What the hell Netflix?
Posted Apr 18, 2011, 9:38 PM UTC
3098
We have been over this thousands of times.
Cancel your Netflix and get Amazon Instant Video.
26
For added irony, Revolution OS is on Netflix but not on Amazon.
15
We're sorry, Amazon Instant Video is not available in your country.
9
Sorry, until Amazon changes its billing decisions, I'll stick with my PS3
2
billing decisions
?
2
Enjoy the Cinavia.
On a less depressing note, I just purchased a WDTV Live Plus from Amazon for $90. It does Netflix, Pandora, Flingo, etc... AND... (wait for it)... MKV! (plus a shit tonne of other codecs).
I have been hopelessly waiting for ages for MKV support on my PS3. Rather than add anything, they just keep stripping away my ability to use my PS3 hardware. Fuck Sony. Oh, yeah, and also, Fuck Sony.
2
Point taken, though that was one mistake I made a long time ago -
I use Kaffeine for mkv.
2
I use avidemux to take the video and audio out of the shitty MKV container and put them in a standard MPEG-4 container.
MKVs almost always contain MPEG-4 video and either AAC or MP3 audio, so I don't know why people bother to use them. "Hey! Let's put it in a format hardly any device can play!"
-1
I would rather live in the god damned street.
-5
Silverlight DRM (encryption) isn't supported on Linux.
If NetFlix didn't require a platform with DRM, people would be ripping videos straight off the site; then studios would shut them down.
If you really want NetFlix streaming without Windows or MacOS, pick up a Roku XDS (or AppleTV) for $99 (or a PS3.)
14
[deleted]
24
but they could rip them, and that means the studios dont want to open another means for pirates.
10
- play netflix movie
- start screen capture
the real problem is content providers are retarded and netflix doesn't have the balls to say their DRM requirements are nothing but a pain in the ass to customers.
9
They are? I'd gather that a good portion (perhaps majority?) of their subscribers are Windows or OS X users, or have access to Windows or OS X.
Their DRM requirements are there, of course, but they're not intrusive. Sure, I have to log into their site, but beyond that, it is transparent.
-1
I'm telling you exactly why the restriction is there. And if they allowed that hole, yes, there would be direct downloads. If it was open enough, someone would probably even come up with client-side tricks like a 1-click download toolbar, making piracy exceptionally easy.
NetFlix probably has a contactual requirement with their content providers to use DRM. Piracy is still a problem, but if the studios can make it as less casual as possible, they will.
You may not understand their motivation - and this move alone won't stop any piracy - but that's how it works.
1
holy shit you're right. good thing that DRM is there, or else the movies might end up on bittorrent.
8
What happens when you run Firefox (with Silverlight installed) in wine?
6
No dice. But I'm willing to bet that people would be willing to put a lot of money towards achieving that goal.
3
you'd also have to fake the browser signature to say you were a windows/mac version of firefox also?
1
that's just changing the user agent string.
3
The people willing to put money towards that goal aren't willing to put it towards buying a DVD or a Roku. I'd be surprised <g>
1
Yeah, cause another set top box pulling power and wasting space so I can watch netflix on my TV is just as convenient as opening a window to watch it on my PC monitor while I multitask.
1
Silverlight DRM (imprisonment)
FTFY
5
That's funny because DRM has permitted NetFlix to build instant streaming services - along with other companies (like Apple and Sony.)
The fact is that despite claiming to be noble, people will steal anything that isn't bolted down. DRM isn't completely effective (someone always has a bigger bolt cutter), but if it prevents casual piracy then it makes streaming services economically viable.
Since you don't respect copyright law - and expect to do whatever you want with other people's intelectual property (without respecting the movie studio's rights to keep their property difficult to copy) - I expect to see your vigorous defense of Boxee over in this thread for basically stealing Linux.
0
There is a difference between respecting copyright and respecting DRM. DRM does not prevent piracy. It never has, it never will, and it never can. People who want to pirate will just go someplace else.
