You may have noticed that it is possible to speed up Netflix playback speed, similar to what happens on services like YouTube. However, if you are thinking about doing so, think twice.
Netflix: should not increase playback speed!
It is clear that Netflix does not provide a feature for no reason. In fact, this platform and other video streaming platforms also offer a way to speed up playback or slow it down, of course.
This happens with a tone adjustment, so it doesn't sound like everyone is breathing helium, but everything moves faster. At the moment, the fastest speed allowed by Netflix is 1.5 times the normal speed, which saves 20 minutes every hour.
It's a lot of time saved if we're on YouTube trying to learn something efficiently. However, if you're trying to enjoy a series or movie, it's not the best idea.
Timing is everything in visual storytelling
One of the main reasons for this is that a story in video form is not just a transfer of information. A story literally beats in real time as we watch it. The time it takes for something to happen, the length of a pause between lines, the time it takes for the camera to focus on a person's face – all of this is deliberate. The same applies to dialogue, which can also become difficult to understand when accelerated.
Therefore, if you speed up a film or series, you are not seeing it the way you intended. It's even worse than leaving motion smoothing on!
Nothing looks good at high speed
In fact, in some ways, playing your TV shows and movies at higher speeds makes it look like motion smoothing is turned on. Worse still, the movement of the characters and the physics of the objects seem off. So, for the same reasons that you shouldn't watch a film with smooth motion activated, you shouldn't watch it at a faster speed than intended.
Modern streaming is a huge convenience, but it's also a source of anxiety. There are simply too many series and films being released and it's understandable that you want to know everything.
However, it's okay to not see everything. You can take things at your own pace and watch them when you have time to enjoy them.