Netflix has revealed which TVs are being given its stamp of approval this year, with the lineup including panels from LG, Samsung and Sony.
The first 'Netflix Recommended' TVs of 2017 will be the LG 4K UHD TVs with WebOS 3.5, the Samsung 7, 8, 9 and Q-Series Smart TVs and Sony’s Android sets.
"The programme recognises products that offer better performance, easier access, and new features that make for a better smart TV," said director of business development at Netflix, David Holland, speaking at Netflix's Labs event at the company's HQ in Los Gatos, California.
"We have pre-defined criteria we provide to manufacturers in advance, and we evaluate their retail TVs in a magnetically shielded lab. Any TV which passes at least five out of our seven criteria can be designated a Netflix Recommended TV," he added.
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New criteria added to the list this year include the ability to power on the TV and fire up the Netflix app within a few seconds, as well as being able to switch between TV apps or switch from apps to live TV and back again "almost instantly." Recommended TVs must also be able to display the Netflix interface in high resolution.
As in previous years, TVs must also offer the latest version of the service’s app and include a dedicated Netflix button on the remote. What’s more, the Netflix app must be prominent and easy to find on the smart TV’s interface.
The Netflix Recommended TV scheme first launched in 2015 in the US before rolling out globally in 2016. LG, Samsung and Sony were all included in the 2016 lineup.
At last week’s Netflix Labs event, which coincided with the global release of its latest Marvel show Iron Fist, the firm also unveiled a new user rating system for its content.
In particular, it is dropping its star ratings system and replacing it with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. Giving each film or TV programme the thumbs up or down will feed into an algorithm that produces a percentage match for each title.
"We were inspired by dating sites," revealed Todd Yellin, vice president product at Netflix.
The 'confusing' star rating has been used by Netflix since its inception but is widely misunderstood. The stars are personalised for each viewer based on the titles they’ve watched, rather than a mark of quality.
The new system is intended to be more intuitive, with Yellin explaining that the "thumbs up" is the language of the internet and that "star ratings don’t tell the story anymore."
Netflix has been testing out the new system among random subscribers for some time, with positive results.
"Going to thumbs up and thumbs down versus five stars, we got a lot more ratings, so it shows people are more engaged. We saw more than 200 per cent increase in engagement," said Yellin.
While giving the thumbs up or thumbs down to everything a user watches will help Netflix’s algorithms, the ratings can also be used for titles people haven’t watched.
For example, if a user is constantly seeing a certain title recommended to them but has no interest in watching it, they can give it a thumbs down and it will no longer be promoted. They’ll still be able to search for it if they change their mind, though.
Additionally, subscribers will still be able to access their old star ratings history in My Activity, where they can modify or scrap them. These existing ratings will be used to help identify the new percentage matches but star ratings themselves will no longer be displayed for each title.
This is the latest in a series of moves Netflix has made to improve the personalisation of recommendations the streaming service offers. The thumb ratings, and percentage matches will assist algorithms that determine what is displayed on the interface for each individual user.
Last year, Netflix introduced video previews to help subscribers to ‘browse less and watch more’. "We’re trying to make it as easy as we can for people to find what they want quickly and enjoy it," said Yellin.
The ‘thumbs’ rating system is due to launch globally in April across mobile, tablets and TVs.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
