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How to find hidden gems streaming on Netflix

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Netflix has a plan to win over new subscribers in an age of Apple TV+
Netflix has a plan to win over new subscribers in an age of Apple TV+
Photo: Netflix

Bruce Springsteen once lamented that there were “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On),” and it’s only gotten worse. How do you find something good to watch in an era where Amazon, iTunes, HBO/Showtime, and a ton of network-specific apps and online sites threaten to overwhelm your screens, big and small?

It’s not as easy as you’d think, either, especially if you have more than one person controlling the remote.

I’ve gotten less happy to let Netflix choose what I watch these days and have tried to found new ways to see hidden treasures that might not end up on the main home screen.

Here are our suggestions on how to find the buried treasure on Netflix.

How to supercharge your Netflix watch list

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Watch it your way.
Watch it your way.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac (original image Volkan Olmez/Unsplash CC

It was a good day when Netflix added My List to the list of awesome features it has to allow us to watch anything we want on our TV, computer, or game console. It lets us all keep track of what we want to watch while helping corral the overwhelming amount of distracting movies and TV shows on offer.

However, Netflix still wants to manage what you watch; My List is ordered by some magic Netflix algorithm that makes sure it puts movies it wants you to see up front.

Switch your Netflix My List queue to Manual sorting, then move some stuff around, and you’ll supercharge your Netflix watch list in no time.

Here’s how.

Beat Netflix region restrictions to watch whatever you want

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Watching a UK-only  movie on Netflix from the US.
Watching a UK-only movie on Netflix from the US.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If you live in the United States and use Netflix, you might be disappointed to find out that some shows, like Kajaki: The True Story, are unavailable due to region restrictions.

These are based on licensing agreements that Netflix has with content providers. Many shows and movies are region-locked, which means that you can’t watch a show in the U.S. if it’s only available in the U.K., and vice versa.

There is a way around it, however. Here’s how to beat Netflix region restrictions to watch whatever you want, whenever you want, from wherever you want.

5 Netflix keyboard shortcuts that put you in charge

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Netflix on a MacBook
You now have to pay more for the best Netflix package.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

When you’re binge-watching a show like Walking Dead or Person of Interest on Netflix, you may at times need to get up for a snack or bathroom break (or both).

Fumbling around for the mouse to bring up the playback overlay is fine, but using the keyboard to pause your streaming media is much faster. Here are five hidden keyboard shortcuts that will put you in charge of your Netflix experience.

Netflix’s hidden streaming menu will solve your buffering woes

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Netflix
Expect Netflix to stay in the no. 1 spot for the foreseeable future.
Photo: Global X / Flickr CC

It’s happened to all of us: We get to the thrilling conclusion of the latest Daredevil or Jessica Jones episode, and suddenly Netflix’s “buffering” logo appears, bringing our TV binge to an abrupt and unwelcome end.

Luckily, you can use Netflix’s hidden streaming menu to set your streaming speed to a lower tier, which should bypass the buffering foolishness. Here’s how to find it.

Stay distracted: Keep Netflix video running in the foreground on your Mac

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Watch your favorites while getting work done, too.
Watch your favorites while getting work done, too.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Sometimes, work is boring. You might need a distraction from whatever routine task you’re doing on your Mac, like entering data into a spreadsheet or replying to email. Netflix is a great idea, but you have to portion your screen or move windows around in order to both watch a show on Netflix as well as get your work done.

Not anymore, though, as NEnhancer lets you use the magical power of Chrome to get a Netflix movie or TV show in a small window that will float on top of any other apps you’re running, making sure your Netflix video running in the foreground on your Mac.

Just be sure to actually get your work finished, too.

Traveling shouldn’t mean losing access to your favorite movies [Deals]

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Getflix makes it easy and secure to sidestep location restrictions on your streaming media content.
Getflix makes it easy and secure to sidestep location restrictions on your streaming media content.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Take your laptop overseas with you and you’ll likely find, as you crack it open to catch up with the TV show you’ve been binging on, that location restrictions are blocking your stream. That’s not how it should be, and with Getflix you can sidestep annoying and inconvenient location restrictions that come between us and our content. Now you can get lifetime access to more than 100 streaming channels, anywhere around the world, for just $69.

