While director Judd Apatow and others were concerned that variable playback might distort their art, Netflix vice president Keela Robison says she tried to be respectful of the creative community by limiting fast forward speeds to 1.5x. YouTube, by comparison, allows you to double the speed of what you’re watching. Netflix’s variable playback settings also need to be manually enabled for each video, so you won’t be stuck watching everything at an accidentally altered speed.
“We have decided to move on for various reasons,” Robison wrote in a blog post. “Similar functionality has been available in DVD players and DVRs for years and the feature has been highly sought after by members. Most important of all, our tests show that consumers appreciate the flexibility it provides, whether it’s to re-watch. their favorite scene or slow things down because they are watching with subtitles or have hearing difficulties. “
He also noted that user surveys that test the feature don’t perceive content differently (though I’d say it would be hard to tell). Now I can understand the fuss over changing playback speeds, but it’s hard to blame Netflix for adding a feature that many consumers expect. In addition to YouTube, many podcast listeners speed up their shows.
And, as I mentioned in October, it’s not like every Netflix show is a work of art that needs to be savored. I have a feeling that I would enjoy The umbrella academy, or many of Netflix’s genre offerings, much more if you could speed through the boring parts.
