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Netflix Downloads

media.netflix.com

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Re: Netflix Downloads

#51

Looks like it's only available for smartphones and tablets, not for computers. Probably because on smartphones and tables they have their own app and don't have to rely on a browser.

Does anyone know if e.g. Google's Widevine or Apple's FairPlay support the concept of applying DRM to downloaded files?

If they do, they should be able to get this to the web version of Netflix.

(Laptop screens are great for watching video content on e.g. a flight or train ride. Bringing an extra piece of hardware like a tablet just for this purpose seems silly. Phone screens offer poor ergonomy. They are only really a decent compromise on a bus or a subway, or similar.)

Re: Netflix Downloads

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would imagine downloads can be faster than 1x realtime, no? Having to stream things is a serious limit on ripping (transcoding) speed.

Whut? You can write a stream to file with maybe 2 commands, and try to decode it later. If the DRM on the stream is broken, you can save the stream to file and decode it later. If the DRM on the stream is safe, then it should be equally safe between the stream and saving the file to disk. I fail to see how letting you save encrypted stuff to local disc has anything to do with breaking the DRM. Also, the first thought…

My comment has nothing to do with DRM. I'm saying, "if there is no DRM" (or it is broken or can be broken), then the difference between downloading and streaming might be the difference between taking 2.2 days to "stream to disk" Game of Thrones (60 episodes @ 55 minutes) -- or, say, downloading it in 4 hours. (If downloads are allowed to be faster than realtime, which would only make sense.) GoT is obviously a hypothetical example.

If you don't think that makes quite a real difference in enabling or incentivizing actual piracy then I think I'll just disagree - that rate limit is a huge difference in my book and makes it far more likely for someone to take the trouble to rip and transcode.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#55

Looks like it's only available for smartphones and tablets, not for computers. Probably because on smartphones and tables they have their own app and don't have to rely on a browser.

They have a Windows 10 app, though.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#56
post #50

I reeeeeeally wish I could watch my shows in a more legitimate way than currently. I recently went through everything that I'm watching and tried to find out what I could actually watch on streaming services. .....which was unfortunately only a limited subset, especially since I'm not US based (Scandinavia here). Besides the problem of everything being spread out over Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime and what have you not,…

I think the TV networks were very short sighted and ended up with shitty contracts that never accounted for distributing or streaming their content internationally.

They would if they could, but they'd have to go back and renegotiate all those old settled contracts.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#57

While this is great and very usable, especially for people with limited data plans, I can't help but feel disappointed that simple offline caching of content is still considered a major feature in 2016. Without DRM, this would be a no-brainer.

A no-brainer except for the $10/month streaming part.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#58
post #55

Looks like it's only available for smartphones and tablets, not for computers. Probably because on smartphones and tables they have their own app and don't have to rely on a browser.

They have a Windows 10 app, though.

Unfortunately, you need to use the Windows Store to get it.

edit: Actually, I just checked an apparently you can download the free apps from the store without logging in now. I tried to do this a very long time ago and skipped because it wanted a Microsoft account login, so I left. I'm glad they've changed this.

Re: Netflix Downloads

#59

While this is great and very usable, especially for people with limited data plans, I can't help but feel disappointed that simple offline caching of content is still considered a major feature in 2016. Without DRM, this would be a no-brainer.

Who would license content to a company without any DRM protection?

Re: Netflix Downloads

#60
post #50

I reeeeeeally wish I could watch my shows in a more legitimate way than currently. I recently went through everything that I'm watching and tried to find out what I could actually watch on streaming services. .....which was unfortunately only a limited subset, especially since I'm not US based (Scandinavia here). Besides the problem of everything being spread out over Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime and what have you not,…

Netflix is well aware of their massive quantity differences country-to-country, hence the push to focus almost entirely on building their own originals to create a unified library w/o having to negotiate for streaming rights in each country.

The differences are pretty nuts:

http://exstreamist.com/is-your-countrys-netflix-library-grow...

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