Live data from Hacker News

Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

insights.ubuntu.com

21–30 of 105 posts

Re: Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

#21
post #6

how does Netflix(or Chrome) knows that is running on Ubuntu, and not on other distro?

I assume it works on other distros also.

yes it does!!! Netflix removed the user-agent restriction on Chrome: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/19/netflix-linux/

Re: Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

#22
post #19

This is another great example of the difference between Chromium (free and open source browser) and Chrome (proprietary, branded fork of Chromium). Amusingly, the previous workaround for running Netflix on Linux used Firefox (running under a patched version of Wine)[0], though it looks like Netflix is unlikely to come to Linux for Firefox in the near future[1] [0] http://www.compholio.com/netflix-desktop/ [1] At leas…

Chromium PPA builds are around 47 weeks old. (v. 31) https://launchpad.net/~chromium-daily/+archive/ubuntu/stable Chromium packages on Ubuntu have basically been abandoned.

It's being updated in the main distribution. Usually a week or so behind when a new version of chrome is released.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/trusty-changes/2014-Septem...

Re: Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

#24
post #19

This is another great example of the difference between Chromium (free and open source browser) and Chrome (proprietary, branded fork of Chromium). Amusingly, the previous workaround for running Netflix on Linux used Firefox (running under a patched version of Wine)[0], though it looks like Netflix is unlikely to come to Linux for Firefox in the near future[1] [0] http://www.compholio.com/netflix-desktop/ [1] At leas…

Chromium PPA builds are around 47 weeks old. (v. 31) https://launchpad.net/~chromium-daily/+archive/ubuntu/stable Chromium packages on Ubuntu have basically been abandoned.

The same thing has happened to the Firefox Nightly PPA, the builds stopped being made sometime early in August.

Re: Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

#26
post #18

So why does this work? Is Chrome 37 for Linux now being shipped with support for Encrypted Media Extensions, i.e., HTML's built-in DRM, with Netflix relying on EME? Or has something happened with Moonlight to support Netflix DRM? Or what?

Yes, Chrome supports EME.

Re: Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

#27
post #10

Doesn't appear to work in Ubuntu/Chromium v37.0.2062.120 (64 bit) Error Code: M7357-1003 I guess that is because WidevineCDM is missing (proprietary "Content Decryption Module").

The EME (DRM) support is only in Chrome, not in the open source Chromium.

Re: Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

#28
post #18

So why does this work? Is Chrome 37 for Linux now being shipped with support for Encrypted Media Extensions, i.e., HTML's built-in DRM, with Netflix relying on EME? Or has something happened with Moonlight to support Netflix DRM? Or what?

Its HTML5 DRM built into Chrome. Its actually worked for ~a month in Chrome for Linux if you just spoofed the user-agent string to Windows, absurdly. The only thing really prompting this announcement is that Netflix is no longer blocking Linux user-agents.

It only works in Chrome at the moment, as Firefox does not support the required DRM.

Re: Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

#29

Why do these "Linux gets Netflix" stories not have the same bad attitude from folks as the "W3C caves to DRM" stories? They're the same topic, essentially.

I guess people will accept DRM as long as they don't know it's there (inside Chrome in this case).

Re: Watch Netflix in Ubuntu today

#30

Why do these "Linux gets Netflix" stories not have the same bad attitude from folks as the "W3C caves to DRM" stories? They're the same topic, essentially.

My guess would be that in the "Linux gets Netflix" story, the positive angle ("I get Netflix!") is specific and concrete, while the negative ("More DRM, yuck") is more abstract. Whereas in the "W3C caves to DRM" story, it's flipped; the negative is specific and concrete ("Standards body kowtows to corporate overlords"), while the positive ("maybe someday that will mean I can watch video on Linux") is more abstract.
Post reply on HN