How Streaming Services Like Netflix Remember Your Video Position
Streaming services such as Netflix provide an excellent user experience by remembering the exact point where a user left off when they exit the browser or app unexpectedly. This is made possible through a combination of sophisticated techniques that involve user accounts, client-side and server-side storage, and database updates. Let’s explore these methods in detail.
User Accounts and Profiles
Every streaming service relies on user accounts to track viewing history and preferences. When you log into your account, the service automatically associates your listening and watching habits. This means that your viewing progress is linked to your profile, making it easy to pick up where you left off on any device.
Playback Progress Tracking
The process of remembering the exact point where a user left off includes monitoring their playback progress. This is achieved through:
Client-Side Storage
While users are streaming, the app or browser may store the current playback position locally. This can be done through mechanisms like cookies or local storage. By saving the current position, the service ensures that even if the app crashes or the user exits the app unexpectedly, they can resume from the exact point they left off.
Server-Side Storage
In addition to local storage, the service also updates your playback position on the server at regular intervals. This is typically done every few seconds. This ensures that even if the client fails to report the last position, the server has the latest information, providing a more reliable and consistent user experience.
Database Updates
When a user completes a session, a database update is triggered to reflect the last played position. This information is stored in the user's profile within the database, which is then used to resume playback seamlessly. The update can happen both automatically and manually, depending on the service's policies and user actions.
Resuming Playback
When a user returns to the video, the service checks their account details and retrieves the last played position from the database. This allows the user to pick up where they left off, providing a seamless and uninterrupted video experience. This process is efficient and works across platforms, ensuring that users can resume their content wherever they left off.
Cross-Device Synchronization
Leading streaming services like Netflix also offer cross-device synchronization. If you start watching a series on one device and then switch to another, the service ensures that you can pick up right where you left off. This feature relies on the same tracking and syncing mechanisms described above, but it extends the functionality to multiple devices.
Implementing Resumption Mechanisms
Several platforms, including Muvi, offer similar features to remember the last played video position. Muvi’s Resume Playback feature uses video logs to track the last playtime. Whenever a video is played, the system logs the duration of the video. The time is then updated to the server database, which in turn allows for seamless resumption of playback on any device.
The player on Muvi remembers the last played video for each viewer, ensuring that users can continue watching from where they left off. This feature works across multiple platforms, providing a consistent and engaging user experience.
In conclusion, streaming services use a combination of user accounts, client-side and server-side storage, and database updates to remember the exact point where users left off. This provides a seamless and uninterrupted experience, even when users exit the app unexpectedly. With advancements in technology, the techniques used by streaming services are continuously evolving to enhance user experience and convenience.