netfilx announced a test of its new playback speed control option, which allows consumers to speed up or slow down content when viewing on Android mobile devices.
The creative community in Hollywood clapped back hard.
No. That’s not how it works. Distributors don’t get to change the way the content is presented. Doing so is breaking a trust and won’t be tolerated by the people who provide it. Let the people who don’t care put it in their contracts that they don’t care. No. That’s not how it works. Distributors don’t get to change the way the content is presented. Doing so is breaking a trust and won’t be tolerated by the people who provide it. Let the people who don’t care put it in their contracts that they don’t care.
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Netflix Debuts Playback Feature
On Aug. 1, Netflix rolled out the feature. The company has considered the feature for years and announced a beta test in October 2019. Subscribers who want to test out the new feature will have to manually enable it with every title they pick.
To use the feature on Android, open the Netflix app, then choose something to watch. When playback begins, tap the screen to bring up playback controls, tap the Speedometer, then choose your preferred playback speed.
For users accessing Netflix via the web, there are browser extensions such as Video Speed Controller available on Chrome and Firefox.
“This is totally disrespectful to the casts, crews, writers and directors who provide your content @netflix.
Hearing, Sight-Impaired Community Weighs In
For many years, content creators have opposed captioning on the dubious premise that it interfered with artistic vision,” said NAD CEO Howard Rosenblum. “This attitude persists today, unfortunately. The opposition to adjustable speed of viewing on a platform like Netflix does not make sense when one considers that many playback devices have for years had such features.”
Everette Beacon, a board member for the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), concurred.
"Many people aren't aware that individuals who are blind or who have low vision enjoy video like Netflix, and that many people in this community can understand and appreciate audio played at a much faster pace than what might be comfortable for most sighted people," said Beacon.
Beacon said NFB sees value in allowing playback speed control for the blind or people who have other impairments because it makes content available to a wider audience.
“We applaud Netflix for being a leader in accessibility and for working with us on this and also especially for providing audio descriptions for the blind for so many of its Netflix Originals.”
YouTube, Hulu, and Amazon Prime already feature some playback speed controls.
Netflix Addresses the Issue
“Following last year’s test, which was well received by our members, we’re rolling this feature out across Android mobile, and will start to test it on iOS and the Web. Playback Speed control enables members to choose from normal to slower (0.5X or 0.75X) or faster (1.25X and 1.5X) watch speeds on their phones, tablets, and laptops,” the company wrote.
Similar functionality has been available on DVD players and DVRs for years and its members have requested the feature. The company said testing revealed that consumers value the flexibility playback speed controls offer.
Netflix also directly addressed concerns from the creative community.
“We’ve also been mindful of the concerns of some creators. It’s why we have capped the range of playback speeds and require members to vary the speed each time they watch something new - versus fixing their settings based on the last speed they used," the company said.
"It’s also worth noting that extensive surveys of members across several countries who watched the same titles with or without the feature showed it didn’t impact their perceptions of the content’s quality."
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