I respect laws against pouring dangerous chemicals into the sewer system, but if the government decides they have to place guards on all my toilets in order to make sure I am not violating that law then I have a problem.
Copyright laws also have exceptions for fair use. DRM does not honor those exceptions, so claiming that DRM and copyright are equivalent is a load of crap.
DRM serves the companies that sell the DRM hardware and software because it locks consumers into their products. It doesn't serve consumers, and it doesn't serve content providers.
I purchase DVDs for movies that I could download all the time. But if the copy protection on DVDs weren't broken then I wouldn't be buying. I absolutely refuse to buy anything on blue ray. I absolutely refuse to by anything that locks me in to particular hardware of software vendors just so I can use what I purchased.
8
Oops, sorry, posted a pro-free software comment in r/linux, my mistake.
5
I'm pro creator rights: DRM content and free software both exist because the people who made them have the right to release it under whatever licensing terms they choose.
DRM and free software implementations may be incompatible in practice - but you don't have to hate one to love the other.
-3
It is good that Linux doesn't support DRM. Let's keep it that way. Screw Netflix.
2
Netflix uses Silverlight, a product of Microsoft. Perhaps you're mad at them?
Haha, just kidding, I knew you were mad at Microsoft already!
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[deleted]
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it's the DRM which is a part of silverlight, yes.
18
How does it work on the Roku though? That's a linux based media player and it's been playing Netflix just fine for years.
2
tl;dr of trevorishere's link: hardware decoder
1
I was going to email Netflix and tell them that I cancelled their service in favor of Amazon but I cannot for the life of me find an email address anywhere on their site...anyone care to post if they know it?
7
They prefer phone calls.
3
The annoying thing is that the Roku runs Linux and works with Netflix. I would gladly install a binary blob from them if it meant that I could stream without resorting to workarounds.
7
Roku uses an NXP for DRM (http://www.nxp.com/news/content/file_1540.html), and includes Microsoft WMV/WMA DRM decoding capabilities.
IOW, it is tainted beyond belief. :)
6
Oh... Well, darn. =-(
1
[deleted]
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It's not a problem with netflix or sliverlight, it's a problem with movie studios who require DRM on all their streaming media.
5
You could extract the netflix player from a boxee box. That's also an intel x86 machine running linux.
4
Unfortunately that isn't the case. The channel is no good without hardware-based DRM.
5
What hardware support for DRM does the boxee box provide?
3
The Intel CE4110 SoC.
3
This has been a well documented problem with Netflix on linux.
Solution: VirtualBox and a copy of WinXP.
3
Solution: The Pirate Bay
FTFY
Sorry, but I'm not paying someone to make me boot a VM every time I want to watch an episode of some show, or a movie.
25
True enough. I usually have a WinXP VM either paused or turned on at all times, so it's not so much of an issue for me.
3
You may very well have a good reason, but it sounds like you're not using Linux right if you have an XP VM running all the time.
-1
I don't know that you could say that I'm using Linux "right" or "wrong." I'll say that there are a small handful of applications that I use on occasion that do not translate well to Wine, and the convenience of having a Windows XP VM at hand is about equivalent to having the convenience of a *nix-like command line in Windows, when I install Cygwin.
8
More likely he is using XP the right way. I never run Windows on bare metal anymore.
And he did not say "all the time".
3
Bet you would get all sorts of upset if I took the source to a GPL program and used it in a closed source application.
0
Perhaps I was not clear as to my motives. It was not to be cheap, it was not to save money. It was because it is the most convenient choice. It works in all countries, on all operating systems, virtually any device you can imagine (PC, xbox, PS2/PS3, phone, portable video player).
