A new Chrome extension makes it easier to sneakily watch Netflix at work. It might sound petty, but for many people, catching up with what's shaping up to be a great summer of new Netflix releases is all too often a very difficult task.
The third season of Stranger Things has already hit, and rapidly filled the TV void left by the recent completion of Game of Thrones, while more upcoming popular shows such as Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and Queer Eye are marked for release on Netflix this month. And although some might understandably not be watching TV because of other legitimate reasons like being at the beach or taking a much needed vacation, there are those who are stuck in an office for far too many hours of the day, missing all the fun. Unfortunately, work is not the place for Netflix, though there are sure to be many hard working people out there who wish that it was.
All that's about to change, however, thanks to a new Chrome extension. Originally reported by EW, the Netflix Hangouts extension has been created by MSCHF Internet Studios, and allows those stuck in the office the opportunity to catch up with Stranger Things or Comedians in Cars or whatever series they may be in love with. Better still, not only does the new extension allow for some at work me time, but it also gives the impression that serious work is being done.
Once downloaded and added to a Chrome browser, diligent office workers must then go to the Netflix site, choose the program they wish to watch and click on the Netflix Hangouts extension in their Chrome menu. At this point, the user’s screen transforms into what looks like a four-way video chat, though the people in three of the onscreen boxes aren’t real colleagues or business contacts. The fourth box will play the desired Netflix content, meaning some quality viewing can finally be achieved. It seems like the best solution for watching Netflix at work without getting caught, but there are, of course, several drawbacks.
First and foremost, very few people have four-way conference calls in which they don’t speak. Yes, there can be calls that involve a lot of listening and very little talking on the part of some people, but even if this is the case, who wants to watch Comedians in Cars while nodding and agreeing for no reason at all? Are Netflix Hangouts users supposed to have phoney conversations while watching their desired programs? It’s an interesting extension, no doubt, but unless users are able to create the illusion that they're busy working while also watching their favorite programs, Netflix Hangouts still isn't a perfect solution.
Source: EW