4 ms·

Netflix has HTML5 support for Safari and iirc IE.

izacus 12y ago
And Chrome.
MBCook 12y ago
Safari only works on certain 2011 Macs and all 2012 and later Macs. There are a fair number of people who can't skip Flash quite yet for Netflix. Good start though.
pornel 12y ago
The "HTML5" support requires proprietary binary blob that has no standard API (besides an API to launch it with opaque data from a proprietary server) and is licensed only to selected companies. Basically it's as much HTML5 as <object data="swf"> was HTML4. It's supported only by DRM vendors: Google (WideVine), Safari (FairPlay) and Microsoft (PlayReady) and doesn't work in open-source browsers (not even in Chromium or custom WebKit builds).
- chambo622 12y ago
  Netflix works fine in Chrome on Linux. What do you mean by "licensed only to selected companies?"
  - gcp 12y ago
    Chrome isn't an open source browser. Google is "one of the selected companies".
    - mod 12y ago
      Correct. Netflix does NOT work in Chromium on linux (just tested).
  - pornel 12y ago
    Works, because Google is a DRM vendor (WideVine). You can't make a web browser that plays Netflix without signing contract with one of the DRM vendors that Netflix supports, or rolling your own DRM and convincing Netflix (and distributors that pull their strings) to adopt it. For example if you compile Chromium from source it won't work (at best Netflix will send you encrypted blobs that you won't know how to decrypt and there is no public spec for it anywhere). From video publisher's perspective it's locked-up as well. To have your own video DRM-protected with the same tech as Netflix you'd have to get a license from Google (for Chrome WideVine DRM support), Apple (for Safari FairPlay) and Microsoft (for IE PlayReady DRM). Netflix's playback without "without plugins" is achieved not by removing plugins and having open standards, but merely by convincing browser vendors to bundle closed DRM code with their browsers. Technically it's more like Chrome shipping bundled Flash, but fortunately nobody calls that a "HTML5 native Flash without plugins!"
    - giovannibajo1 12y ago
      Where do you cut the line? It's a plugin because it uses the plugin api? And were it integrated in the main binary, would you call it a "plugin-less proprietary HTML extension"? I think the main differentiation point is that it's made by the browser authors, shipped with the browser, updated with the browser. That, to me, means that it's not a "plugin", even though it uses the plugin interface; it's an implementation detail.
      - pornel 12y ago
        "Plug-in" in the web browser context also had a wider meaning of "3rd party proprietary binary blob, that has limited portability, and adds functionality and APIs that are not part of Web standards." You're right, technically EME's integration and distribution are different, so it's not a plug-in in that sense. However, the other downsides that were associated with plug-ins have remained the same in the built-in ex-plugins. Browser plug-ins get so much hate not only because they're pain to install/upgrade, but also because they're usually not as open and portable as the rest of the platform. (a bit meta, but term for this conflation of meanings is disguised query: http://lesswrong.com/lw/no/how_an_algorithm_feels_from_inside http://lesswrong.com/lw/no/how_an_algorithm_feels_from_insid... )
- chambo622 12y ago
  Netflix works fine in Chrome on Linux. What do you mean by "licensed only to selected companies?"
- notatoad 12y ago
  The youtube blog post linked here says they're using EME just the same as netflix is...
  - Buge 12y ago
    Maybe for their paid videos. They can't be using it for regular videos because I have browser extensions that simply download the videos.
- magicalist 12y ago
  Mozilla is working hard on this, but I don't believe there is a published timeline for EME (using Adobe Access DRM) that supports Netflix yet. Getting closer, though: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/showdependencytree.cgi?id=1015800 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/showdependencytree.cgi?id=10158...
MertsA 12y ago
Also Chrome on Linux

And Chrome.

Safari only works on certain 2011 Macs and all 2012 and later Macs. There are a fair number of people who can't skip Flash quite yet for Netflix. Good start though.

pornel 12y ago

The "HTML5" support requires proprietary binary blob that has no standard API (besides an API to launch it with opaque data from a proprietary server) and is licensed only to selected companies. Basically it's as much HTML5 as <object data="swf"> was HTML4. It's supported only by DRM vendors: Google (WideVine), Safari (FairPlay) and Microsoft (PlayReady) and doesn't work in open-source browsers (not even in Chromium or custom WebKit builds).

chambo622 12y ago
Netflix works fine in Chrome on Linux. What do you mean by "licensed only to selected companies?"
- gcp 12y ago
  Chrome isn't an open source browser. Google is "one of the selected companies".
  - mod 12y ago
    Correct. Netflix does NOT work in Chromium on linux (just tested).
- pornel 12y ago
  Works, because Google is a DRM vendor (WideVine). You can't make a web browser that plays Netflix without signing contract with one of the DRM vendors that Netflix supports, or rolling your own DRM and convincing Netflix (and distributors that pull their strings) to adopt it. For example if you compile Chromium from source it won't work (at best Netflix will send you encrypted blobs that you won't know how to decrypt and there is no public spec for it anywhere). From video publisher's perspective it's locked-up as well. To have your own video DRM-protected with the same tech as Netflix you'd have to get a license from Google (for Chrome WideVine DRM support), Apple (for Safari FairPlay) and Microsoft (for IE PlayReady DRM). Netflix's playback without "without plugins" is achieved not by removing plugins and having open standards, but merely by convincing browser vendors to bundle closed DRM code with their browsers. Technically it's more like Chrome shipping bundled Flash, but fortunately nobody calls that a "HTML5 native Flash without plugins!"
  - giovannibajo1 12y ago
    Where do you cut the line? It's a plugin because it uses the plugin api? And were it integrated in the main binary, would you call it a "plugin-less proprietary HTML extension"? I think the main differentiation point is that it's made by the browser authors, shipped with the browser, updated with the browser. That, to me, means that it's not a "plugin", even though it uses the plugin interface; it's an implementation detail.
    - pornel 12y ago
      "Plug-in" in the web browser context also had a wider meaning of "3rd party proprietary binary blob, that has limited portability, and adds functionality and APIs that are not part of Web standards." You're right, technically EME's integration and distribution are different, so it's not a plug-in in that sense. However, the other downsides that were associated with plug-ins have remained the same in the built-in ex-plugins. Browser plug-ins get so much hate not only because they're pain to install/upgrade, but also because they're usually not as open and portable as the rest of the platform. (a bit meta, but term for this conflation of meanings is disguised query: http://lesswrong.com/lw/no/how_an_algorithm_feels_from_inside http://lesswrong.com/lw/no/how_an_algorithm_feels_from_insid... )
chambo622 12y ago
Netflix works fine in Chrome on Linux. What do you mean by "licensed only to selected companies?"
notatoad 12y ago
The youtube blog post linked here says they're using EME just the same as netflix is...
- Buge 12y ago
  Maybe for their paid videos. They can't be using it for regular videos because I have browser extensions that simply download the videos.
magicalist 12y ago
Mozilla is working hard on this, but I don't believe there is a published timeline for EME (using Adobe Access DRM) that supports Netflix yet. Getting closer, though: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/showdependencytree.cgi?id=1015800 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/showdependencytree.cgi?id=10158...

MertsA 12y ago

Also Chrome on Linux