A lot of exciting news was revealed at Google’s “Breakfast with Sundar” event today, including a major announcement from Netflix that gives Android an advantage over iOS in the streaming department. Netflix has released a new version of its Android app, specifically for the just revealed update of Google’s Nexus 7 tablet, which releases in the U.S. on July 30th. For the first time on Android, Netflix will stream in full 1080p HD.
The 1080p streaming will only be available on the revamped Nexus 7 for the time being, but Netflix has announced that full HD support will be coming to some other devices later this year. Until now, Netflix has always streamed in standard def on Android, regardless of the resolution of the device used to view it. With today’s 1080p announcement, Android devices join the HD world.
This is a rare instance of a service releasing for Android before iOS, which has no HD streaming for any of its devices currently. Of course, Netflix1080p HD streaming will probably be coming to modern iPads, if not the next generation soon.
Another revelation from the event was Google’s Chromecast HDMI dongle device that allows streaming from Android devices. With the combination of a Nexus 7 (or future 1080p capable Android devices) and a Chromecast, Google’s effectively cut out the need for another set-top box such as the Roku. Netflix announced it would be Chromecast compatible at today’s event, so it’s not a bad idea to snag one if you’re getting a Nexus 7.
[Via: Android Police]