Now, the situation you pointed it is fundamentally different. What you've described is more like, if I made a movie, thought you had a cool scene (for example, aerial view of a city), which I then put in a movie I was making. In your situation, the intent is clearly for profit (at the very least, to spend less money on developers). As I've stated, my intent is to not deal with a bunch of bullshit to get the same effect (watching a freaking movie)
Also, to be perfectly clear (in case I have not already been), I am not trying to advocate piracy. I am simply pointing out that bittorrent is a more portable, and overall more practical solution. If I could pay (the content owners, for you smart asses out there) to download a movie in a way that is as convenient as BT, I would do so in a heartbeat. For some reason, however, the movie industry is strongly opposed to this, despite the fact that they are just increasing piracy.
3
Solution: Hulu Plus
FTFY
FTFY
Legal, about the same cost, and runs on Linux as long as you have a 32bit version of flash.
-1
Solution: The Pirate Bay
FTFY
FTFY
FTFY
There are countries other than the US. Quite a few, believe it or not. Apparently "If I Can Dream" can be streamed other places, but nothing else, and that show doesn't really fit my taste. Even if it did, however, that alone does not make it worth while.
Also, I forgot to mention, when you only get about 60GB data transfer before having to pay ridiculous fees (in some areas, we can't get the awesome cheap resellers that aren't a total ripoff), having it on your hard drive means you can rewatch it without paying ridiculous fees that should be unnecessary.
7
The OP is complaining about Netflix which works in either the US or Canada. That leaves just one possible country that he could be from where my solution won't work. If he is Canadian then I apologize but the screenshot strongly suggests that he is American.
Your solution could result in a lawsuit that could easily send him into bankruptcy or could soon become a felony which can result in the permanent loss of the right to vote or bear arms. Both are kind of a big deal to a large portion of the population.
I don't know about you but I would think being forced to subscribe to Hulu Plus is a small price to pay to preserve my rights.
0
VB With XP works perfectly for me in Puppy Linux...
1
Solution: Firefox, Mono, and a User-Agent String changer.
FTFY
Edit: Or can Mono not handle DRM like that?
1
Nope, that's the kicker. Mono doesn't work due to the DRM.
5
Nope... I tried for days to make this work. There really is no answer outside of virtualization.
2
WE KNOW ALREADY!
3
Amazon Instant Video.
2
Sad, yes. Still is a fight. Has been brought up many times before, but needs to keep being brought up. It's not fair damnit!
2
Their service uses Silverlight. A program written and developed by Microsoft. Of course they are going to make it incompatible with Linux.
2
http://eztv.it anyone? ;)
2
This has been the case for some time. I agree, it is pretty fucked up.
Netflix runs on so many devices these days though, that it isn't a problem for me. I have a Wii, PS3, and a Roku box which I bought before PS3 could do Netflix. A few months ago, I saw that an Android phone would run Netflix due to a hardware DRM chip that will be in upcoming smartphones.
I haven't given amazon instant a real look before, but I noticed several mentions. I will be checking it out.
UPDATE: I checked it out on a relatively fresh Debian Squeeze box, and with flashplugin-nonfree I get no video. It's a good thing the pirated video streaming sites work great with Linux.
2
I agree with whoever said this should be in the FAQ section. Netflix does not want to support silverlight on linux because the only choices they have are to support moonlight which is not terribly stable or to write their own client. Both of these are undertakings which i doubt any company would want to take because of the extra work required. most people who use linux are smart enough to find a way around it anyways such as using a VM (i am not saying this is a good workaround... just that it is one)
1
As I understand it, Moonlight is not an option because it lacks Silverlight's DRM.
1
What icon scheme is that?
1
It looks like Faenza to me. Specifically "Faenza Dark".
Faenza is in the Fedora repo yum install faenza-icon-theme.noarch
I believe there is a PPA for Ubuntu.
2
Thanks!
1
You are correct! :) It's a wonderful icon set.
1
Try running Silverlight and Firefox/Internet Explorer from Linux using WINE.
1
Whats the problem?
0
[deleted]
-1
Yes, but it's can't fake silverlight.
7
[deleted]
1
This is common knowledge -- and a common irritation here.
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