Netflix has announced that users will be able to choose the speed at which they watch content, with 0.5x or 0.75x to slow videos down and 1.25x and 1.5x speeds for faster viewing.
These playback speed options will be available for users watching from a smartphone or tablet device, and will work on downloaded titles.
To view content in an alternate speed, Netflix subscribers will have to select this option for each title that they watch. Netflix has stated that this is to ensure that people won’t accidentally watch videos in a different speed.
This feature rolled in the US over the weekend and will be brought out globally over coming weeks.
However, some content creators have expressed concerns that the variable watching speeds will diminish their productions.
“We’ve also been mindful of the concerns of some creators,” a Netflix spokesperson told The Verge. “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.”
A couple of weeks ago Netflix announced that it was returning its bitrates to normal levels as easing COVID-19 restrictions across the globe were reducing demand on telco networks.
