Netflix 'post-play' feature that automatically jumps to the next episode is now optional

Netflix has been rolling out a 'post-play' experience on various platforms since late 2012, but not everyone is a fan of how it jumps to a new episode automatically. That's not a problem anymore, since TechHive points out that now there's a toggle in your Netflix account settings (under playback settings) that keeps it from playing the next episode automatically. By default the feature is on, although as Netflix explains, it still requires a prompt of some kind to keep going after a couple of episodes have played. The post-play UI remains intact no matter what you choose, so watching the credits for every last best boy, grip and "no animals were harmed in the making of" will still require jumping on the remote to zoom back in. Of course, if your main concern is of House of Cards moving on an episode or two after you've dozed off, then this will fix it. Like other settings it's locked to individual profiles, so turning it off for the kids can keep them from turning out like the rest of us -- far too lazy to bother clicking a button to advance.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/24/n...the-next-epis/

By Drew Fitzgerald and Shalini Ramachandran, The Wall Street Journal

Netflix subscribers have seen a lot more spinning wheels lately as they wait for videos to load, thanks to a standoff deep in the Internet.

The online-video service has been at odds with Verizon Communications and other broadband providers for months over how much Netflix streaming content they will carry without being paid additional fees.

Now the long-simmering conflict has heated up and is slowing Netflix, in particular, on Verizon's fiber-optic FiOS service, where Netflix says its average prime-time speeds dropped by 14 percent last month. The slowdown comes as Netflix is rolling out the new season of its Emmy-winning series "House of Cards."

The dispute involves the plumbing behind parts of the Internet that are invisible to consumers. As more people stream movies and television, that infrastructure is getting strained, intensifying the debate over who should pay for upgrades needed to satisfy America's online-video habit.

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