Is there any way to watch Netflix on Linux?

[MugenFox]

Before you tell me that there are pages online and on Google about how impossible this is, I wanted to ask you guys if there was any possible way besides a VM. I would love to watch Netflix on my Ubuntu box and it can't run a VM too well. I know that the problem is with the DRM but is there any way that this could work? Could some DRM clone/port be made that will allow this to happen?

[santium]

Netflix uses Silverlight for it's streaming system. There's a silverlight port to Linux called moonlight but it currently only supports silverlight 1.0 (which is basically javascript and svg)
Once moonlight catches up with Silverlight 2.0 (Which Netflix uses because of the built in DRM features) it will be possible.

[ahoyer]

Hate to be the bringer of bad news, but unless Microsoft decides to license PlayReady to the Mono Team, you're SOL.

You could try to run Silverlight + a browser under Wine, however, the Wine AppDB reports it as 'garbage'.

[spunker88]

I hear ChromeOS is getting Netflix, and since ChromeOS is Linux based chances are this will be something other than Silverlight. Hopefully this will allow Netflix to be able to provide Linux support. But even if they don't I wonder how hard it would be to port this plugin or whatever they would use from ChromeOS over to Chrome running on Ubuntu and perhaps having to spoof the user agent to allow Netflix to let you in.

[FoobyZeeky]

Moonlight is an open-source implementation of Silverlight, and you can get Linux binaries for it. I'm not sure how well it would work...

[dw5304]

Following up on reports that Netflix would eventually use HTML5 for instant streaming of their movies rather than Microsoft’s Silverlight, a http://codereview.chromium.org/6902001 post recently revealed that a new version of Netflix utilizing the tech should be available for the next generation of Chrome OS devices. The server-side technology will ensure the most up-to-date software is being experienced by users on devices that don’t have the ability to install client applications. A Chrome plugin would also enable Linux desk/laptop users to stream Netflix–a long-standing complaint of American Linux fans.

[MugenFox]

Hate to be the bringer of bad news, but unless Microsoft decides to license PlayReady to the Mono Team, you're SOL.

You could try to run Silverlight + a browser under Wine, however, the Wine AppDB reports it as 'garbage'.

It seems like you're the only one who knows a lot about this issue or at least read a lot about
Anyways, the problem is not Silverlight, it's DRM. Moonlight won't work since it doesn't have the DRM binaries.

I hear ChromeOS is getting Netflix, and since ChromeOS is Linux based chances are this will be something other than Silverlight. Hopefully this will allow Netflix to be able to provide Linux support. But even if they don't I wonder how hard it would be to port this plugin or whatever they would use from ChromeOS over to Chrome running on Ubuntu and perhaps having to spoof the user agent to allow Netflix to let you in.

They have released one but it is really buggy and only works on some Samsung Chromebooks. It is far from ready but at least they are working on it, which is still hope to me.

Following up on reports that Netflix would eventually use HTML5 for instant streaming of their movies rather than Microsoft’s Silverlight, a http://codereview.chromium.org/6902001 post recently revealed that a new version of Netflix utilizing the tech should be available for the next generation of Chrome OS devices. The server-side technology will ensure the most up-to-date software is being experienced by users on devices that don’t have the ability to install client applications. A Chrome plugin would also enable Linux desk/laptop users to stream Netflix–a long-standing complaint of American Linux fans.

I doubt Netflix will switch to HTML5 in the near future since they have a lot of DRM built into it, and I don't think HTML5 could support that DRM better than Silverlight.

[QuiescentWonder]

Hate to be the bringer of bad news, but unless Microsoft decides to license PlayReady to the Mono Team, you're SOL.

You could try to run Silverlight + a browser under Wine, however, the Wine AppDB reports it as 'garbage'.

It seems like you're the only one who knows a lot about this issue or at least read a lot about
Anyways, the problem is not Silverlight, it's DRM. Moonlight won't work since it doesn't have the DRM binaries.

That's exactly what he's saying. PlayReady is the DRM. Mono is the Linux implementation of Silverlight.

[ahoyer]

I doubt Netflix will switch to HTML5 in the near future since they have a lot of DRM built into it, and I don't think HTML5 could support that DRM better than Silverlight.

HTML 5 doesn't, and never will, support DRM =)

(That task is left up to the codec, HTML5's role is to state that web browsers need to be able to download the video URL specified and play it somehow.)

[Joomla12]

Mono is the Linux implementation of Silverlight.

Wrong. Mono is an open source Visual Studio clone. You're thinking Moonlight. Anyway, have you ever heard of Winetricks? It's a scrappy little shell script that automates WINE preferences for certain Windows software. You can check it out and see if it provides a Silverlight preference.

[QuiescentWonder]

Sorry, Moonlight is the Linux implementation of Silverlight. Were you going to let us know or wait for me to correct myself?