Netflix may be known for video streaming, but letting subscribers download content for offline viewing is apparently not out of the realm of possibility. During the company’s first quarter 2016 earnings call on Monday, CEO Reed Hastings revealed his opinion that Netflix should “keep an open mind” on the issue, reports Variety.
If your hopes of never having to be Netflix-less mid-flight have skyrocketed, no one can blame you. That said, Hastings didn’t announce any actual plans. His comment came in response to a question about why Netflix doesn’t provide its users with the ability to view content offline, much as Amazon Prime Video does.
Still, the CEO’s openness to the idea is promising, especially considering that the company seemed to have a more antagonistic stance in the past. As Variety points out, Netflix execs have previously been dismissive of the idea, arguing that there wasn’t any need given how easy it is to remain connected in the U.S. (Have they never endured the struggle of flying somewhere without Wi-Fi or in-flight Netflix provided by the airline?)
With Netflix expanding across the globe, though, the situation has changed. Hastings described “an uneven set of networks” around the world, and the company seems to realize that what works for subscribers stateside might not pass muster overseas. In countries where network speeds are slower, consumers may have a greater need for the ability to download a video to watch later.
There’s a lot here that remains to be seen, of course. Netflix may never take the plunge, and even if it does, there’s no guarantee that the streamer would roll out offline viewing across all markets; the U.S. itself could forever remain a Netflix download desert. We can’t help but hold out hope for the game-changing measure, though.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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