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Master NetFlix India – How To Sign up, New Account Tips & FAQ

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9 years ago

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This morning world become a different place when Netflix, the popular on-demand media streaming service announced its expansion to whopping 130 countries including India and Russia. Launched around a decade ago, the video streaming service has changed the world of television viewing. As of October last year, the service has around 70 million subscribers worldwide, which should rapidly increase this year with the expansion plans. The announcement happened at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

If you’re in one of the countries where Netflix has started their operations just now, then we suppose you have a lot of burning questions on your mind. What should be the speed of my internet connection? Is the content streaming in my country would be censored? What are the best Netflix plans for me? Well, hold your horses; we are going to answer all of your queries below.

From which devices can you access the Netflix?

The on-demand video streaming service can be accessed from almost every internet-connected displays. Watch it from your desktop web browser or on a mobile device powered by Android, iOS and Windows Phone OS. Watching it on the big screen shouldn’t be a hassle if you have Google Chromecast, Apple TV or an Android Os powered Smart TV. Moreover, it will also support gaming consoles at home including PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One while it also supports some Blu-Ray Players from the likes of LG, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic.

How to get started using the Netflix?

Well now that you have selected which device you are going to use to stream the videos let’s get you started by signing up or the service. Just head over to the Netflix website and register for a new account. It’s quite easy to sign up, just enter your email and desired password, and you should receive the email activating the service as you get signed into the profile. It shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes to start binge-watching your favorite shows.

What are the plans for Netflix users in India?

You can choose from three types of plans starting for as low as Rs 500/month, which is quite close to the $7.99/month pricing in the United States. There are three options available from which you can opt for; they are Basic, Standard and Premium. The basic plan would give you access to SD (Standard) quality content with accessibility to single screen only.

Netflix - Select Plan

Now if you’re looking for better quality and more screens accessibility so that you can share an account with family or friends. Well, you have to fork out more bucks for that. How much more? The Standard plan that offers HD (High Definition) quality and screen up to two would fetch you for Rs 650/month while if you’re looking for UHD (Ultra High Definition) and screen availability up to 4 screens, then Premium plan for Rs 800/month is the option for you.

Does Netflix subscription include data connection as well?

No, absolutely not. The data charges for streaming on Netflix are not incurred in the subscription plans. The first thing you should make sure that you have a high-speed connection with good FUP limit, because binge-watching would result in usage of a lot of data. It is recommended to stream using broadband connection but not on the 3G/4G connection.

What are the payment options to sign up for Netflix in India?

Currently, Netflix in India is accepting payments via Visa/MasterCard/Amex Credit Cards. Once you sign up for the service and select the plan, you’ll be charged after the first month usage period. I know we all would have loved if PayTM just ties up with Netflix in India, hassle-free payments. I’m just hoping a representative from the respective companies are reading this. So that as much as folks in the country can enjoy binge-watching.

Is the service free for the first month?

Yes, after you finish up signing up for the Netflix account, you will be offered first-month service free of cost. You can sign up from any three types of accounts, Basic, Standard or Premium as mentioned above. All these plans allow you to watch the shows on your laptop, TV, phone and tablet. Your free usage would end in 30 days from the date you signed up for the subscription, may it be any plan. All three programs offer 30 days of free usage. Note you will be intimated via email three days before your trial period ends. After the trial period ends, you will be charged as per the plan you selected.

How to cancel my membership for Netflix?

This is the interesting part, the service allows you to cancel anytime in the first free month, and you won’t be charged at all. Just go to the “Your Account” section and click on the “Cancel Membership” and follow the instructions for cancellation. Note that once you cancel the membership, your account would be closed at the end of the billing cycle. Also, remember, the company doesn’t offer refund or credits for partial months, i.e. you won’t get any refund once charged for the current billing cycle.

Can I stream content on more than one screen at a time?

Yes, absolutely you can. According to the plan you select out of; Basic, Standard or Premium, you can you content simultaneously on up to 4 screens. Ideal for a grown-up family who are interested in watching movies and TV shows on-demand, the Premium plan should be their choice. While if you’re looking forward to stream on just two screens at a time, then Standard plans should suffice.

Is the Netflix content censored in India?

According to company’s terms and condition page, you must be 18 years of age in order to sign up for the Netflix service, or as per the legal laws in the country, you’re streaming. Now Indian audience has taken the heat in terms of getting censored contents in the TV shows, and Movies showcased in Cinemas and Television as well. Turns out, what was thought as the liberation, watching content on Netflix, is actually the same. As per company’s official tweet (Now Deleted), the content streaming in India would be censored. Although, it is unknown to what extent it would be censored, since probably the content on Netflix doesn’t come under the jurisdiction of Central Board of Film Certification, which certifies the films, television shows and advertisements in the country.

What is the recommended internet connectivity for streaming?

Always remember, Netflix is as good as the connection you’re on if you’re on a slow internet connection, we recommend you to upgrade because there is no point signing up for the on-demand video streaming service if you can’t enjoy without buffering. According to service, you need to be on at least 0.5 Mbps to watch the lowest quality while to stream the Standard Definition, the recommended speed is around 3 Mbps. While to stream the HD quality you should have a connection of 5 Mbps, whereas for streaming Ultra HD quality you must have at least 25 Mbps internet connection.

How much data would be consumed if I watch a 2-hour long video?

