Google's Nexus 7 brings high-def Netflix to Android for first time
With the new tablet, Netflix will be able to take advantage of a big upgrade to pixel density.
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Google's new Nexus 7 tablet will get to show off its enhanced pixel density as the first Android device to get Netflix's streaming video in high definition.
The new app for the service was available in the Google Play store as of Monday, according to Hugo Barra, VP of Android product management. He was speaking at Google's Breakfast with Sundar event Wednesday.
Netflix spokesman Joris Evers said the company and Google worked together on the new Play Store version of Netflix that supports 1,080-pixel HD video. The Nexus 7 is the first tablet that supports this new app, with more devices coming later this year.
Previously, Netflix has had some one off, ad hoc HD implementations of Netflix on Android, he said. But now it will be available broadly.
Getting high-quality video on Nexus 7 is a feather in the cap for Google, not only for the new tablet but for its Android system in general. Developers often either tend to release apps and features for Apple's iOS devices first or simultaneously for Google and Apple's mobile operating systems.
But Netflix doesn't have HD on iOS devices, giving Android a leg up on its rival for a highly popular service.
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