One Feature Netflix Needs

There isn’t any doubt that Netflix is a leader in the video steaming market. They are changing the way content is consumed and created, and forcing some big companies to change their traditional model (Comcast, HBO, Amazon, etc…). There is a Netflix app for nearly every platform, and it’s surprising to find a person/family that isn’t a subscriber.

But there is something Netflix is missing and would make the service far better. Offline access. They don’t need to make the entire catalog available for download (I really doubt any license agreement would allow for that). But it would be feasible and much appreciate if you could download or cache a certain amount of video. Say a limit of 5 TV episodes or 3 movies, something along those lines.

The content can still be DRM protected, and limited to prevent users from downloading all the content they wanted then cancelling the service.

Having enough video saved to my device to enjoy Netflix on a plane, bus ride, or just when I don’t have internet access would be a huge benefit. The only time I currently need to buy movies or TV shows from Apple/Amazon is when I want to watch them offline. This would make the service far more valuable and I imagine some people would pay extra per month for this feature.

The idea of caching or temporarily downloading streaming content is a new idea. It is how Slacker became popular in the early days of internet radio. The idea that you didn’t have to burn through your phones data plan to listen to music or could listen when you didn’t have service, worked great in music. I think the same idea should be made possible with video. The technology is there, it just needs to be implemented.