If you want to experience the best sound on the Netflix mobile app, you need an Android-based smartphone. Netflix recently announced the release of Extended HE-AAC support with MPEG-D DRC (xHE-AAC) to compatible Android smartphones (Android 9 and newer). This new audio codec improves intelligibility in noisy environments, adapts to various cellular connections and scales the audio to be transmitted to studio quality. Netflix tested this new audio codec with various users and found it quite useful.
According to data released by the company, on mobile devices, most Netflix members use built-in speakers. When users switch to the headset, the built-in output level has been found to be unsatisfactory, and users generally expect a better experience from the company. For example, let’s say X is in the most exciting scene of any show and the actors’ level of dialogue is not clearly audible. In testing by the company, members switched 7% less from the built-in speakers when listening to xHE-AAC. When the content is high dynamic range, it changes 16% less.
