Netflix defends its controversial variable playback speed testing

Variety

“We’ve been sensitive to creator concerns and haven’t included bigger screens, in particular TVs, in this test," Netflix vice president Keela Robison wrote in a blog post following outrage from the entertainment industry, most notably from Judd Apatow, Brad Bird and Aaron Paul. Robison adds: "This is a mobile only test and gives people the ability to vary the speed at which they watch on phones or tablets - choosing from normal to slower (0.5X or 0.75X) or faster (1.25X and 1.5X). It’s  a feature that has long been available on DVD players - and has been frequently requested by our members. For example, people looking to rewatch their favorite scene or wanting to go slower because it’s a foreign language title." Robison also notes that the speech of actors is automatically corrected and that members have to choose the variable speed option.