Update – NetFlix claims that the update in its roadmap was wrong. 1080p streaming will not be coming this year. However, closed captioning and 5.1 surround sound are a go.
Like a fine scotch, Netflix just keeps getting better with age. The company will rolling out 1080p streaming this year for its army of subscribers.
The company is moving away from DVDs as quickly and strongly as possible, attempting to get out of the saddle of a dying horse. The CEO of Netflix has expressed pessimism with physical formats, a bold move for a company that was built on shipping DVDs at light speed.
The company will also be addressing a long time gripe among its customers, the 1080p streaming will support 5.1 surround sound. Many users through time were annoyed when some streams, labeled HD, did not have surround sound.
There is no firm date set for this feature roll out, but expect it to consume bandwidth like an oil well fire.
According to CNet, to connection speed needed to stream 720P is around 5mpbs. Given that 1080p contains around twice the data, much faster connections will be needed to handle the new resolution.
Netflix is pushing the curve, making it so that in a few more years, you will never have to wait to see the movie that you want to see.
Alex Wilhelm is a Chicago-based technology blogger and entrepreneur. He has worked for a number of technology companies in recent years, and has a particular interest in watching the social web monetize. Follow Alex on Twitter, or on Facebook. You can reach Alex via email at alex@thenextweb.com
