In line with its now long standing approach of focusing on mobile and videos, Facebook has upped its video viewing experience. The most interesting development in the update is a new Facebook video app for TV, which will roll out soon to app stores for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV, with more platforms to come.
“Our video app for TV is a new way to enjoy Facebook videos on a bigger screen. Last year we rolled out the ability for you to stream videos from Facebook to your TV, and today’s announcement expands this capability,” explained a Facebook official. With the app, users can watch videos shared by friends or Pages they follow, top live videos from around the world, and recommended videos based on interests. They can also catch up on videos saved to watch later, as well as revisit videos they have watched, shared or uploaded.
The changes also include enabling audio to play automatically in News Feed videos that were previously played silently until the user tapped to hear sound. “As people watch more video on phones, they’ve come to expect sound when the volume on their device is turned on. After testing sound on in News Feed and hearing positive feedback, we’re slowly bringing it to more people. The sound fades in and out as the user scrolls through,” stated a Facebook post, adding that users can change the settings for the videos to stay silent.
Facebook has also made changes to make vertical videos look better on mobile devices. Also, to watch a video and to keep scrolling through News Feed, Facebook has now made it possible to minimize the video to a picture-in-picture view that keeps playing in the corner of the screen.
