Netflix for iOS update brings support for iOS 8, 1080p playback on iPhone 6 Plus

Posted:
in iPhone edited December 2014
Netflix on Tuesday issued an update for its iOS app, bringing full compatibility with Apple's latest iOS 8 operating system and 1080p playback for the new iPhone 6 Plus.


New Netflix app (right) optimized for iPhone 6 display.


Hitting version 7.0 with today's release, Netflix adds iOS 8 support, but more importantly brings optimizations for the larger screens used in Apple's latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets.

As seen in the side-by-side screenshots above, Netflix now takes advantage of the larger 4.7-inch iPhone 6 screen by displaying more content in video selection menus and search results. Additionally, movie playback controls have been tweaked and no longer obscure one third of the screen.

For iPhone 6 Plus owners, Netflix now outputs true 1080p video, a major improvement compared to past app versions and competing services.

Finally, Netflix says users of Google's Chromecast will see improvements with the latest update, likely in stream stability.

Netflix for iOS is a free 19MB download from the iOS App Store and Netflix monthly subscriptions start at $7.99 per month.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    Just checked "Netflix" test video and saw no difference between 720 and 1080 on my ip6 plus.
  • Reply 2 of 13
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post



    Just checked "Netflix" test video and saw no difference between 720 and 1080 on my ip6 .

    On your ip6+ right?

  • Reply 3 of 13
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Douglas Bailey View Post

     

    On your ip6+ right?


     

    yup. i think ai swallowed the plus sign :)

  • Reply 4 of 13
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Perhaps you were not getting the 1080p. Due to connection speed, contention ratios or throttling? The differences is noticeable.
  • Reply 5 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post



    Perhaps you were not getting the 1080p. Due to connection speed, contention ratios or throttling? The differences is noticeable.

     

    The test video actually shows both resolution and bit rate. When it switched from 720 to 1080, bit rate grew from 3000kbps to 4500.

    Perhaps my eyes are not able to distinguish.

  • Reply 6 of 13
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post



    Perhaps you were not getting the 1080p. Due to connection speed, contention ratios or throttling? The differences is noticeable.

     

    Due to connection issue yes i have faced the issue too

  • Reply 7 of 13
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    jason98 wrote: »
    The test video actually shows both resolution and bit rate. When it switched from 720 to 1080, bit rate grew from 3000kbps to 4500.
    Perhaps my eyes are not able to distinguish.

    Well that is always a possibility :) Also HD content varies a lot.

    OT a bit but It always amazes me how much better 4K video looks even on a non 4K monitor than HD yet many will say they cannot see any difference. I have an ongoing disagreement with my best friend who claims he cannot see it.

    There are quite a few samples of 4K on the web you can download and even on my 27" Apple Display I can see the difference between say Ultra HD and true 4K data.

    I was comparing footage shot from very high end 4K video cameras and Sony's 4K video consumer video cameras and, to me at least, I could spot the difference easily. Yet on paper I should not be able to see on that monitor. Of course it is all to do with the resulting image you get when scaling down higher quality and why I really lust after a high end 4K camera and a 5K monitor :(

    I am puzzled why my friend cannot see the difference though. Is it learned perceptional ability perhaps, I have always been in photography and video he hasn't ... or is it biological difference?
  • Reply 8 of 13
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post





    Well that is always a possibility image Also HD content varies a lot.



    OT a bit but It always amazes me how much better 4K video looks even on a non 4K monitor than HD yet many will say they cannot see any difference. I have an ongoing disagreement with my best friend who claims he cannot see it.



    There are quite a few samples of 4K on the web you can download and even on my 27" Apple Display I can see the difference between say Ultra HD and true 4K data.



    I was comparing footage shot from very high end 4K video cameras and Sony's 4K video consumer video cameras and, to me at least, I could spot the difference easily. Yet on paper I should not be able to see on that monitor. Of course it is all to do with the resulting image you get when scaling down higher quality and why I really lust after a high end 4K camera and a 5K monitor image



    I am puzzled why my friend cannot see the difference though. Is it learned perceptional ability perhaps, I have always been in photography and video he hasn't ... or is it biological difference?

     

    Have you tried it "blind" - i.e. testing to see if you can tell a difference without knowing which is which?

     

    I mean, you can't see pixels that aren't there, but perhaps there's something else you're seeing.

  • Reply 9 of 13
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zigzaglens View Post

     

    Have you tried it "blind" - i.e. testing to see if you can tell a difference without knowing which is which?

     

    I mean, you can't see pixels that aren't there, but perhaps there's something else you're seeing.


     

    It could be in the contrast at the edges of objects in the scene (for example: a dark object on a light background or vice versa).  If you have more pixels in the video image, you can average/smooth those edges better when you downsample the larger image to fit on the screen.

  • Reply 10 of 13
  • Reply 11 of 13

    i stream 1080 at 5800kbps at home.  i've run this test while running a speed test in parallel & it doesnt change.  4300 is on the low end of 1080... see website.. http://blog.streamingmedia.com/2013/09/netflix-doubles-video-quality-making-6mbps-superhd-streams-available-everyone.html

  • Reply 12 of 13

    I thought the iPhone 6 beat out the Plus in graphics performance? So, why no 1080p for the 6? 

  • Reply 13 of 13
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macinthe408 View Post

     

    I thought the iPhone 6 beat out the Plus in graphics performance? So, why no 1080p for the 6? 


     

    The 6 is 1334 by 750 pixels.  1080p is 1920 by 1080 pixels.

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