Netflix not working in Firefox64 on BP64 with latest Widevine

[vtpup]

After the 32 bit Widevine DRM add-on failure of the last few days in Firefox/Tahrpup32, I thought I'd try viewing on Firefox64 in Bionicpup 64. But, no go.

Using Firefox 89.0,
BP64 currently updated
Widevine ver. 4.10.2209.1

Hulu now works. Netflix does not.

Any ideas?

NetflixError.jpg (47.54 KiB) Viewed 774 times

[bigpup]

Try this from Netfix help:

Enable cookies in Firefox

Select Options. Select Privacy & Security from the menu on the left. Under History, locate the Firefox will: drop-down menu and select Remember history. Close the tab and try Netflix again.

If no help, maybe something here will help:
https://www.online-tech-tips.com/comput ... 7701-1003/

[vtpup]

Thanks BigPup. I did so, and now get a different error message (tried on several different videos with same result):

NetflixError2.jpg (74.13 KiB) Viewed 762 times

[bigpup]

Maybe something here:
https://appuals.com/streaming-error-f71 ... n-netflix/

[vtpup]

Thanks again Bigpup -- I actually found that same page before you posted the link and I tried all of the following recommended fix methods:

deleting history, enabling history for netflix, deleting netflix cookies, enabling cookies for netflix, disabling hardware acceleration in Firefox, restarting Firefox, checking that Firefox and Widevine were latest versions, checking for anti-adware add-ons (I have none in this instance of Firefox).

Incredible that Hulu can play fine but Netflix is so arcane that it is unable to work.

BTW Netflix says that there are only two supported operating systems, Mac and Windows. Maybe that's true? Is anyone else using Firefox and Puppy to access Netflix successfully now?

[vtpup]

As a last resort I created a brand new Firefox profile and tried again in that one.

That worked.

What a blivet.

[wizard]

Had same problem with FF84. Tried using a user-agent switcher, but that did not work. Netflix is working in Chrome portable 90.

wizard

[mikewalsh]

@vtpup :-

For me, NetFlix is working fine in every one of my 64-bit Pups, irrespective of the browser in use.....Chrome, Iron, Vivaldi, Ungoogled Chromium, Opera, Firefox (Quantum AND ESR), etc, etc.

I may try what you've said has worked for you. If it does (I'll set one up specifically for NetFlix), I'll probably cobble together a profile-switcher for the portables, so I can load the relevant profile as & when.

I'll report back.

Mike.

[mikewalsh]

@vtpup :-

Well.....

As fully expected, it doesn't work in 32-bit Puppies.....it was a bit of a long shot, anyway. I'm in Xenialpup 7.5 ATM, have tried a clean profile with both Iron and Firefox (both from the standard location, AND from the pair I have set-up in a chroot).The NetFlix website will load fine; the "front-page" shows, along with animated previews of every program/film/item - that's libffmpeg doing its thing - but when it comes to actually playing anything....."It looks like your browser is no longer supported".

It's not the browser, as I said in the other thread; it's the DRM module that's out-of-date. NetFlix 'phones home' to the mother-ship when you launch an item; checks for supported versions of WideVine, then cross-checks with the installed module to see if it's a match. If it's a supported version, whatever you selected will play; if not, you get the "Not supported" message.

This version of WideVine is simply out-of-date, and no longer supported.....and Google have no intention of updating it. They WANT 32-bit to die.....as quickly as possible.

Mike.

[wizard]

@mikewalsh
Mike, think there's any way to spoof the widevine version?

wizard

[mikewalsh]

@mikewalsh
Mike, think there's any way to spoof the widevine version?

wizard

Hah!

I tried this myself. Attempted to edit the 32-bit Widevine's 'manifest.json' to read like the one for the 64-bit version. No cigar.

I'm only guessing here, but my thought is that initially, the 'phone-home' bit must check the architecture of the actual Widevine module itself - libwidevinecdm.so. If it comes up as 'ELF32', it won't bother going any further, since it obviously knows the 32-bit version is no longer 'current'. If it shows as 'ELF64', I assume it then goes on to check the version release number itself....

Unless there's a way to make a 32-bit browser USE a 64-bit component - which I very much doubt! - I can't see this being any other than a dead-end. As vtpup says, it's obscene that a company that has created an industry-wide component should just casually flick a switch and deny entire sites to a percentage of the population who simply cannot afford new hardware.....but Google are well-known for 'dumping' technologies on a whim.

At the same time, it's undeniable that there's plenty of "cheap-as-chips" 64-bit hardware available out there in the second-hand market. It HAS been around for the best part of 20 years, and the 'official' thinking is obviously that anyone who hasn't yet switched to 64-bit would appear to need a 'nudge' in the right direction, so.....

.....let's give them one.

(*shrug*)

Mike.

[vtpup]

That would be fun if it was do-able. Even if for not much more of a reason than to just feel like I haven't been pushed around by internet corporate board rooms. Part of the great joy of using Puppy in general.

And thanks Mike for testing the 32 bit fail mode -- yup that's just how it happened for me. One day Netflix worked, as it had for years. Next day it would open, pat itself on the back about how great a service it was, show all the selections that, as a paid subscriber, one could watch. And then refuse to play any them because my browser was suddenly "out of date". My fault, obviously.

Well, nope, guys, simply, you scuttled the low impact, minimal resource, and low income segments of your membership for no reason other than board room indifference.

Credit cards still being charged the monthly fee, of course.

[bigpup]

As a last resort I created a brand new Firefox profile and tried again in that one.

That worked.

What a blivet.

So this did or did not work????
You say it worked.
So, now what is the issue??

[vtpup]

It would be cool if my credit card would work if the charging entity could only access it through my browser's older 32 bit DRM package.

Sorry, I'm having trouble issuing you a payment! You appear to be providing 64 bit-only video services.
Please check your DRM software for compatibility with 32 bit Linux compatible browsers, and try again.
Error 86-NFLX

[vtpup]

So this did or did not work????
You say it worked.
So, now what is the issue??

Yup, BP, I did say it worked. For 64 bit, after a struggle with my own instance of FF-64 bit.

The conversation subsequently morphed into testing the 32 bit FF failure mode, and an attempted or considered workaround for that type of Puppy. Happens.