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Note that there is no standard for the DRM itself. You can't play Netflix using W3C's specs.

The EME standard is only a JS API for launching arbitrary and deliberately non-standard DMCA-protected Content Decryption Modules (which are like plug-ins, but bundled with the browser).

In this regard EME is even more closed and less standardized than Flash and Silverlight were. The de-facto NPAPI was at least known and could be used by anyone. Now the CDM API is a vendor-specific DMCA-protected secret.



But, unlike Flash and Silverlight, they actually work well out of the box in for example Chrome and Safari. That's a first.

If the alternative is installing a secondary app, I'll take embedded DRM any day of the week.


We've traded freedom for convenience here.

You used to be able to integrate playback with any browser you like. Now you can only watch Netflix in browsers that have a contract with a Netflix-approved CDM vendor. Netflix now has both legal and technical means to control what browsers are allowed to do, and they can prevent you from using an open-source browser to avoid it.


We sure did. But for that same reason I often prefer using a commercial product with a limited functionality subset vs an open source equivalent which supports literally every feature imaginable. Convenience. It just works for what I need it to do.




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