This entry was posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at 8:45 and is filed under Analysis & Commentary, Rumors, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Site Search:
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Netflix has wisely been adapting to the future fairly well with adding Blu-ray and HD-DVD (yanking the last from the queue just recently, however) to the mix. Netflix has also playing around with movie downloads. Many have been excited by the latter and with only a Windows version currently available, Macintosh fans are sitting at the table with fork and knife, ready to dive in. But you may want to put down the silverware as it’s most likely you’ll never see Netflix downloads on your Mac.
According to a source at Netflix, Apple is making things very difficult for it, and every other company with digital content, to bring this new exciting technology to OS X machines. The difficulty? FairPlay. Apple has a long history of not playing fair with it’s DRM (digital Rights Management) from shunning RealNetworks’ Rhapsody to work with the iPod to ignoring Sonos‘ constant requests for access to FairPlay to allow the music player to play content from the iTunes Store. Apple simply does not want to license out its DRM scheme as Microsoft has freely done with its Windows Media format.
Hollywood is very stringent with its content and has signed onto Window Media and FairPlay after much work by Microsoft and Apple. To add another DRM to the fold may not go down very well with Tinsel Town. Further, the cost of coming up with a new protection scheme may be too extreme for many companies. Lastly, the “bullet proof” aspect of the DRM would be questioned by all the studios and that would become the deal breaker. In the end, it has to be FairPlay on the Mac.
As long as Apple plays deaf to all the outside requests for licensing of FairPlay, one will never see Netflix movie downloads on their Mac. With Apple having its own movie rental scheme now, it’s highly unlikely Netflix movie downloads will come to the Mac. Like RealNetworks, Apple doesn’t want competition on its platform. In the end, if you really have to have those movies from Netflix on your Mac, get Parallel’s Desktop.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:02
I am sure if online porn shops could implement their own DRMs streaming videos to Macs, NetFlix could make do without FairPlay … it is just not “fair” blaming all on Apple …
February 21st, 2008 at 9:17
Successful companies like eBay, Youtube and Facebook develop their own technologies. Why shouldn’t we expect Netflix to develop the technologies they need?
If Netflix wants to be in the online movie business, they need to develop enabling technologies (duh). It sounds like you feel Apple should facilitate Netflix with something like this.
Microsoft is an arms merchant that sells crap to everyone. Why do you feel that Apple should emulate that model?
Rodney
February 21st, 2008 at 9:43
Because the people @ Netflix are too stupid/cheap/lazy to code their own DRM they want to blame Apple for not licensing theirs?
Unlike the iPod or the Zune, the Mac can have more than one media player, therefore more than one encoding/decoding system. It’s a general purpose computer with a freely available SDK.
Netflix for iPod would require Fairplay (or DRM-free), but Netflix for Mac has no such limitation.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:04
Why can ABC, NBC, etc stream near HD quality video to Safari on my MBP? Because they made the effort to so. Netflix would rather make excuses.
Zen
February 21st, 2008 at 11:21
… and if Microsoft has so “freely” licensed its Windows Media format, how come there isn’t a Mac version capable of playing Netflix movies?
Oh, that’s right, because Microsoft doesn’t want its DRM technologies running on other platforms. How is that any more “fair”?
February 21st, 2008 at 11:57
Companies don’t need to develop their own DRM. Broadcasters and Hollywood have already signed off on Widevine:
http://www.widevine.com/
They could just use that.
February 21st, 2008 at 13:50
…or the content providers could copy the “TV” model, and put in-line advertisements (commercials) and make the shows available as low- or no-cost (DRM-Free) h.264 downloads.
Ad rates can use the “Magazine” model which accounts for ad views by both the buyer of the magazine and by those they share it with.
..and content can come directly from Directors/Production Companies rather than Networks, Studios, or other middlemen.
I’d rather pay Chuck Lorre Productions $0.25 for an episode of Two and a Half Men, knowing he get the full quarter (minus bandwidth costs, plus all the ad revenue) than to pay CBS $0.25 for the same episode, knowing Chuck & Co. will only get 2 cents for the show and the-fifths of one percent of the ad revenue. (That’s what the WGA & AMPTP finally agreed on, BTW)
Like the RIAA, the AMPTP will realize that they no longer hold a monopoly on distribution and promotion of content.
Video just needs a “Radiohead/Madonna” event like audio had in order to get the news media to notice, meanwhile “podcasting” is replacing TV in a small but growing number of homes.
February 21st, 2008 at 14:03
I believe you are misinformed….
Netflix has already demonstrated their streaming video over Silverlight, and it is one of the reasons MSFT released Silverlight and Adobe is working aggressively with AIR – both are rolling DRM into their respective cross platform digital media playback engines specifically because Apple will not license FairPlay. Netflix has already announced you will be able to view movies on the Mac. Not quite sure where you got your misinformation from, but Netflix was a featured demonstration at the Microsoft Mix conference…. SHowing Netflix VOD running on the Mac!!!
February 21st, 2008 at 16:08
“As long as Apple plays deaf to all the outside requests for licensing of FairPlay … ”
Not ALL requests. They apparently licensed it to Fox for DVDs. So a licensing arrangement certainly isn’t *impossible* to set up.
@Zen (#5) Streaming unencrypted data via Safari is probably not sufficient to satisfy the movie studios. Even I could set up QuickTime Streaming Server to do the former, but DRM does require something more. It’s not clear how MUCH more, or whether it would be cost effective from Netflix’ standpoint.
