Netflix is apparently testing variable playback speeds for its service.
If you’re someone who gets frustrated that, er, a minute of a film takes a minute to watch, then a reported development by Netflix might be just the news you’re looking for.
According to Android Police, Netflix has been trialling a system of variable playback speeds for its films and TV shows. This would allow users to change the speed that material runs at, from 50% up to 150%.
It’s a feature that, as Android Police (that broke the story) notes, is pretty common in podcast playback players, and YouTube supports it too. But it’s discovered that Netflix has been testing such an option too, with variable sfor 0.5x, 0.75x, 1.25x or 1.5x speed playback.
Thus far, it’s only aware that Netflix is testing the idea on Android platforms. Likewise, just because it’s testing it doesn’t necessarily mean that the idea will officially be rolled out. Yet the counterpoint of that is that it’s not doing all this work for nothing.
By the calculations of our cheap calculator that we got from the petrol station, this means that you could polish off Martin Scorsese’s upcoming The Irishman is just over two hours, in a way that absolutely the director didn’t intend.
More as we hear it.
—
Thank you for visiting! If you’d like to support our attempts to make a non-clickbaity movie website:
Follow Film Stories on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.
Buy our Film Stories and Film Stories Junior print magazines here.
Become a Patron here.
See one of our live shows, details here.
Related Stories
- While Netflix numbers go up, Disney+ numbers are going down
Price rises keep the profits coming in, but Disney+ was losing subscribers at the end of 2024 - and the outlook is tricky.
The story’s been told many times over about the seismic gamble Disney took in launching its own streaming service. From pretty much shuttering its home entertainment division as it stood to spending over [...]
- The top 45 must-see films of 2025
Looking ahead to 2025, here are the 45 films of all genres - from horror to comedy to drama and more - we reckon you really shouldn't miss.
Special mentions:
Firstly, the movies you won’t be seeing, but want to namecheck. Our rules were that we didn’t want to include films that had screened, but not made [...]
- The Sandman | Netflix show cancelled after two seasons
Allegations surrounding Neil Gaiman have led to The Sandman being cancelled at Netflix after two just seasons.
Netflix's adaptation of the legendary comic book series The Sandman is to be cancelled after its upcoming second season. This was revealed when Netflix unveiled a new poster for the show. The original run of comic books certainly had [...]
- The Old Guard 2 will emerge from post-production hell in July 2025, Netflix reveals
Netflix's production slate finally gives long-delayed sequel The Old Guard 2 a release date: expect it on your tellybox on the 2nd July.
Just as we were thinking about buying a funeral wreath for The Old Guard 2, an action sequel stuck in post-production hell since 2022, Netflix comes along and announces a release date. You've [...]
- The Old Guard 2 | Filming wrapped in 2022, but more reshoots planned
The Old Guard 2 is set for yet more reshoots, nearly three years after the film was originally shot. More here.
RememberThe Old Guard? It came out back in 2020 during those pandemic days when most of us found ourselves watching more movies at home. Perhaps partly due to that unique sitation (or parhaps not), the [...]
