Netflix Comes To Linux Web Browsers Via 'Pipelight' 303
An anonymous reader writes "With Netflix continuing to rely upon Microsoft Silverlight, the video streaming service hasn't been supported for Linux users as the Mono-based 'Moonlight' implementation goes without Silverlight 5 DRM support. However, there is now Netflix support for Linux-based web-browsers via the open source Pipelight project. Pipelight supports Netflix and other Silverlight-based web applications by having a Netscape plug-in that in turn communicates with a Windows program running under Wine. The Windows program then simulates a browser to load the Silverlight libraries. Netflix then works as the Pipelight developers implemented support for the Netflix DRM scheme within Wine."
I'll pass (Score:1, Interesting)
It's not important enough for me to have to do this. I know my market share isn't big enough to matter to Netflix but still.
seems like it would be easier (Score:5, Interesting)
How is it played in smart appliances? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Fails on multiple counts (Score:4, Interesting)
baloney.
A pc with a Linux OS that lets me stream netflix via any means including WINE is 2nd place behind native linux code, but the movie did indeed 'come to linux'. I don't have to reinstall my OS or run in a VM? It's on linux. And who the fuck cares about notepad; MS OFFICE RUNS UNDER WINE (some versions, YMMV, some limitations may apply).
Purism matters nothing in the crossover wars: if I can get netflix to stream on linux, it's better than if it won't.
Re:Next step (Score:5, Interesting)
If it's any consolation, "Seamonkey" is actually a compromise with PR:
Seamonkey (with lower-case m) has been the codename for the Mozilla Suite for some time, though it originally was invented by Netscape management as a codename for the release later called Netscape 6 — they simply needed a "politically correct" version of the codename Buttmonkey (symbolised as *~ and making a "rheet" sound) their developers had actually voted for (and apparently Jenga was the run-in in this voting).
(source) [mozilla.org]
Here's how I'd implement Netflix on Linux... (Score:4, Interesting)
... just to make a point:
1) Emulate a Windows browser in wine or similar (or even a full VM), complete with the DRM stack
2) Load Netflix and stream whatever it is you want to stream, but redirect the output to a framebuffer (netflix has no HDCP when run in a browser, does it?)
3) Recompress the contents of the framebuffer using some fast but inefficient high quality algorithm and save it to disk
4) Allow the Linux user to do whatever the fuck she wants with it, either watch it or reencode it for storage later
The DRM folks can't win. VM tricks aside, the real analog hole is open pretty wide for video. I have a consumer-level DSLR that will shoot 6000x4000 video at 6fps with no frame limit and negligible noise. It demolishes anything a HDTV can display as far as resolution goes. Getting one of those electronic shutter triggers ($25 from Nikon) and syncing it with the frame updates would let you scrape every frame displayed in 4 (24 fps) or 5 (30 fps) passes through the source. From there you've just got to do a curves adjustment to restore the original source pixel values (accommodating for calibration issues on your monitor and such).
Do this with a good monitor and I bet you could get really damn close to the original quality; modern SLR sensors and lenses are good enough for this. If you're too lazy to scrape it in stills mode, you can get a camera for under $1500 that will record near-losslessly-compressed 1080p video, and that you can use with reasonably inexpensive lenses that are essentially transparent.
And it takes *one* person to do this and torrent the result. Netflix can't stop this sort of thing.
Re:Easy solution (Score:3, Interesting)
I do not yet know Slashdot's policy on impersonating other users, but I intend to find out.
(Having said that, I agree with what this person wrote here.)
(post 2)
Re:How does android/chromeOS manage to get netflix (Score:5, Interesting)
Pipelight looks a handy bit of kit and a fine project.
But I've been watching Netflix natively on my Ubuntu desktop just fine since last year. See Compholio.
http://compholio.com/ [compholio.com] or search on "netflix linux" or similar to cast a wider net.
There are deb and rpm packages in 32- and 64-bit; you can subscribe to the ppa or compile as you choose. I don't know what distros this will work on as I've only used it on my host OS with Firefox. (I used to watch Netflix from within an XP vm using VirtualBox.)