Disney Testing Lightspeed Button That Allows For 30x Playback Speed
Disney announced Monday that it has begun testing a revolutionary new feature for its new streaming service. The “Lightspeed” button will allow viewers to speed up Disney+ content on their smartphones to previously unheard of speeds – up to 30x normal playback. That’s a new record that far surpasses the fast-forward capabilities of even the most advanced DVD and Blu-ray players on the market.
Despite being named after the Star Wars term for lightning-quick space travel, the “Lightspeed” button will not be limited to content set in a Galaxy Far, Far Away. Viewers will be able to speed through the entire Disney+ library at blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speeds, complete with the iconic speed lines.
“We’re excited to bring people yet another innovative way to enjoy our content. With the Lightspeed button, viewers will be able to fit even more of the content they love into their daily lives. For Star Wars fans who may not want to watch all the films at once, this gives them another option to speed through the content with little fear of sensory overload. This is a feature that’s long overdo, and it really showcases the depth and breadth of the Disney+ catalog. On other services, you’d run out of things to watch very quickly at 30x playback speed. So I’m very proud of the fact that only Disney+ can sustain such viewing speeds, thanks to our amazing library. I literally just watched The Force Awakens as I typed this. It’s like a fine wine — it only gets better with speed.”
–Bob Iger, Disney CEO
Ironically, the announcement garnered criticism at lightspeed as well. Content creators, including directors Rian Johnson (The Last Jedi) and the estate of the late Steve Binder (Star Wars Holiday Special), slammed the feature.
“No, Disney, no. Don’t make me have to call every director and show creator on Earth to fight you on this. Save me the time. I will win but it will take a ton of time. Don’t f— with our timing. We give you nice things. Leave them as they were intended to be seen. Distributors don’t get to change the way the content is subverted. Doing so is a breaking of trust and won’t be tolerated by the people who provide it. Let the people who don’t care put it in their contracts that they don’t care. Most all do.”
–Rian Johnson, director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and an untitled trilogy of Star Wars films
A Disney spokesperson told FSW, “We’re always experimenting with new ways to help members engage with our content. The Lightspeed button makes it possible to supercharge the speed at which people watch shows on their mobile devices. As with any test, however, it may not become a permanent feature on Disney+.”
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