Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is continuing its quest to become the dominant platform for streaming entertainment. A new Disney arrangement is nearly finished and simply waiting for final legal approval, while lovers of cult-favorite Arrested Development are eagerly awaiting the second installment of Netflix original programming when they pick up where the Fox series ended years ago. Arrested Development‘s fourth season will be released on Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) on May 26th with all 15 episodes available immediately. The first trailer hit the web today and in addition to featuring the entire Bluth family, fans and those new to the show will see guest appearances from Seth Rogan and Kristen Wiig among others this “season.” I use season loosely as Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) continues its “all at once” content delivery to appeal to binge viewers.
Today, Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) announced an upgrade to its Playstation 3 app, with a focus on audio and subtitle improvement. While most journalists have focused on how this will benefit the hearing impaired, they are overlooking a number of people whose first language may not be English who use subtitles to improve their language skills. Native Spanish speakers, for example, could use Spanish subtitles to improve their vocabulary or English subtitles in order to improve spelling and sentence structure. Let’s face it, the majority of the hearing impaired in the United States are not of the age that you associate with Playstation 3 ownership.
“The first thing you will notice is an updated design that is more consistent with the Netflix player on the Web as well as our mobile and tablet applications,” said Chris Jaffe, director of product innovation at Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX).
“The key feature in this update is the ability to easily manage your audio and subtitles selections. You can now do that directly in the player on the PS3, without having to return to the browse experience.”
With this update, Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is offering an enhanced subtitle experience that has already been available on its Xbox app, as well as adding a social element so that your friends can see the titles that you are watching.
Additionally, there are some playback improvements including “trickplay” mode – a fast-forward or rewind option, and a 10 second skip back button.
“The updated Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) player experience is available now on PS3 and will be coming soon to select Smart TVs and Blu-ray players,” said Jaffe
