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If you have the new Chromium-based Edge ("Edgium") installed: the compatibility list at edge://compat/useragent is really interesting. Edgium pretends to be Ch

If you have the new Chromium-based Edge ("Edgium") installed: the compatibility list at edge://compat/useragent is really interesting. Edgium pretends to be Chrome towards Gmail, Google Play, YouTube, and lots of non-Google services; on the other hand, it pretends to be Classic Edge towards many streaming services (HBO Now, DAZN, etc.) because it supports PlayReady DRM, which Chrome doesn't. [Edit] Here is the full list: https://pastebin.com/YURq1BR1 https://pastebin.com/YURq1BR1

ShamelessC 7y ago
This is off topic but do you know why Edge is the only browser to support DRM for streaming? Or is that incorrect? I see lots of people who have to use edge on order to get 4k content from Netflix; presumably because of the DRM issues.
- 8K832d7tNmiQ 7y ago
  Simply because Netflix uses Playready DRM for 4k streaming, which is even harder to bypass and requires WinRT API (?) to even able to use the recent version. Currently only Microsoft itself even try to implement it on their own Chromium-based browser.
- jrandm 7y ago
  I am not sure about Edge specifically, but as someone who tries to use mostly open source software: Digital Rights Management (DRM) requirements often directly conflict with licensing related to open source software.
- colde 7y ago
  Not the only browser to support DRM. But the only browser to support PlayReady on Windows, which brings added security compared to what Widevine offers on Windows. Another popular choice for high quality is Safari on macOS because it implements Apple's FairPlay.
  - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
    Wait, Netflix et al use FairPlay in Safari on macOS? I'm surprised, because Fairplay is publicly crackable.
    - Lammy 7y ago
      So is WideVine.
      - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
        It is?! The only public way to decrypt that which I'm aware of stopped working 15 years ago.
        voltagex_ 7y ago
        If you still see pirated copies of shows marked with WEB-DL (rather than Webrip), there's a way of decrypting the content directly. I really doubt the methods that are used are public, though.
  - Polylactic_acid 7y ago
    *Added security for the remote server but massively reduced security for the end users computer.
    - kbumsik 7y ago
      Any source?
      - Polylactic_acid 7y ago
        It allows websites to run arbitrary code blobs which interact with a hardware backdoor in your CPU with a higher permission level than the OS. With the multiple exploits that have been found in intel cpus and the Management Engine itself there is no way you should be letting any website do that.
- vbezhenar 7y ago
  There are different kinds of DRM. Streaming websites allow different quality for different kinds of DRM. E.g. they allow best quality only for best protected DRM (which should use encryption all the way from Netflix webserver to your display). There's software DRM (decrypting stream inside proprietary blob) which is considered weaker, so you'll receive acceptable quality in Chrome. I don't know why Chrome did not implement the most secure DRM. Hopefully Microsoft will contribute their patches back.
- babypuncher 7y ago
  Other browsers support Widevine which is by far the more popular DRM scheme.
- jgunsch 7y ago
  Other browsers support DRM too, but with different tradeoffs. Chrome uses Widevine, but one of Chrome's philosophies is that you should be able to wipe a Chrome install, reinstall Chrome, and have no trace that before/after are the same person. That means no leveraging machine-specific hardware details that would persist across installs. "Software-only DRM", essentially. Edge on Windows (and Safari on OSX) are able to leverage more hardware-specific functionality --- which from a DRM perspective are considered "more secure", but the tradeoff is a reduction of end-user anonymity (i.e. if private keys baked into a hardware TPM are involved). Last I checked, Chrome/Firefox were capped at 720p content, Safari/Edge at 1080p, though it looks like Edge is now able to stream 4k.
  - tryptophan 7y ago
    Its absurd that paying customers get a worse experience than just using the piratebay.
    - recursive 7y ago
      Last time I used piratebay, I saw a lot of porn and malware/scam ads. I had to find and install a torrent client. Then I had to make sure I was downloading a movie that had enough seeders. And then I couldn't watch the movie until (and if) the download finished. When I use netflix, I have a much better experience.
      - chii 7y ago
        You obviously haven't tried popcorntime.
        mcdevilkiller 7y ago
        One of the best solutions out there.
        jensvdh 7y ago
        Which is illegal.
ygra 7y ago
For me that list is empty. Edge-dev 82. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?
- gsnedders 7y ago
  IIRC, Edge-dev has an empty list. On stable and beta get the list.
  - currysausage 7y ago
    Which makes sense, given that the list could change anytime (ideally, it wouldn’t even exist) and no developer should rely on Edgium identifying as Chrome or Classic Edge.
franga2000 7y ago
I'm guessing Edge specifically also has to do that not only because of chrome==good queries, but also because of many, many edge==bad queries.
- currysausage 7y ago
  This is why Edgium calls itself “Edg”, not “Edge”, in the UA string.

