, so it seems like a buffering issue, but I cannot find a solution.  To be clear, my U-Verse TV, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max still all work just fine.

Netflix's answer was to "watch Netflix on a different device".  I specifically spent $1500 on a new TV with soundbar and rear speakers to enjoy watching content in my living room and the answer they come up with is "watch Netflix on a different device".

I don't know whether this is relevant, but I also noticed while doing a "Manage Storage" sweep in the Device Care menu, that the TV has about 1.5GB of available storage with about 2.5GB in use.  It seems like a strange coincidence that around 15 minutes of compressed 4K video would likely take about 1.5GB of space.  It also baffles me that a 2021 model smart TV would only have 4GB of storage.  Is that really correct?

[ArtDesk]

Clear it, go to the apps or device care and clear it. Try settings and updates to see if there is a firmware update.

[GManCandler]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have gone into the device care menu and run diagnostics and no problems were detected.  When I go into the "Manage Storage" function, I can see the choices for "Clear data" and "Clear cache" are grayed out for the Netflix app although I have those choices available for the other apps on the TV.  I have signed out from Netflix and done a "Reinstall" from the Apps menu.  I have tried signing in to Netflix with 2 different accounts.  I can watch Netflix on my PC with no problems at all, so I don't think it is an Internet issue.

I have done a firmware update on the TV from 1805 to 1904 and done a full factory reset on the TV.  I will say that the firmware update gave me some sound options that I could not access before, but it didn't help with Netflix.  I had to download the firmware update from Samsung's web site because the TV always said there was no update available, even though there was.  I also have auto-update turned on for apps.  I have searched for a way to download a new version of Netflix and do a manual install but I can't even find any information about what the latest version of the Netflix app is.  The TV has Netflix 5.3.27 which was released in Nov 2021.   Netflix has told me that this is a Samsung hardware or software issue.

[ArtDesk]

I'm on a Qled, do this what my Netflix app says...T-NKLAAKUC-1904 Netflix 5.3.27/AppFw TPK 1.53.39021

[ArtDesk]

My Netflix app works, and i am using ethernet instead of Wi-Fi.

[ArtDesk]

In the help menu there is a reload Netflix option.

[GManCandler]

Thanks again.

I have done the reload Netflix and reinstall Netflix options, multiple times now.

I am also using ethernet.

Here is the info for the Netflix software on my TV:

 Sorry about the blurry image.

[GManCandler]

So how do I force an update of Netflix from "AppFw TPK 1.53.34" to "AppFw TPK 1.53.39021" ?

[ArtDesk]

So it is still not working?

[GManCandler]

Still not working.  Nothing new to try.  Posting here is a last resort before calling to ask for a replacement since I also have a screen problem that won't go away.  It seems like nobody has any answers other than what has already been posted on the support web site.

I'm leaning toward I got one damaged in transit.

Do these things really only have 4GB of storage?