Last chance for the best bargains on Cult of Mac Store’s coolest stuff [Deals]

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Access your favorite movies and TV shows without ever having to worry about travel restrictions again.
Access your favorite movies and TV shows without ever having to worry about travel restrictions again.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The holidays have come and gone, but the big deals live on, at least for a little while. The Cult of Mac Store still has plenty of awesome tools, toys and subscriptions priced to move, but they’re deals that won’t last for long. Now’s your last chance to take advantage of massive savings on everything from invincible Lightning cables to secure internet browsing.

Auto-pausing Netflix socks make a great gift (if you have the skills)

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With socks like these, you'll be the hit of any Netflix party.
With socks like these, you'll be the hit of any Netflix party.
Photo: Netflix

So there you are, watching Netflix, binging on some TV series that everyone’s talking about when you suddenly fall asleep. What happens? Netflix keeps playing, running through a few more episodes while you catch some Zs.

Imagine, though, having a garment — socks, for example — that can automatically detect when you fall asleep and pause that Netflix stream for you. How great would that be?

If you’re comfortable around a pair of knitting needles as well as an Arduino mini-computer controller, some IR hardware and a soldering gun, you just might be the kind of person who should make these socks for a last-minute holiday gift.

Install these battery-killing, storage-hogging apps at your own risk

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android apps
Which apps are the worst for your phone's battery, performance and data plan?
Photo: Pixelkult/Pixabay CC

Phone-killing apps
Which apps aren’t the best for your phone’s battery, performance, and data plan? Photo: Pixelkult/Pixabay CC
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The latest quarterly report from antivirus company AVG has outed the battery-killingest, storage-hoggingest apps currently available.

Some of the culprits are unsurprising, but a few might be murdering your phone’s performance without you knowing, like some kind of ninjas that have somehow taken app form. All of this and more happens in “Appsassins,” the screenplay I’m pitching to SyFy.

But here are the biggest offenders, because that’s really the more important information here.

Amazon is bringing Instant Video app to Apple TV

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Apple TV 4 brings iOS apps to the big screen.
Apple TV 4 brings iOS apps to the big screen.
Photo: Apple

Amazon’s Instant Video service has one of the best libraries in the world, but if you’re an Apple user, it has a crucial weakness: the only way to get it on Apple TV is to AirPlay it from an iOS or OS X device.

AirPlaying can be unreliable at times and you can’t use certain apps without cutting off your Amazon stream. That could change in just a few weeks though, according to an Amazon employee who let it slip that the company is working on an app for the new Apple TV.

New Apple TV ads showcase apps and games

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Apple TV might get exclusive TV shows.
Apple TV might get exclusive TV shows.
Photo: Apple

The new Apple TV is all about apps and games, so it makes sense that there are five new ads from Apple on its YouTube channel that are all about specific games and apps.

Check out the videos below for streaming media apps like Netflix and HBO, along with a trio of gaming titles, including Apple TV ads for Asphalt 8 from Gameloft, mega-hit casual Crossy Road from Hipster Whale, and Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition: Star Wars from the House of Mouse.

This simple app will get you around those annoying location restrictions [Deals]

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Getflix is a one-stop app for bypassing those pesky regional restrictions while traveling.
Getflix is a one-stop app for bypassing those pesky regional restrictions while traveling.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When you pay for premium streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, you don’t want a trip out of the country to mean you have to leave your favorite shows at home. There are a lot of sneaky ways to get around the regional restrictions, but a simple, hassle-free way is Getflix. It’s a single app that keeps you in touch with your content wherever you go, and right now you can get a lifetime subscription for $39–use coupon code “EARLY10” to get additional 10% off.

How to use iPad Pro while you wait for your Apple Pencil

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iPad Pro and Apple Pencil keep designers happy and eraser dust-free.
One day, this will be you. You know, in like four to five weeks.
Photo: Apple

We’re all excited to start unlocking the full potential of the iPad Pro, but we have a problem: We can’t really start doing that until we can get our hands on the Apple Pencil stylus that the company swears will change how we draw virtual lines forever. As of this writing, it’s showing a four to five week wait for shipping, and that’s up from the one to two weeks we saw when the peripherals first went on sale.

So if you have an iPad Pro to play around with but aren’t sure what to do while you wait for your awesome stylus to show up, we have your back.

Open your own private lane on the information superhighway with PureVPN [Deals]

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PureVPN encrypts and accelerates your internet connection while bypassing location restrictions.
PureVPN encrypts and accelerates your internet connection while bypassing location restrictions.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

As open and free as the internet is purported to be, it’s easy to run into a lot of walls and not always safe. A great way to relieve the worry and hassles of online life is PureVPN, a virtual laser-fast private network that secures, anonymizes, and upgrades any online connection. And right now you can get a subscription for $69 at Cult of Mac Deals.

34 apps to try out on your brand new Apple TV

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Apple TV 4 brings iOS apps to the big screen.
Apple TV 4 brings iOS apps to the big screen.
Photo: Apple

When Apple TV units finally ship tomorrow, they will bring iOS apps to the big screen for the first time.

Some of the best apps from your iPhone are making the jump, including Periscope, Zillow and Airbnb. And of course all the old Apple TV apps like Netflix, HBO Now, Hulu and Showtime will still be available.

Now that the new Apple TV’s arrival is imminent, developers are ready to flood the device with a tons of apps focusing on everything from cooking and exercising to gaming and news.

Here’s a list of new apps available on Apple TV:

Take the pain out of hopping on a plane with these travel-ready lifehacks [Deals]

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A lifetime subscription to Getflix means you won't have to travel without your favorite streaming TV shows and movies ever again.
A lifetime subscription to Getflix means you won't have to travel without your favorite streaming TV shows and movies ever again.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Getflix: Lifetime Subscription – 88% off
Traveling shouldn’t mean leaving your favorite TV shows and movies behind. While Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services are shut off to anyone traveling outside the US without a tricky VPN or server masking arrangement, Getflix strategically channels traffic using Smart DNS in order to unblock 100 streaming channels. It works on any device without having to install special software, and offers an optional VPN account to add a layer of encryption to your online activity.

Bring your entertainment wherever your travels take you for just $39.

Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview is about to vanish from Netflix

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This is 70 minutes more with Steve than most of us ever had.
Photo: Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview

Between Alex Gibney’s The Man in the Machine documentary and the new Steve Jobs biopic, there’s no shortage of viewing material at the moment if you’re interested in Steve Jobs.

But Netflix-subscribing Steve Jobs completists may want to check out one other Jobs artifact: 2012’s Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview. And you’d better hurry up, too — because it disappears in November.

Bypass all those pesky location restrictions with one simple app [Deals]

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Getflix lives up to its name, bypassing content location restrictions anywhere in the world.
Getflix lives up to its name, bypassing content location restrictions anywhere in the world.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When shelling out for access to services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, you’re not banking on being barred from access just because you take a trip out of the country. Getflix is a service to make sure that never happens, and right now you can get a lifetime subscription for just $39.

Can Apple school Netflix in creating original content?

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fnf_1024
Who wouldn't want to watch House of Cupertino?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s getting ready to sink its teeth into original programming, according to recent reports, and there are suggestions it will launch a new video streaming service for Apple TV. The Cupertino company has already taken the fight to Spotify with Apple Music, so why not Netflix next?

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2The big question is, does Apple have what it takes to produce shows as good as House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt all by itself? And would it really want to?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over Apple’s supposed invasion on Netlix’ turf.

Apple-produced shows ‘not that big a deal,’ says Netflix head

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Netflix CEO Reed Hastings
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings isn't worried about Apple getting into producing content.
Photo: Netflix

We’re hearing some rumblings and grumblings that Apple might start producing original content to go along with an updated version of its Apple TV streaming box, and do you know who isn’t worried about it? Netflix.

Reed Hastings, CEO of the giant streaming service, spoke to CNN to discuss his company’s new availability in Japan and its future plans to expand into all of Asia, and he could not have sounded less concerned when the interviewer asked about the rumors of the Cupertino company getting into content creation.

Amazon Prime bests Netflix by adding offline video

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amazon-prime-bests-netflix-by-adding-offline-video-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015092015-09-01-150220-jpg
Prime Video now works offline.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Prime Video now works offline. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Prime Video now works offline. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Amazon Prime Video today took a massive step toward beating Netflix by adding offline video to its growing list of advantages. The feature allows users to download movies and TV shows and enjoy them without a data connection while they’re on the go.

Apple wants to take on Netflix with its own original programming

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Watch out Netflix, Apple might start making shows too.
Watch out Netflix, Apple might start making shows too.
Photo: Netflix

Apple is planning to unveil its new Apple TV set top box in a little over a week, and it looks like the company may be considering funding its own TV shows to go with its big play to dominate the living room.

The iPhone maker has held preliminary conversations in recent weeks with executives in Hollywood to feel out interest in Apple spearheading efforts to produce original entertainment content, according to a new report that claims Apple is ready to take on Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime video.