Yeah, being limited to 720p because you run a free software operating system is not my idea of 'not shady' (Netflix is keeping their streams on Firefox and Chrome on 720p as a matter of policy, 1080p requires IE11, Edge, or Safari on a non-free operating system, or their proprietary app on an approved operating system).
The only way this makes sense is if the purpose of this blockade is to push people towards devices and operating systems that are completely locked down with DRM, from the software to the hardware. I can't think of any other reason — if Netflix does serve me 1080p and 4K streams, would that cause a sudden increase in the amount of pirated releases available?
I can already get everything on Netflix, in 1080p, if I really want just by visiting the usual pirate haunts! So what exactly is gained by degrading my viewing experience by only allowing me 720p as long as I choose to run a free operating system instead of a fully locked down platform?
I wish Netflix would give an honest answer on their DRM strategy, because it is driving me away.
I could understand if this was done because of licensing issues, but Netflix has decided on a blanket ban of 1080p and higher for their customers on free operating systems and anyone else who wants to use Chrome or Firefox.
You know that. I know that. Netflix engineering knows that. Hollywood content czars deep in their conservative DRM orthodoxy are having nightmares about it.
According to Wikipedia, Netflix had about 3500 employees in 2015. That's a pretty large company, and I assure you, the content producers pushing Netflix originals are going to a) have been hired out of that conservative Hollywood culture, b) be laterally very far away from the enlightened engineers in the Netflix corporate structure. Also c), the upper management above the engineers and the content producers who could resolve this kind of dispute, probably don't have enough exposure to an issue (1080p and 4k streams of Netflix Originals content to Linux-only customers) which affects a small minority of their customers.
If it was licensing issues, it'd at least be nice if Netflix only lowered quality where required instead of across the board. For crying out loud, why can't I get 1080p streams of Netflix originals on Linux - I've got the stupid Widevine CDM installed, what's the problem?
> Yeah, being limited to 720p because you run a free software operating system is not my idea of 'not shady' (Netflix is keeping their streams on Firefox and Chrome on 720p as a matter of policy, 1080p requires IE11, Edge, or Safari on a non-free operating system, or their proprietary app on an approved operating system)
Wait, really? I did not know that. I'm watching Netflix with Chrome on mac OS and always assumed that they use a poor bitrate for what I thought was 1080p content. This explains a lot. Any workaround on mac other than using Safari?
Speaking about quality on Netflix in general, I find it super annoying that they don't encode content that isn't available in DVD quality. They seem to have bitrates associated with resolutions, and the bitrate for 480p is pretty low. I wish they had another high-bitrate tier for 480p if the source is not available in HD.
The only way this makes sense is if the purpose of this blockade is to push people towards devices and operating systems that are completely locked down with DRM, from the software to the hardware. I can't think of any other reason — if Netflix does serve me 1080p and 4K streams, would that cause a sudden increase in the amount of pirated releases available?
I can already get everything on Netflix, in 1080p, if I really want just by visiting the usual pirate haunts! So what exactly is gained by degrading my viewing experience by only allowing me 720p as long as I choose to run a free operating system instead of a fully locked down platform?
I wish Netflix would give an honest answer on their DRM strategy, because it is driving me away.
I could understand if this was done because of licensing issues, but Netflix has decided on a blanket ban of 1080p and higher for their customers on free operating systems and anyone else who wants to use Chrome or Firefox.