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Netflix Ditches Silverlight With HTML5 Support In IE11

Posted by timothy on from the such-comfortable-handcuffs dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Netflix today announced that it has finally taken the first step towards ditching Silverlight for HTML5, largely thanks to Microsoft, no less. The company has been working closely with the Internet Explorer team to implement its proposed 'Premium Video Extensions' in IE11 on Windows 8.1, meaning if you install the operating system preview released today, you can watch Netflix content using HTML5 right now. Back in April, Netflix revealed its plans to use HTML5 video in any browser that implements its proposed 'Premium Video Extensions.' These extensions allow playback of premium video (read: with DRM protection) directly in the browser without the need to install plugins such as Silverlight or Flash."

7 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. Still need to install something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I like how it touts the fact that you don't need to install flash or silverlight but you still need to install Netflix's DRM stuff to decode the data. And if your operating system or machine isn't supported by Netflix, then you can't view the data. I don't see how this is any better than flash or silverlight. With those, you just need to install either flash or silverlight but now you need to install a DRM from each provider.

    1. Re:Still need to install something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I like how it touts the fact that you don't need to install flash or silverlight but you still need to install Netflix's DRM stuff to decode the data. And if your operating system or machine isn't supported by Netflix, then you can't view the data. I don't see how this is any better than flash or silverlight. With those, you just need to install either flash or silverlight but now you need to install a DRM from each provider.

      The joke is that they did their content licensing deals based on MS drm( so that it is stipulated that on desktop it has to have their magic sauce because it's soooo unrippable) because of MS influence, the meat of the joke is that MS discontinued silverlight.

      that's why you have netflix clients on phones and what have you but the only desktop platform is with silverlight!

  2. Not really HTML5 by h4rr4r · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I still have to have an approved OS and browser and install a DRM plugin, it's not really just HTML5.

    Oh wow, we swapped one plugin for another.

    1. Re:Not really HTML5 by Microlith · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually that would still be HTML5. That's why adding ECE to HTML5 is stupid: it solves none of the problems of Flash plugins while opening the door for a multitude of similar DRM plugins, each with its own, unique attack surface.

    2. Re:Not really HTML5 by citizenr · · Score: 5, Funny

      Its NOT a plugin citizen, we call them Extensions!

      --
      Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
  3. HTML5 is now officially been Embraced and Extended by apcullen · · Score: 5, Informative
    FTFA:

    According to Netflix, Microsoft made this possible by implementing three features in its still-unfinished IE11:

    The Media Source Extensions (MSE), using the Media Foundation APIs within Windows. Since Media Foundation supports hardware acceleration using the GPU, Netflix can achieve high quality 1080p video playback with minimal CPU and battery utilization.
    The Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) using Microsoft PlayReady DRM. This provides the content protection needed for media services like Netflix.
    The Web Cryptography API (WebCrypto), which allows Netflix to encrypt and decrypt communication between its JavaScript application and its servers.

    Sounds like this is locked into windows via the Media Foundation APIs

  4. "Such as" by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 5, Insightful

    These extensions allow playback of premium video (read: with DRM protection) directly in the browser without the need to install plugins such as Silverlight or Flash.

    Geez, talk about stretching the meaning of "such as." The whole point of this is that it lets you play it in the browser by installing a proprietary single-source plugin. Sure, you can argue that your plugin isn't "like" Sliverlight or Flash, just like Microsoft might say Silverlight is also not a plugin like Flash, and Adobe might argue that Flash is not a plugin like Java. And the guy serving malware on porn sites might argue his video codec is not a malware plugin like the other ones are. "My plugin takes spam-sending orders from this botnet, not that botnet! See? It's totally different!"

    That is exactly how these extensions are not plugins like Flash or Silverlight. In other words: totally meaningless bullshit. It's just another plugin, which happens to use a newer API.

    Lie all you want about it not being a plugin, but the lie is pretty transparent and does more to discredit the speaker than it does to really deceive anyone.

    --
    "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump