Netflix was a late bloomer in India, considering there were quite a few local players like Voot, Hotstar and YuppTV that had already made their mark in the VoD(video on demand) space. Despite the hurdles, Netflix gained popularity with the younger generation, thanks to global television shows and movies right at the click of a button.
There was one thing still missing from the service – which it intended to offer to its customers – that a subscriber couldn’t watch the video offline. YouTube introduced offline videos long time back and this feature has been treasured by the YouTube audience.
Finally, after a long wait, Netflix has introduced downloading of videos on its platform for offline viewing. You can download select TV shows and movies to watch without an Internet connection from the Netflix app on your iOS or Android device. This works particularly well in India because internet connectivity is intermittent.
The only caveat of this feature is that this is not available on the desktop version yet. Which makes sense for users who watch Netflix on their smartphones or tablets, but for someone who wants to watch the videos later at home, you will have to cast your netflix screen on your television or desktop.
This service will not cost extra, so the subscription plan in India will still start at Rs. 500, which is a sweeter deal now. It is an amazing opportunity for frequent travellers to enjoy their favourite shows and movies on the go, whether they are in an airplane or underground in the metro.
The Netflix post on the blog mentions, “Many of your favorite streaming series and movies are already available for download, with more on the way, so there is plenty of content available for those times when you are offline. For example, Orange is The New Black, Narcos and The Crown are available for download today.”
How can you download videos and watch them offline later?
This feature has been released worldwide and should be available immediately in the updated app for smartphones. It is similar to YouTube’s offline video functionality, with a lot more shows and movies that you would want to binge on.
You need to have iOS 8.0 and later or Android 4.4.2 and later to get the updated app from the app stores. When you stream a video regularly, you will also notice a button on the bottom right with an arrow pointing downwards a small line. Pressing on this button will immediately start the download of the TV show or the movie you requested for.
Since this is app only, you must download the movies and TV shows on WiFi, unless you’re using Reliance Jio and have free internet for a while. Having this feature app-only also keeps a tab on piracy and illegal downloads.
There is a ‘My Downloads’ section now that will store all your downloaded titles. You can watch them as many times as you want, so you save on multiple streaming. Not all titles are available for download yet, so you can specifically browse through ‘Available for Download’ header on the app.
For chromecast users, this can be extremely helpful if you stream all your content to your television. It also offers the flexibility to watch the videos anytime later. Amazon Prime Video offers the same features, and will be launching in India soon, so stay tuned for more news on this.
Still not sure whether you should download Netflix? Go for a month free trial and see if video downloads work for you. The video quality is excellent and the content is vast. For college students and office goers, this is an exciting feature as you can watch your content while travelling.
Source: Netflix
