Update on HTML5 Video for Netflix • Hacker News Board

Re: Update on HTML5 Video for Netflix

#521

Post by thomastjeffery » Sat, Mar 25, 2017, 10:17 PM UTC

tscizzle wrote: post #213

Can someone explain to me (a developer, but one unfamiliar with this situation and issues) what Netflix did and why it's bad for the open web? People do not seem happy about this, but I don't really understand what's going on.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is proprietary (closed-source) copy protection. It is made to prevent unauthorized copying.

In order to implement DRM, one must create a method for the user to decrypt a file without letting the user have any control over where that data goes. Netflix uses DRM to show the user a video file while making it difficult for the user to put that data anywhere outside of the browser's DRM plugin.

What Netflix has done here is strongarmed Mozilla into including the proprietary WidevineCDM component into their implementation of the open HTML5 standard. This means that Netflix has more control over what Firefox does on your computer than you do, or even Mozilla (who creates Firefox) does.

Re: Update on HTML5 Video for Netflix

#522

Post by thomastjeffery » Sat, Mar 25, 2017, 10:23 PM UTC

nkristoffersen wrote: post #228

Is there a better method for protecting content provided by Netflix? Just being realistic. DRM is a necessary evil in that video studios would never ever provide content in the clear. I am so happy to see flash go the way of the Dodo. But curious what the best alternative is for implementing DRM on the web?

> DRM is a necessary evil in that video studios would never ever provide content in the clear.

That is an untested assertion with no supporting evidence. The only reason studios get to strongarm providers like Netflix into using DRM is that specific providers like Netflix are happy to accommodate.

> what the best alternative is for implementing DRM on the web?

AFAIK, DRM inherently must be closed source. In order to implement DRM for the open web, you must circumvent the open web, or (in this case) sway those who implement that open standard (web browsers) to include your binaries.

Re: Update on HTML5 Video for Netflix

#523

Post by thomastjeffery » Sat, Mar 25, 2017, 10:31 PM UTC

YSFEJ4SWJUVU6 wrote: post #35

Netflix video quality sucks on browsers anyway – at least for movies. Half of them seem to be limited to something which could only be described as "less than DVD quality", some noticeably so. That's the reality for the paying customer – for a “pirate”, most of the movies in HD quality are a quick web search away, without needing to install any programs.

If you are not using Microsoft Edge/IE or an app, you are limited to 720p.

BTW, if you want to force a bitrate on Netflix, press [Ctrl+Shift+Alt+s].

Re: Update on HTML5 Video for Netflix

#524

Post by thomastjeffery » Sat, Mar 25, 2017, 10:35 PM UTC

pornel wrote: post #202

problems wrote: post #156

So I remember reading some early EME specs that seemed to indicate that EME encrypted content could be decoded and played by the browser's standard decoder and player - in the case of an open source browser like Firefox - hooking these decoding functions is quite trivial. Is this the means they've gone with or does this EME blob include their own decoder and player? EDIT: This little image here: https://www.w3.org/TR…

This diagram and most of non-normative parts of the spec are a deliberate red herring. The purpose of these is to derail discussion about DRM restrictions by saying that any restrictions are optional. However, during discussions at W3C Netflix representatives confirmed that their implementation doesn't work like this. They are only interested in "strong" DRM model in which the player is not trusted and has no ability…

Thanks for the clarification! Can I upvote you twice?