High quality HD streams are now en route to all Netflix members, irrespective of their Internet Service Providers.
“This means,” writes Netflix director of corporate communications Joris Evers in a blog post, “that the great TV shows and movies on Netflix will look even better on HD screens with a higher bit rate stream, Super HD, that applies less compression to the 1080p image.”
Netflix initially rolled out Super HD in January through ISPs directly connected to Netflix – excluding those that weren’t. Now they are expanding this availability to ensure all members can enjoy the same. (“Note,” Evers adds, “that HD and Super HD are only available on certain titles and can only be displayed on devices that support HD”).
Netflix, as we know, uses “adaptive streaming” to dynamically adjust the video quality based on the available bandwidth, meaning that the ability to receive Super HD depends on broadband quality and performance, and Netflix users who subscribe to an ISP which is directly connected will invariably enjoy a superior quality service. Netflix also continues to encourage ISPs to adopt Netflix Open Connect.