ShamelessC 7y ago

This is off topic but do you know why Edge is the only browser to support DRM for streaming? Or is that incorrect? I see lots of people who have to use edge on order to get 4k content from Netflix; presumably because of the DRM issues.

8K832d7tNmiQ 7y ago
Simply because Netflix uses Playready DRM for 4k streaming, which is even harder to bypass and requires WinRT API (?) to even able to use the recent version. Currently only Microsoft itself even try to implement it on their own Chromium-based browser.
jrandm 7y ago
I am not sure about Edge specifically, but as someone who tries to use mostly open source software: Digital Rights Management (DRM) requirements often directly conflict with licensing related to open source software.
colde 7y ago
Not the only browser to support DRM. But the only browser to support PlayReady on Windows, which brings added security compared to what Widevine offers on Windows. Another popular choice for high quality is Safari on macOS because it implements Apple's FairPlay.
- Wowfunhappy 7y ago
  Wait, Netflix et al use FairPlay in Safari on macOS? I'm surprised, because Fairplay is publicly crackable.
  - Lammy 7y ago
    So is WideVine.
    - Wowfunhappy 7y ago
      It is?! The only public way to decrypt that which I'm aware of stopped working 15 years ago.
      - voltagex_ 7y ago
        If you still see pirated copies of shows marked with WEB-DL (rather than Webrip), there's a way of decrypting the content directly. I really doubt the methods that are used are public, though.
- Polylactic_acid 7y ago
  *Added security for the remote server but massively reduced security for the end users computer.
  - kbumsik 7y ago
    Any source?
    - Polylactic_acid 7y ago
      It allows websites to run arbitrary code blobs which interact with a hardware backdoor in your CPU with a higher permission level than the OS. With the multiple exploits that have been found in intel cpus and the Management Engine itself there is no way you should be letting any website do that.
vbezhenar 7y ago
There are different kinds of DRM. Streaming websites allow different quality for different kinds of DRM. E.g. they allow best quality only for best protected DRM (which should use encryption all the way from Netflix webserver to your display). There's software DRM (decrypting stream inside proprietary blob) which is considered weaker, so you'll receive acceptable quality in Chrome. I don't know why Chrome did not implement the most secure DRM. Hopefully Microsoft will contribute their patches back.
babypuncher 7y ago
Other browsers support Widevine which is by far the more popular DRM scheme.
jgunsch 7y ago
Other browsers support DRM too, but with different tradeoffs. Chrome uses Widevine, but one of Chrome's philosophies is that you should be able to wipe a Chrome install, reinstall Chrome, and have no trace that before/after are the same person. That means no leveraging machine-specific hardware details that would persist across installs. "Software-only DRM", essentially. Edge on Windows (and Safari on OSX) are able to leverage more hardware-specific functionality --- which from a DRM perspective are considered "more secure", but the tradeoff is a reduction of end-user anonymity (i.e. if private keys baked into a hardware TPM are involved). Last I checked, Chrome/Firefox were capped at 720p content, Safari/Edge at 1080p, though it looks like Edge is now able to stream 4k.
- tryptophan 7y ago
  Its absurd that paying customers get a worse experience than just using the piratebay.
  - recursive 7y ago
    Last time I used piratebay, I saw a lot of porn and malware/scam ads. I had to find and install a torrent client. Then I had to make sure I was downloading a movie that had enough seeders. And then I couldn't watch the movie until (and if) the download finished. When I use netflix, I have a much better experience.
    - chii 7y ago
      You obviously haven't tried popcorntime.
      - mcdevilkiller 7y ago
        One of the best solutions out there.
      - jensvdh 7y ago
        Which is illegal.

ygra 7y ago

For me that list is empty. Edge-dev 82. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

gsnedders 7y ago
IIRC, Edge-dev has an empty list. On stable and beta get the list.
- currysausage 7y ago
  Which makes sense, given that the list could change anytime (ideally, it wouldn’t even exist) and no developer should rely on Edgium identifying as Chrome or Classic Edge.

franga2000 7y ago

I'm guessing Edge specifically also has to do that not only because of chrome==good queries, but also because of many, many edge==bad queries.

currysausage 7y ago
This is why Edgium calls itself “Edg”, not “Edge”, in the UA string.