4 ms·

Netflix works fine in Chrome on Linux. What do you mean by "licensed only to selected companies?"

by chambo622 12y ago

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... )
- darkmighty 12y ago
  What's the point of this DRM? It's not like you can't decode and record.
  - matt_kantor 12y ago
    All DRM has [analog holes][1]. Its purpose is [to give content providers control over the features offered by playback software/devices][2]. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_hole http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_hole [2]: https://plus.google.com/+IanHickson/posts/iPmatxBYuj2 https://plus.google.com/+IanHickson/posts/iPmatxBYuj2

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... )
darkmighty 12y ago
What's the point of this DRM? It's not like you can't decode and record.
- matt_kantor 12y ago
  All DRM has [analog holes][1]. Its purpose is [to give content providers control over the features offered by playback software/devices][2]. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_hole http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_hole [2]: https://plus.google.com/+IanHickson/posts/iPmatxBYuj2 https://plus.google.com/+IanHickson/posts/iPmatxBYuj2