Netflix is testing variable speeds on Android and Hollywood is less than impressed

Chris Merriman
@ChrisTheDJ
30 October 2019

Tweet
Facebook
Send to

YOU KNOW that feeling where you can't wait for the next episode of your favourite show, but just don't have the hour to spare?

Fear not. Netflix has your back. It's currently testing a feature that allows you to watch shows at double speed, providing you've got an Android device.

Daft as it sounds, a surprising number of people actually already do this with podcasts and audiobooks, so what they gain in time, they also gain in having their book narrated by a chipmunk. We might add that the Fire and Fury is particularly fun at 2x.

Some users have also asked for the ability to slow playback down, perhaps if they're watching with subtitles, or they're just really, really dull people.

But in a classic battle of art vs science, the film industry is less than impressed. Several directors including Brad Bird (The Incredibles) have tweeted their hope that Netflix won't persist down this path, as has actor Aaron Paul, who has just seen his Breaking Bad spin-off film El Camino released on Netflix.

Stop. As the person talked about in this article I felt the need to speak out. There is NO WAY @netflix will move forward with this. 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://t.co/fZDnYzvStN
— Aaron Paul (@aaronpaul_8) October 28, 2019

But Netflix points out that it has no plans to roll the idea out to screens larger than mobiles, and besides - how is this different to what many DVD and Blu-ray players have been doing this for years?

It says that fans have asked for it, and in order to quell some concerns, it will reset the speed to normal for each title, so it doesn't become the "norm".

In a statement to The Verge, Netflix added that it was looking into even more refinements to the service, including language and brightness controls without leaving the playback screen.

All of which means we could be heading towards a battle of wills between Hollywood and Netflix. Hollywood doesn't want the auteurs' vision of their work damaged by being seen in any way other than intended. (We might add that watching in slo-mo might show up shortcomings in the visual effects, that's got something to do with it)

Yet, they let their films be shown on tiny screens on seatbacks. Go figure. μ