Well, the first thing you need to make sure you is that you are on a high-speed internet connection. There are three types of adjustment you can do to control the data usage if you don’t want the quality to adjust according to the internet connection speed. Low, Medium, and High, these three classes can be set from the Playback Settings area in your profile. If you put it under Low, then it is reckoned to consume around 0.3 GB data per hour while the GB/hour for Medium is 0.7 GB and up to 3 GB for HD and 7 GB for Ultra HD content streaming in High settings. It is recommended to restrict your Netflix streaming to Wi-Fi only.

Can I download the movie or TV shows I’m watching on the Netflix?

Absolutely not, it is against the company’s policy mentioned under terms of use section. You cannot archive, reproduce, distribute and publish the content on Netflix anywhere. But come to think of, it wouldn’t have hurt the company to offer an offline viewing mode, which would have allowed downloading movies and stream without an internet connection, using the Netflix player, of course.

Can I switch the streaming plan?

Yes, you can switch your current streaming plan, you can either upgrade or downgrade according to your needs. But note that the new plan would be implemented only in the next bill cycle. So, if you’re urgently looking to control your FUP limit then it’s better to stay away from binge-watching until, or maybe select the low quality streams in the playback settings. And if you can’t hold your horses to try out the Ultra HD content, then try streaming 4K content from YouTube on your 4K TV/Monitor.

Can I record the movies played on the Netflix App?

No, you sir/mam can’t record the movies streaming by the Netflix mobile app, i.e. on iOS, Android or even on Windows Phone. The content you’re viewing is obtained by paying a lot of money to partners. And it’s safe to say that you don’t want any legal disputes, like Netflix suing you for publishing their original and licensed content online. Just as mentioned in of the answers above, you can’t archive or download the videos, let alone record the content being played on the Netflix app.

How to manage profiles on my Netflix account?

You’re confused, how can the service recommend personalized content to me, if my family and friends are using the account as well to watch the movies and TV shows. Well, that’s where the profiles feature come in, you can create the dedicated profiles for your family members or friends so that they can watch it on their profiles. It’s easy to manage the profiles, just head over to the homepage of the website (or app if you’re streaming on mobile); there you have to hover over the icon possibly with your name (besides to notification icon). It would open a list of options, where you have to click/tap on the manage profiles options. You can create and manage new profiles in the newly opened window. Remember to set the name, Language, and allowed television shows and movies. Defining the maturity levels would allow you to restrict access, such as if you want your kids to stream content using your account. More on this in next question.

How do I limit a Profile to watch only Teens & Below Content?

Remember how you always worried that your children would be viewing the adult content without your knowledge or maybe just accidentally stumble upon too much violence crime drama that they should be watching at their age. Now you can control the viewing, just follow the above procedure to go to manage profiles and create a new profile or restrict existing profile. You’ll see a checkbox named “Kids,” checking it would make the profile for kids. That means only shows and movies rated for kids age 12 and below would be available for streaming. Remember you can also use the security PIN to make sure that using admin access, the kids doesn’t change settings. More on that later.

What contents are present in the kids section?

The company recently did an overhaul to its interface, and there is a nice colorful interface you can see, set for kids, unlike the black and red theme on the main page. There are characters like Daniel Tiger, Barbie, Transformers, Richie Rich, Max Steel and more. Your child can choose the character he/she likes and watch contents available for that. It’s that simple. Or either select from the long category list like Action, Adventure, Girl Power, Funny, etc. There are a ton of titles that you can choose to play for your child or maybe they can choose from themselves now you have created a profile for your kids. Note that all these shows and movies are rated for kids age 12 and below. So, you don’t have to worry about your children watching inappropriate content.

Can I know what my Kids are watching?

No, unfortunately, you can’t, but rest assured all the contents your children can watch is rated for them. As we said above, the movies and TV shows you find in the kids section are strictly for kids of age 12 and below. So, you shouldn’t worry about what your kids are watching on the Netflix kids section.

How to protect kids from watching adult contents from other profiles?

If you are worried that children might open your profile and watch adult-rated content, then there’s a simple way to ensure that they won’t. You can create parental control PIN as it will restrict them from accessing other profiles of the higher maturity level. There are three categories, Little Kids, Older Kids, and Teens that you can restrict. Just head over to the “Your Account” section, there you have to click/tap on Parental Controls and create a PIN. You can choose to lock the contents for little kids, older kids and teens. Now you have one less thing to worry about.

Can I watch all the original Netflix content in India?

This is where it gets bad, according to conflict of interest or license; some TV shows like Friends, House of Cards, Big Bang Theory, The Flash and Arrow won’t be available to play as they’re being aired by some channels in the country. It does however as some recently release original titles like Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Orange is the New Black. While the catalogue of Bollywood titles is small now, but the company promises to increase it as the time goes by. Moreover, you can also watch regional content, as of now Gujarati and Punjabi content is available.If you want there is a comparison table below that showcases what shows we might be missing, while the interesting fact is that there are some TV shows and movies like Better Call Saul, and classic titles like Clockwork Orange and Catch Me If You Can.

Netflix - Country Comparison Chart

As the internet penetration in India grows, such kind of services would be accessible to more Indians, and more importantly, they would thrive on it. We hope these offers the questions you had on the mind. Now you can also NetFlix and Chill.

Check out the full list of countries where Netflix is available.

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