February 21st, 2008 at 16:40
@Bob, see above – DRM Streaming to the Mac is working in solutions from Adobe and Microsoft. I really don’t see the issue. This article is just wrong….
February 21st, 2008 at 16:53
P.S. UNLESS of course Netflix is planning on offering expiring media in addition to the streaming media – in which case, while not there yet is also part of the AIR and Silverlight initiatives… SPECIFICALLY because Apple does not open up Fairplay…
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:54
Hey Nick,
Rumor is NetFlix and Widevine are in discussions. I have not been able to conform it through NetFlix.
Also Eytan…I am pretty sure that Widevine has an player for protected play back of Mac downloads if NetFlix wanted to do downloads also.
Ross
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:16
Thanks Ross. I think we agree on the point that Apple not licensing Fairplay is not holding back Netflix downloads, which was the point of this blog. All it is holding back is the creation of expiring media for the iPhone, that is if Netflix even acquired the rights for that. As far as I know, Netflix only has rights for playback on the desktop (and not any kind of portable media devices, other than portable DVD players if you got DVDs from them
)
February 23rd, 2008 at 15:17
Ross is keen on the limitations of AIR and Silverlight and thus the negatives of these formats. Netflix has publicly demonstrated these technologies on the Mac; however, internally, Netflix is not banking on them due to their limitations. According to my source in a follow up, it is working with an unknown company to the masses in hopes that this could be the model to use for streaming to the Mac, Windows, AND Linux. Since Microsoft’s offering does not support Linux, Netflix is even more less likely to use Silverlight.
February 24th, 2008 at 9:55
Sven,
Not sure I mentioned the limitations of AIR and Silverlight. However, I must agree with your comments.
Additionally I would add. Adobe has not been able to understand or respond to the needs of the studios interms of robust DRM and keeps them from being the leader in this space over Microsoft. Even the Adobe story about how secure thier new DRM will be (still waiting for it) is flawed. They added some encryption and integrity checks to the SWF but failed to comprehend that those are not the attack points a pirate would use (beleive me I know
).
The Adobe approach to the problem is really just a ploy to get service providers like NetFlix to buy the Flash Media Server. The reality is that HTTP streaming is much more cost effective and if you use a good tool like Widevine’s the content is secure from the begining to the end.
In the end if the rumors are true and NetFlix is looking at Widevine, then they will have lots of option in terms of the platforms (PC, MAC, STB, PMP, Phones, DVD players, etc.) that thier customers can use to view NetFlix content. They also get freedom of choice in the area of media format, business models, and delivery protocals (streaming, progressive download, download).
All of this with a studio endorsed DRM.
Anyway I cannot wait to get instant watching capabiltities on my MAC
February 24th, 2008 at 11:44
Thanks Sven
I was under the impression that the mono project is porting Silverlight after a payout from MSFT
Regardeless. you mention and other mention other options, like Wildvine. Aren’t these all contradicting the thrust of this blog, that we will never see Netflix downloads? Or again, are you saying they WILL see streaming, but not downloads?
Eytan
February 24th, 2008 at 15:03
Hello Eytan,
I am not sure exactly where Sven was going but do not think it is an “either/or” decision here.
Silverlight, AIR, or whatever cross platform codec and framework you want to use would still need a DRM for NetFlix to satisfy the studios.
NetFlix has several choices
A Microsoft created DRM like “Play Ready” – As near as I can tell “Play Ready” is NOT ready yet.
FalirPlay – and we all know the problems that brings in regards to licensing – and there are still some studio requirements not met with FairPlay
Adobe’s FMS 3 based DRM – which at this point is not complete enough to meet studio needs
Or Widevine.
I will predict that NetFlix starts with progressive download on Mac and Linux using either Windows Media, H.264, FLV or VP7 for the formats. But will seek an open DRM that works on all platforms and formats…then maybe eventually they will consider downloads if the buisness model makes sence.
-Ross
February 24th, 2008 at 21:50
Yes, I mean downloads, as in H.264 is downloaded to your hard drive ala iTunes and you’re free to watch it when you’re ready and then the self-destruct timer begins, ala iTunes Rentals.
The issue with streaming is bandwidth and compression giving less than a please “HD” experience. NBC’s little venture after leaving iTunes is such an example of poor implementation of streaming. The quality is just not there and unless the content is downloaded, not streamed, it’s just not going to be a pleasing experience for most. No FairPlay alternative matches the quality of what Apple’s technology could provide at this point.
February 25th, 2008 at 7:40
I see you are tieing the CODEC to the DRM. FairPlay itself is not a CODEC. Which is what gives you the playback quality.
You can seperate the two functions.
There are lots of options for H.264 CODECs and players that will work off line without needing your iTunes player and living with the licensing terms.
And of course with an open standard like H.264 you can have an Open Standard for DRM and not have to choose Play Ready or Fairplay.
February 25th, 2008 at 23:01
I found your blog via Google while searching for Porn Movie Downloads and your post regarding Why Macs Will Never See Netflix Downloads looks very interesting for me. thanks
April 16th, 2010 at 12:25
So just found out Ross you are correct Netflix did a deal with Widevine. It appears that the Nintedo Wii uses Widevine DRM … I suspect it is Widevine in the iPAD also