“We have no plans to roll any of these tests out in the short term.”
As we know, Netflix has changed the game in terms of how we consume movies and television.
The local – and nationwide – video store is but a memory, and binging TV shows in one go is considered normal and convenient behaviour today.
Technology, eh? What a marvel.
As for Netflix, the streaming platform runs some tests every now and again with regards to improving the service. Standard enough practice, really.
One such maintenance element surfaced this week, leaving chaos in its wake.
Reports emerged that Netflix was set to introduce a system that would allow users to watch films and TV at higher speeds, causing consternation among many, including some famous faces.
Aaron Paul, who recently fronted the fine-but-fairly-pointless Breaking Bad return that is El Camino and famed comedy director Judd Apatow criticised the potential development via their Twitter accounts.
“There is NO WAY Netflix will move forward with this,” insisted Paul.
“That would mean they are completely taking control of everyone else’s art and destroying it. Netflix is far better than that. Am I right Netflix?”
https://twitter.com/aaronpaul_8/status/1188925851514966016
Apatow, meanwhile, threatened a revolution of sorts, albeit in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
“No, Netflix, no,” he wrote.
“Don’t make me have to call every director and show creator on Earth to fight you on this. Save me the time. I will win but it will take a ton of time.
“Don’t fuck with our timing. We give you nice things. Leave them as they were intended to be seen.”
No @Netflix no. Don’t make me have to call every director and show creator on Earth to fight you on this. Save me the time. I will win but it will take a ton of time. Don’t fuck with our timing. We give you nice things. Leave them as they were intended to be seen. https://t.co/xkprLM44oC
— Judd Apatow 🇺🇦 (@JuddApatow) October 28, 2019
In any event, everyone can calm down as Netflix has since issued a statement, clarifying the matter.
“We regularly test new features that could help improve Netflix,” Vice President Keela Robison began.
“In the last month, we’ve started testing several additional player controls, including the ability to: alter the brightness on your phone without going into settings; lock your screen and find your language and audio settings more easily; and vary the speed at which you watch on mobile.
“This last test has generated a fair amount of feedback – both for and against. Given the questions being raised, I wanted to share more details about what’s happening.”
The statement goes on to underline that the test applies only to mobile devices, giving people the ability to vary the speed at which they watch on phones or tablets, choosing from normal to slower (0.5X or 0.75X) or faster (1.25X and 1.5X).
“It’s a feature that has long been available on DVD players – and has been frequently requested by our members,” Robison continued.
“For example, people looking to rewatch their favourite scene or wanting to go slower because it’s a foreign language title.”
“We’ve been sensitive to creator concerns and haven’t included bigger screens, in particular TVs, in this test. We’ve also automatically corrected the pitch in the audio at faster and slower speeds. In addition, members must choose to vary the speed each time they watch something new – versus Netflix maintaining their settings based on their last choice.
“We have no plans to roll any of these tests out in the short term. And whether we introduce these features for everyone at some point will depend on the feedback we receive.”
And breathe.
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