Those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know that for the past few months I’ve been griping about Netflix – specifically their streaming service.
I love the idea of having movies and entire runs of my favorite TV shows available at my fingertips. And using my Sony Blu-ray player to stream high definition Netflix to my TV looked beautiful. Except for one problem – the streaming sucked. There were constant stoppages for rebuffering, sometimes so bad that I could only watch 10 seconds or so before the stream would freeze. Awfully hard to watch something that way.
Finally a call to Netflix brought the answer that it might be my Internet provider’s fault. So I decided to run a test and 
stream something to my PC that was giving me fits over my Sony. And lo and behold streaming a hi-def movie or TV show to the PC went perfectly, not one stop, whereas it was impossible over the Sony.
That meant the problem wasn’t with my Internet service or Netflix. And after some Googling, I discovered that lots of other people have been complaining about the same problem with their Sony Blu-ray players.
Apparently there’s something in the Sony firmware that doesn’t like Netflix streaming. But Sony refuses to acknowledge there’s a problem, so I don’t expect a firmware update to address the issue.
The solution to my streaming problem? Get rid of the Sony and get an LG Blu-ray player for Netflix streaming.
ArcherVox 
Just bought a Sony BDP-580 (06/11/11) and having terrible streaming on Netflix. It looks like I'm watching a worn VHS tape! Your solution to the problem may be the best path forward.
Actually, a better solution is spending 75 bucks or so for a hi-def Roku player. Got one and had only one streaming/buffering problem, but it cleared right up.
Had a constant streaming problems with my new Sony TV. Checked with Sony, Netflix and even my cable company. The roaming signal is strong, download speed is more than adequate. I have the latest Sony firmware and rebooted everything. Nothing works!
Finally, I hooked up my ROKU from my OLD TV. Works perfectly. The problem is definitely with the SONY TV.
I had the same Netflix streaming problem with my Sony bluray. Constant stops with a “loading, please wait…” message. So annoying. Disconnected the ethernet cable from the Sony bluray and plugged directly into my Panasonic TV and Netflix streams flawlessly. I'll never buy another Sony product.