NetFlix has been starting to roll out HD content to the various set-top instant watch boxes. So far, it seems that which titles are available in HD seems to vary by device. Are there any plans to include HD information for instant watch titles in the API? And if so, will that information be device specific?
Great question and not one we have an answer for just yet. There are a few constraints that affect what is HD for a device currently and I can't say if those constraints will be the same by the time we've updated the API to support HD-specific title queries. API support for these types of richly parametrized title queries are one of the top features we want to provide in the future, but there is a significant amount of work required to enable them in a way that is both extensible as well as high-performance and scaleable.
This still isn't an easy problem to solve with a server-only API. The logic of whether a title can be displayed in HD or not is a device-specific decision. The logic only lives in client devices today.
It would be great if the API simply had a flag saying that HD is available for an instant item - we app devs can simply make sure it says something like "HD available on some devices" or such.
NetFlix has been starting to roll out HD content to the various set-top instant watch boxes. So far, it seems that which titles are available in HD seems to vary by device. Are there any plans to include HD information for instant watch titles in the API? And if so, will that information be device specific?
Message edited by Nowhere Man 2 years ago
Michael Hart – 3 years ago
Great question and not one we have an answer for just yet. There are a few constraints that affect what is HD for a device currently and I can't say if those constraints will be the same by the time we've updated the API to support HD-specific title queries. API support for these types of richly parametrized title queries are one of the top features we want to provide in the future, but there is a significant amount of work required to enable them in a way that is both extensible as well as high-performance and scaleable.
mattetti – 2 years ago
Any updates on this topic?
Thanks,
- Matt
Michael Hart – 2 years ago
This still isn't an easy problem to solve with a server-only API. The logic of whether a title can be displayed in HD or not is a device-specific decision. The logic only lives in client devices today.
Doron – 2 years ago
It would be great if the API simply had a flag saying that HD is available for an instant item - we app devs can simply make sure it says something like "HD available on some devices" or such.
dhchoi – 2 years ago
Any updates on exposing HD availability through the API?
priya – 2 years ago
We have added this to our 2.0 API which is in development currently and will be available for preview very soon. Thanks for your patience.
dhchoi – 2 years ago
OK thanks.