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Watch Netflix in 1080p on Linux and Unsupported Browsers

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday February 13 2018, @02:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the good-news-for-linux-users dept.

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Netflix 1080p is a new browser extension for Google Chrome and Firefox (a fork). It should work in other browsers that support Chrome's extensions system.

The extension enables support for 1080p on Netflix in the browsers. Netflix customers can use Chrome or Firefox, on any supported operating system, to watch streams in 1080p using those browsers.

This overrides Netflix's -- seemingly artifical -- streaming quality limitation. The extension is especially useful for Linux users as it unlocks 1080p video streams on Netflix on Linux machines since that is not supported officially by Netflix.

Source: https://www.ghacks.net/2018/02/12/watch-netflix-in-1080p-on-linux-and-unsupported-browsers/

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by stretch611 on Tuesday February 13 2018, @06:27PM (7 children)

    by stretch611 (6199) on Tuesday February 13 2018, @06:27PM (#637215)

    How long until the app becomes popular enough to appear on Netflix's radar?

    When that happens, how long until lawyers are involved and the inevitable takedown letter. for either DCMA or copyright violations. (I expect DCMA due to circumvention methods.)

    --
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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Immerman on Tuesday February 13 2018, @08:21PM (6 children)

    by Immerman (3985) on Tuesday February 13 2018, @08:21PM (#637254)

    Is there any reason to believe they'd care?

    My guess is they artificially limit Linux streams simply because Linux is notorious for having full-screen video performance issues, and they have no interest in offering support for such issues on a few dozen of the most popular distros. Someone makes an unsupported plugin that sidesteps their performance "fix" - that's not their problem: "Sorry, your configuration is not supported. Disable the plugin and if you're still having issues *then* we'll give you the help-desk runaround."

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 13 2018, @10:54PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 13 2018, @10:54PM (#637317)

      simply because Linux is notorious for having full-screen video performance issues,

      What are you talking about? What new FUD is this? The issues my HUGE Flat Screen Display TV, which runs on the linux kernel, is having with full screen display? Is that what you are talking about? How much is Netflix paying you to spread these lies???

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by lentilla on Wednesday February 14 2018, @12:18AM

        by lentilla (1770) on Wednesday February 14 2018, @12:18AM (#637360)

        Linux is notorious for having full-screen video performance issues

        Please see xkcd [xkcd.com].

        True, full screen video generally "just works" today - but it certainly for wasn't easy for the greater part of Linux's history.

      • (Score: 2) by MadTinfoilHatter on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:46AM (1 child)

        by MadTinfoilHatter (4635) on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:46AM (#637492)

        What new FUD is this?

        More like a real issue from days of yore that, yes, for the last 15 years or so is really just FUD. I remember having video playback problems on Red Hat 7.1 (videos would freeze and jerk randomly). The years was 2001. The problems persisted on RH 7.3, if I recall correctly, but when I switched to SuSE 9.1 in 2005 I could play videos just fine.

        • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday February 14 2018, @02:48PM

          by Immerman (3985) on Wednesday February 14 2018, @02:48PM (#637599)

          As a long time Linux user I'd have to disagree. Maybe it's just the distros I've used (mostly Ubuntu-based), or some configuration setting it doesn't like, or the fact that my linux devices all use integrated graphics, but I'm constantly running into web streams that simply won't play nice in full screen.

          Obviously it's not a kernel problem since there's so very many embedded Linux devices that do just fine. I can send it to chromecast (if supported) and it streams flawlessly. I can view it at HD resolution in a window flawlessly. But view it full-screen in a desktop distro and I'm inviting stuttering, even at lower resolutions.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @09:22AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @09:22AM (#637533)

      My guess is they artificially limit Linux streams simply because Linux is notorious for having full-screen video performance issues

      They limit Linux streams today because Linux had playback issues many years back?

      That's like saying today, "my web page doesn't support Microsoft browsers because IE6 has terrible standards conformance".

    • (Score: 2) by Wootery on Wednesday February 14 2018, @11:46AM

      by Wootery (2341) on Wednesday February 14 2018, @11:46AM (#637561)

      It's not Linux, it's Chrome. Even on Windows, Chrome only plays Netflix up to 720P. [netflix.com]