Netflix has confirmed that it will add the ability for its subcribers to control the playback speeds of movies or TV shows they watch on the streaming platform on their Android device. The new feature will roll out beginning on August 1, just a few months after testing that capability, and will go live for everyone over the next few weeks.
Unlike YouTube's playback speed controls, which allow you to speed up the video playback by up to twice the normal speed, Netflix's upcoming feature will cap its fast-forward speeds at either 1.25x or 1.5x (via The Verge). You can also slow the playback down to 0.5x or 0.75x. These speeds will apply to both online streams and offline videos in the case of downloaded titles.
It is important to note that you will need to enable that playback setting for every title you watch, so your next video won't play at the same speed as your last watched title if you don't want it to. Along with playback speed controls, Netflix will add a few other capabilities that will help retain the quality of videos, including the automatic correction of pitch in the audio when its normal speed is changed. This is in response to various concerns by the creative community.
The new capability will be available on Android at first, with plans to test it on iOS and the web. Netflix didn't say whether it would test that feature on TVs or set-top boxes.
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