Twitter Tests Adjustable Video Playback Speeds

pcmag.com:

Twitter is offering a new way to take in video content: adjustable playback speeds.

The social media platform is testing out the option to adjust the speed of videos uploaded to the platform. For now, it’s just a test on Android and the web for select users; those who gain access will see a gear icon appear while playing a video. Click or tap to open playback settings with a variety of different speed options.

Twitter is offering granular control over playback, with 0.25 increments up to 2x and down to 0.25x speed, effectively matching the options available for YouTube videos. Though the feature may support both faster and slower playback, we tested it on the Android app and in our browser on mobile and PC, but only see options to increase video playback speed so far.

Twitter says playback settings will apply to Tweet Videos, Amplify Videos, Voice Tweets, videos in DMs, and Video Live Replays, with some variation depending on platform, The Verge reports.

When Netflix announced a test of a similar feature in 2019, a number of actors and directors took to Twitter to complain that speeding up or slowing down a scene is tantamount to destroying art. Netflix rolled it out more fully in 2020 nonetheless, saying that its tests “showed it didn't impact [people’s] perceptions of the content's quality."

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