[vox-tech] Netflix and Linux

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Darth Borehd (darth.borehd at gmail.com):

> I've been trying to get Netflix's "Watch Instantly" feature to work on
> Linux.  I've installed Moonlight, WINE, and User Agent Switcher for Firefox
> (to spoof their website into thinking I am running IE 7).  I tried going
> through Boxee too (total bust).  I'm out of ideas.  Anybody been able to
> crack this riddle?

You might be able to make it work using all-Win32 versions of everything 
under WINE or some other Win32 environment _under_ Linux.  This matter
came up recently on another mailing list, so I'll just quote from my
post:


This appears to be Microsoft Corp's "PlayReady DRM" shipped with the
Silverlight software.  Checking around, I see that they deliberately
restrict which OSes the DRM OKs operation on.  For example, OS X
operation is OK'ed by the DRM software only on Intel-based Macs running
Silverlight 2.0.  I.e., even PowerPC Mac OS X users running Silverlight
1.0 are shut out.

Microsoft's been sucking up to Our Masters in Hollywood, and pushing the
ability of PlayReady DRM to control customers, for some time.  See, e.g.:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/apr08/04-14SilverlightContentPR.mspx
http://www.betanews.com/article/First-look-at-DRM-for-Silverlight/1208194304
http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/ages9/hands_on_moonlight_2_brings_silverlight_2_bits_of/

Note:  

   Microsoft licenses PlayReady today for certain use cases, but they do
   not have a port for Linux which prevents Moonlight from using it. It is
   very unlikely that we will get PlayReady DRM on Linux.
                                             -- Miguel de Icaza

Our Masters in Hollywood don't mind providing PlayReady DRM on a
Linux-based embedded device that's sufficiently well handcuffed,
however, such as the Roku Netfix Player:

http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/142729

Note comment:

   Actually, I doubt the claim that Netflix chose Windows Media DRM
   because they bought a system from Microsoft; my guess is they chose it
   because it's the only system the content owners allow them to use. I                            
   work for a company that runs on-demand movie services.  Everybody I've
   met on the retail side of this industry hates DRM and I'm sure Netflix                          
   doesn't like inflicting it on their customers.  However, thus far,
   content owners, particularly larger ones, have been entirely unwilling
   to license their content to on-demand services that don't use DRM, and
   Windows Media is the only DRM implementation that is even slightly
   viable (yeah, it's broken, harmful technology.  You don't have to
   convince me.)