James R | On 25, Jul 2015

2013 was a great year. Andy Murray won Wimbledon. Croatia joined the EU. “Squee” was added to the dictionary. Also, Netflix updated its TV app.

Since then, smart TV users have been faced with the same tired interface, while Netflix set about upgrading everyone else’s devices. In the last two years, the streaming giant has enabled 1080p streaming for iPhone 6 users. It’s also changed its menu layouts for console and set top box owners to more closely match its tablet and mobile phone format.

“We hope this slideshow will give you a better feel for what the show is about than reading the description alone,” said the company’s tech team at the time.

Now, it has unveiled a new look for its TV app that tries to do the same thing.

What’s changed? When you select a title, it will start or resume playing in the background, while displaying key information to help you confirm your choice.

“We’re letting the content speak for itself by providing a more immersive and cinematic experience that best represents the capabilities and expectations of today’s TVs,” says Netflix. “Video is a rich medium for storytelling and we’ve found bringing video playback into the content selection experience makes it easier to find something great to watch.”

The update began rolling out globally this week, so you can expect it on your device either already or very soon. Who knows what they’ll change in another two years’ time?

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