Netflix Hack Day — Summer 2017
by Daniel Jacobson, Ruslan Meshenberg, Leslie Posada, and Tom Richards
About a week ago, Netflix hosted another great Hack Day. The event gives Netflix employees a chance to take a break from everyday work, have fun, experiment with new technologies, and collaborate with new people.
Like previous Hack Days, we saw a wide range of ideas, including hacks designed to improve the product, our internal efficiency, and some that are just meant to be fun. We’ve embedded videos below, produced by the hackers, of some of our favorite hacks from the event. You can also see hacks from our past events: January 2017, May 2016, November 2015, March 2015, Feb. 2014 & Aug. 2014:
While we’re excited about the creativity and thought put into these hacks, they may never become part of the Netflix product, internal infrastructure, or used beyond Hack Day. We are posting them here to share the spirit of the event and our culture of innovation.
Thanks again to the hackers who, in just 24 hours, assembled really innovative and impressive hacks.
Netflix Vending Machine
A Netflix Kiosk where you can pay, sample, and sign up for Netflix
By Ryan Anklam, Micah Ransdell, Tony Edwards, Neha Samant, Sumana Mohan, Tyler Hughes
Teleflix
Back in the era of voltaic piles and Edison bulbs, Teleflix utilizes an original 1920s brass AT&T telegraph key and a Raspberry Pi to bring you the one true single button interface for Netflix. The hackers decode Morse code from the key on a Raspberry Pi Zero W and send USB keyboard scancodes to the TV to allow searching and playback of Netflix content, all from the comfort of your armchair. Full write up on the DIY hack here.
By Guy Cirino, Alex Wolfe, and Carenina Motion, Christiane Petite
Spookyflix
A fun, and slightly creepy, experience for our members where the eyes and heads of characters in our images subtly move around following the movement of your remote or cursor as you make a selection on Netflix.
By Kate Pflueger, Juha Turunen, Asim Khan
Continue Binge Watching
Continue Watching row with a twist
By Kevin Lew and Chris Carey
Netflix Audiobook Mode
Audiobooks meet old school radio shows by using Audio Descriptions available for lots of great titles. Listen to your favorite movies and shows on Netflix, just like an audiobook! Enjoy rich narration of scenes and action incorporated into the original audio track.
By Jordanna Kwok and Glen Davis
Here are some photos from the event:
