Lifestyle
Netflix now streaming in data-saving AV1 codec
Available only on Android
Even with improving data plans, Netflix remains a notorious data killer. It’s still risky to use Netflix without the comforting arms of a Wi-Fi connection. Heaven have mercy if you forgot to turn off your data after a 2-hour movie on HD.
Finally, Netflix has implemented the best solution against rampant data usage. Starting today, the giant entertainment platform has started streaming using the royalty-free AV1 codec on Android.
Developed by the Alliance for Open Media, the codec compresses much more effectively than Netflix’s current standard — Google’s VP9 codec. AV1 has already earned the support of Amazon, Apple, Google, Intel, and Microsoft. YouTube partially serves its videos in the new codec, as well. Now, Netflix joins this distinguished group.
What does this mean for the everyday user? Because of the new codec, Netflix won’t use as much data on AV1-supported data. Users can turn this feature on through the Cellular Data Usage setting and selecting Save Data. Supposedly, the feature is 20 percent more efficient at using data.
Unfortunately, the feature’s launch has a flurry of limitations. For one, the launch is specific only to Android devices. Netflix hopes to expand the availability soon. Further, not all of Netflix’s content is streaming in AV1. Only selected titles are currently available for high-efficiency streaming.
Finally, the user’s device must support the codec as well. Apparently, the codec requires high-performance hardware to operate. Getting better data usage might mean sacrificing both battery life and picture quality. Also, Netflix hasn’t specified which devices will support the codec. (For reference, the above screenshot was taken from a Huawei P30.)
Still, Netflix’s new feature is a welcome addition for data savers. Hopefully, the feature won’t come with too many trade-offs.
Entertainment
Netflix: Kris Aquino makes on-screen comeback with fictional role
Long-time TV icon named “C.H.I.K.A.” of Netflix
Long-time popular Philippine TV icon Kris Aquino has made her on-screen comeback as Netflix’s fictional C.H.I.K.A., or “Chief Head of Insights and Kontent Analysis.”
Netflix initially teased the campaign through a post mentioning that they were “hiring” for the said position.
The post also contained a bullet list of descriptions that served as clues. Not long after, the streaming giant bared the former presidential daughter and presidential sister has made her comeback.
A teaser has likewise been released. The fun skit features Aquino in this new fictional role, giving her signature witty commentary inside the Netflix editing room to ensure that the production of local entertainment content is of topnotch quality.
Two more episodes will be rolled out on August 14 and 20.
Entertainment
New Yorkers compete in Ted Lasso lookalike contest at Apple Fifth Avenue
Futbol is life!
Apple Fifth Avenue or Nelson Road? New Yorkers gathered at the iconic flagship store as it transformed into a slice of AFC Richmond for a Ted Lasso lookalike contest celebrating the return of the hit Apple TV+ series.
Dozens of fans arrived in Ted’s signature look, complete with mustaches, visors, blue sweaters, and khakis. Inside the store, the AFC Richmond takeover continued with themed photo opportunities and hidden Easter eggs for longtime fans to discover.
The celebration continued across Midtown and Central Park, where brand ambassadors spread kindness with “Believe” signs, complimentary coffee and tea, a tunnel of cheering Teds for runners, and the Goldfish Zone, where visitors symbolically let go of worries by dropping paper fish into a fishbowl.
The takeover marked the return of Ted Lasso, which premiered its fourth season on Apple TV+ on Aug. 5, which arrives more than three years after Season 3 concluded in 2023.
Jason Sudeikis returns as the relentlessly optimistic coach, this time leading AFC Richmond’s newly formed women’s team while reuniting with familiar faces.
Features
GadgetSnaps: Westminster Abbey
A thousand years of history, unfolded with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Westminster Abbey isn’t just another stop on the London tourist trail.
It’s the stage for coronations, royal weddings, and burials that span nearly a thousand years, all still playing out under the same vaulted ceilings that have been standing since before most countries had names.
Once you get past the crowds and the audio guides, a quieter version of the abbey starts to show itself: worn stone steps, poets resting a few feet from kings, light that shifts across the nave like it’s in on the performance too.
While losing track of time in Poets’ Corner (yes, me, playing amateur historian for an afternoon), I unfolded the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and decided the abbey deserved more than a quick tourist snap.
All photos captured using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra.
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