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Internal Netflix Hack Pauses Program If Viewer Falls Asleep

During Netflix's internal 24-hour Hack Day, engineers came up with a solution for falling asleep and losing your place. It involves Fitbit.
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If you've ever fallen asleep while watching "House of Cards" on Netflix only to wake up with no idea which part you last saw — you might not have to deal with that any longer.

"A Netflix subscriber wearing a Fitbit device, the device can sense when you fall asleep and pause the show that you're watching." (Via Fox Business

So the program is actually paused while you snooze. But don't get too excited — the magical Fitbit-Netflix connection isn't available to the masses yet. 

"It is worth noting this is part of Netflix's own internal Hack Day, so it is unclear if this will become a permanent feature." (Via WOWT)

So basically, the Fitbit idea came about mostly because Netflix engineers wanted to see if they could do it. Here's a video posted on the YouTube page:

"The Fitbit registers data to its API that can be collected by any connected device. By using this prompt, Netflix can smoothly fade back audio and offer on-screen prompts for when the user may awaken."

PC Magazine reports the Fitbit link wasn't the only idea engineers came up with.

"Since Netflix quietly did away with its queue option, one team created a modern answer to the what-to-watch-next question: Custom playlists. Users can add titles or individual episodes, which can be saved by theme or occasion."

The company says that although the hacks are cool, they might never become part of Netflix. Maybe we should get a petition started.