Being one of the most popular subscription services, even having recently suffered the first loss of users in its history, there is no doubt that Netflix has become a ubiquitous part of our lives and homes. However, just as it often happens with our closest family and friends, there are always things to discover about them.
And it is that Netflix is not for less, since it has a huge number of functions that have been stealthily incorporated in recent years, in many cases going unnoticed by some users. That is why we want to take advantage and collect some of the lesser known but most useful features and trivia of the platform, so that you can take full advantage of the sacred trinity of “film, blanket and Netflix”.
Customize subtitles
Although the Spanish dubbing has some truly remarkable voices, and many great behind-the-scenes performances, the emphasis given by the original version dubbing is irreplaceable; reason why more and more users are beginning to see content in VOS or original version with subtitles.
And it is that although English keeps fewer and fewer secrets for the general public, Netflix has many other contents in a wide variety of languages such as German, French, Swedish, Japanese or Chinese, for which subtitles have become one of our great allies.
However, depending on the series, subtitles are not always completely readable, or in some cases the opposite, diverting our attention too much. What many users don’t know about the platform itself has a preferences menu for subtitles, from which we can choose between seven different fonts, three text sizes, eight colors and even other options like the shading of the letters or the ability to add a solid or semi-transparent background around them.
To change it, we will only have to access the website of the official tool and, with our session and user selected, modify and customize these settings as much as we want.
Organize co-viewing sessions inside and outside the home
Despite the great prominence that this functionality gained during the quarantine period, there are still many users who are unaware of this Netflix function. And the fact is that the platform has a “party mode” that It will allow us to play series and movies simultaneously in different places. Something perfect to be able to follow a premiere live with our friends without having to take off our pajamas.
The Teleparty browser extension, formerly called Netflix Party, is a free extension for Chrome and Edge browsers that allows us to organize these virtual movie nights in a simple way. All we have to do is install Teleparty, pin it to our browser toolbar, and open the video we want to watch. And it is that once we press the play button, all the participants of this group will see the same content at the same time.
In fact, to foster a somewhat more personal atmosphere, we will have a chat window in a sidebar (although in my humble opinion, nothing better than a voice call to feel our loved ones closer).
Download series and movies to watch them offline
In an era in which the Internet connection is almost as important as having running water at home, losing the connection also means losing access to the vast majority of our entertainment repertoire. However, the Netflix application has a fairly simple and accessible solution without the need for any extension or installation, integrated into all platforms of the service.
A tool that will allow us download movies and episodes from any phone or computer to watch later and offline.
That said, not everything will be as nice as it sounds, since we will require a little planning in advance, with some limitations on the amount of time we can keep these titles once downloaded. In addition, despite the fact that the company continues to expand and rotate its repertoire, we will still have the great drawback that We will not have 100% of the catalog available for this function.
Even so, if we’re lucky and our favorite series, movie or program is compatible with this service, we’ll just have to follow quickly and easily to enjoy it. We will only have to open the Netflix application from the device in which we want to save these contents, and access their file. Once here, we will find a button just below the play optionwith which, in just one click, we can download them to see them offline.
Add ratings from IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes and others
With so much new content being released all the time, it can be hard to know what’s worth seeing and what to avoid. Recommendations from friends and family are very helpful, but only if you have similar tastes and even then, a season can go by quickly, leaving you looking for something new. However, who better than the critics or the global Internet users to offer us a more realistic and impartial score.
The browser extension, Trim, allows you to incorporate information and ratings from IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, or Metacritic without having to take out your phone or open a separate tab. Ratings appear right on your Netflix home screen at a glance. It also allows you to fade selections based on minimum rating scores and release date, making finding your next obsession that much easier.
However, it should be mentioned that in this case we are faced with an exclusive utility for the Chrome browsernot compatible with the application for SmartTVs.
Isn’t the program you are looking for? Ask Netflix
As you hear it, Netflix has at our service a request form with which we can inform you of our favorite titles that are not on the platform.
Obviously, the decisions about which titles are incorporated into the service or not are quite complex, going through factors beyond our control such as the rights of the same, or the possible prohibitions or regulations within our country. However, Netflix also takes into account regional tastes, taking into account the most popular requests of its users.
And it is that although at first glance we may think that our voice will not be heard, each request counts, since you never know how many hundreds or even thousands of users have similar tastes to ours. Also, this process is completely free and will only take a minute or two, so why not try your luck?
