Following the public release of Android 4.3, now rolling out on Google's Nexus devices, 1080p is finally coming to Android smartphone and tablet users.
Up until now, Netflix playback has been limited to standard definitions on Android and iOS devices, with 1080p only available on set-top devices such as the PS3. The limitation on Android, iOS and other portable devices has largely to do with copyright issues, in particular the lack of a standard DRM package.
But with the release of Android 4.3, and a new DRM API, 1080p Netflix is now finally possible. The updated Netflix app rolled out to the Play store last week, coinciding with Android 4.3 rolling out worldwide to Nexus devices in the same week via an OTA update. The newly updated Nexus 7 tablet will be the first tablet to support 1080p Netflix content.
"We're really thrilled to announce today that one of the first Android partners to take advantage of this new capability is Netflix," said Hugo Barra, vice-president of Android product management at Google.
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