Netflix button
The Netflix button is a button available on many modern remote controllers, used to directly connect to the popular streaming service Netflix. It was initially implemented in America in 2011.[1] In 2015, the button was added to European remotes.[2] This button sends an infrared (IR) signal to the television and opens up the Netflix app.
Adoption
[edit]
Many popular TV companies have adopted the Netflix button, including: LG, Samsung, Sony, and Hisense. Some of the TVs have made it to a list that Netflix has dubbed the "Netflix Recommended TVs". These are TVs that have a Netflix button on them which Netflix recommends to their subscribers to get the best viewing experience for their service.[3] Some low-end laptop computers in emerging markets also ship with streaming buttons (or rather keys), typically including Netflix.[4] Brazilian OEM Positivo has been including Netflix keys on their laptops since 2018.[5]
Mechanism
[edit]The Netflix button only works on those TVs that support it, this includes: "Smart TVs, game consoles, streaming media players, set-top boxes, and Blu-ray players".[6] Although hard-programmed on many devices, the Netflix button as of recent has been opening up to re-purposing. On the NVIDIA Shield, the remote has a Netflix button that can be reprogrammed very easily using a program on the device.[7]
Netflix, in 2015, had also open-sourced a design for consumers to create their own Netflix button with additional features.[8] Labeled "The Switch", this homemade device can dim the lights, silence incoming phone calls, order take-out, and open Netflix with one button press. The Switch is part of a series of DIY projects Netflix created, knows as "Netflix Make It" for their consumers to learn more about programming and create their own projects.
Criticism
[edit]The introduction of the Netflix button was criticized; an article from "The Verge" says that the button comes as a constant advertisement on a device you had already paid up to thousands of dollars for. Arguing that the buttons are "putting making money ahead of actual user experience or design".[9] Initially, concerns had been raised about whether the button violates the principle of net neutrality, by putting its streaming competitors in disadvantage.[10] A common complaint is that someone who is not a Netflix subscriber who accidentally presses the Netflix button is taken to a useless screen.
A popular option for streaming services, Roku, has 4 separate streaming buttons on their remotes. Each of these buttons cost the streaming service one dollar per unit sold.[11] The Roku has many different buttons for the consumer to choose, but most of the remotes feature a Netflix button on them.
By the early 2020s other streaming services and media, such as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Samsung TV Plus, Spotify, Crunchyroll, YouTube, and Disney+, also had got their own buttons.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ Yarow, Jay. "Netflix Partnering With Major TV Makers To Add A Netflix Button To TV Remotes". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ "Netflix is about to get much easier to use". The Independent. 2015-04-02. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "Netflix Recommended TVs | Built for a better Netflix experience". devices.netflix.com. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
- ^ Canal do Shin (2023-05-29). Notebook Positivo: Como ativar as teclas Netflix, Deezer e YouTube (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-01-24 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Positivo lança notebooks Motion e Vaio no Brasil; veja os preços". TechTudo (in Portuguese). 2018-07-26. Archived from the original on 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "How can I watch Netflix on my TV?". Help Center. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ "Here's how to repurpose the Netflix button on the new Shield TV remote". Android Police. 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- ^ "Personal Trainer | Make It by Netflix". makeit.netflix.io. Archived from the original on 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2015-05-01.
- ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (2020-04-24). "The Netflix button is an advertisement masquerading as a product". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ Effros, Steve (5 January 2011). "The "Netflix Button" Violates "Net Neutrality"". digitalsociety.org. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ Bouma, Luke (2019-12-12). "Roku Charges $1 Million For Home Page Takeovers, & Branded Remote Buttons Go For $1 Per Customer". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ Pocket-lint (2020-09-11). "PS5 Media Remote to get Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify buttons". www.pocket-lint.com. Retrieved 2021-04-15.