[Viki] Allow users to control video quality and enable fast forward

*Please Note: The information in this post is limited by my own experience. If I have missed something, please let everyone know in the comments.* # Subscription Services **The Big Four** When watching Chinese dramas on an international scale, there are four main subscription services that form the core of all our Cdrama content. These include: * iQIYI * Youku * WeTV (Tencent) * Mango TV These four form the core of the content because they are not only streaming services, but also production companies. Meaning, they are the driving force behind most of the Chinese dramas we are exposed to. **Viki & Other Sites** Rakuten Viki is a popular streaming platform among international viewers. As far as I know, Viki doesn't produce its own content. *(I'm speaking under correction)* Viki is basically Netflix without the Netflix original movies, while the other four services are Disney+ and Amazon Prime (I don't use these so don't hold me to this). For example, if a drama was created by iQIYI, it will most likely be available on iQIYI and Viki (more on this in a moment) but not on a platform like Youku or WeTV (Tencent). #Territorial Rights There are a few dramas that might not end up on the same streaming platform as the company responsible for its production. This is usually due to territorial rights. This happens when a streaming service (usually a western service like Netflix or Disney+) negotiates for *exclusive* streaming rights in certain countries. #Differences According to Countries It's not only the content that differs from territory to territory, but also company names and user experiences. **Company Trademark** For example, in certain countries, WeTV is known as Tencent. Tencent is the original name of the company behind WeTV. When the streaming giant went global, they decided to use the name "WeTV" for it's international streaming service. However, some countries already had a service operating under the trademark "WeTV", so Tencent had to change the name of their platform in those countries. (Source: an episode of the [Tea and Soju podcast ](https://linktr.ee/teaandsoju), I just can't remember which one) **User Experiences** This is actually what this post is about. I recently discovered that my mild dislike of Viki is not shared globally. Some people in other countries find the user experience much more pleasing than viewers in my country. I thought it would be interesting to share different experiences according to country and platform (by platform, I mean whether you use your phone, the app, your TV, or the website). I'm going to share the user experience of someone in South Africa. Sometimes, South Africa falls under the "UK and Commonwealth" umbrella which means that experiences here *may* be similar to those in the UK. Also, the following opinion is informed by the user experience of watching on an app on a phone. #iQIYI My personal favourite. **Pros:** * You can watch in 4K * You can fast forward (up to X2 speed) * The subtitles are nice and legible * You can record content using the screen record function on your phone (this is only relevant if you want to make things like GIFs or YouTube/TikTok edits. **Cons:** * While videos do not get interrupted by forced advertisements, you still need to deal with pop-up ads and irritating banners. * It's more expensive #Youku **Pros:** * You can watch in 1080p * You can fast forward (up to X3 speed) * You can record content on your phone **Cons:** * The subtitles lack a black border, making the text blend into the background. #WeTV (Tencent) **Pros:** * You can watch in 1080p * You can fast forward (up to X2 speed) * You can record content on your phone **Cons:** * You can't record content if you are watching content bought via the express packages. (Meaning if an episode isn't out for everyone yet, you can't record) * The app minimizes your episode when you start recording - but it does let you keep watching normally once you go into the video again) #Mango TV **Pros:** * All outweighed by the cons (unless you understand Mandarin) **Cons:** * Auto-generated subtitles make things impossible to follow. (But provide many laughs in the process) #Viki **Pros:** * You can watch content that would otherwise only be available on Mango * Their subtitled have detailed explanations **Cons:** * You can't control the video quality and the max resolution is 780p * You can't fast forward * You can't record any content * Sometimes Viki is a few days behind the original streaming platform. That's it from my side. I'm very excited to see how everyone experiences these streaming platforms differently! #Which One is Your Favourite?