Better not to watch Netflix with Chrome or Firefox

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are among the most popular browsers on the market – but if you want to watch Netflix with them, a major weak point becomes apparent: the image quality.

Not all browsers can handle full HD

Microsoft’s Edge and Apple’s Safari are the only browsers that can display Netflix videos in full HD – i.e. in 108op. With all other browsers you will only be put off with an HD resolution of 720p. Netflix does not specifically display this fact to the user. In the settings, the highest playback quality is only described as “high”.

In fact, Netflix points  this out in its own help center : In a list of the various browsers, the streaming service admits that Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and the Opera browser all only output a maximum of 720p video. If you want more, you can only use the Internet Explorer successor Edge on a Windows PC. There is Netflix with a resolution of up to 4K – provided you have a corresponding monitor. Mac users should switch to the Safari browser, because newer versions of the browser also offer 4K.

Why can’t Chrome and Firefox have Full HD?

These problems do not exist with other streaming sites such as YouTube – Chrome and Firefox can also display a video in 1080p or even 4K here. However, the streaming service in the help center does not provide an explanation as to why there is only 720p in some browsers on Netflix, while the competition such as YouTube delivers up to 4K without any problems. TECHNOLOGY BUTTON also asked Netflix directly why there are such differences between the browsers – but received no answer.

Whether the lower resolution is sufficient also depends on the monitor

Whether you are bothered by the lower resolution in Chrome, Firefox and Opera also depends on which monitor you are watching Netflix on. On a small laptop display, the difference might not be as significant. If, on the other hand, you have a large monitor on your desk or feed the computer image into your home television, the difference in resolution can be quite noticeable.

Until the browser competition can also display Netflix in full resolution, it is advisable to watch Netflix via Edge or Safari so that there is no loss of image quality.