Have??Netflix binges?been a little too time-consuming lately? Or maybe there's a particular scene of?a favorite movie worth witnessing in even more detail? Looking for a unique way to pass time in quarantine? Well, luckily, Netflix has recently announced a new set of video playback speed options for users of its service.
The feature will be slightly more limited than what's found?on other video sites like YouTube. Netflix viewers will be able to slow or speed up their video playback to .5x, .75x., 1.25x, or 1.5x. Netflix?promises that adjustments have been made to pitch and audio so that everything will sound as it should.
When Netflix first announced it was testing the feature, the company received pushback from several Hollywood creators, including Aaron Paul and Judd Apatow, the latter of which?tweeted in response?“distributors don’t get to change the way the content is presented.” Netflix has decided to push ahead regardless, stating that while they were sensitive to the concerns of the creative community, the features are similar to what has been available on other devices for years, with tests showing that consumers enjoyed the flexibility offered by playback speed adjustment.
Netflix is not alone in its defense of playback speed options either: the company boasted the support of the National Association of the Deaf and the National Federation of the Blind, citing how deaf users often preferred to slow down captions, while blind users were used to listening to audio at higher speeds. The company also cited caption usage, with nearly 80% of members using closed captions in at least some capacity. The company did however, as a concession to complaints, decide to cap the playback speeds, and require the user to manually engage the speed adjustment every time they select a new show or film.
While the feature is currently limited to Android devices, Netflix has announced its intentions to bring playback speed options to both iOS and their website in time. Though content creators may grumble a bit, Netflix feels confident in its decision, reporting that surveys between users who did and did not take advantage of the feature show that it does not impact the user's perception of?a given show's quality. In their closing statement, the company reiterated: "We’re constantly trying to make Netflix better - so it’s easier for people to find and enjoy great stories. We believe Mobile Playback Speeds is another small but meaningful step in that effort."
Playback speed adjustment is currently available on the Netflix Android App, and planned for other platforms in the coming weeks.