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Netflix has announced it is going to begin rolling out video previews of some of the titles on its service.

The company was quick to point out these aren't just trailers, but rather highlights that will help inform a user whether or not they want to watch it.

Along with the announcement of the new feature, Netflix slipped in that it will be launching more than 1,000 hours of original content in 2017.

The streaming service is betting big on exclusive shows and movies like House of Cards and Stranger Things as a way to increase its subscriber base.

(Image: Netflix)

"Today we are launching a new television user interface that uses video more extensively to bring content alive in real time and helps members decide whether to click play," the company said in a statement.

"As we launch more than 1,000 hours of original content next year, we know we have less than 90 seconds to capture someone’s attention and get them excited about a title — that’s why we’re introducing video previews into the TV browsing experience."

Introducing previews comes hot on the heels of Netflix finally allowing users to download their content to watch offline - a move that has been extremely well received.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

(Image: Getty, Netflix)

Rival services like Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer have allowed users to download content for some time, and Netflix has been under growing pressure from customers to introduce an offline viewing option.

Titles that are due to expire from your device in less than 7 days will display how much time you have left on that title on the "My Downloads" page of the Netflix app.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

For some titles, viewing offline must be completed within 48 hours of starting the play. Once you have started playing one of these titles, you will see how many hours you have left before the title expires.

In some cases, there may also be limits to the number of titles from the same licensing agreement that you can download at the same time.

But now you'll have a better idea of what shows to download and watch as you can handily check out a preview to see if you'll like it.