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Comment by fratlas | Hacker News Reader

The Netflix issue isn't really DRM, it's just a way to minimize bandwidth[1]; they found HQ 720 encodes to be sufficient quality for most consumers. I personally find it lacking.

[1]: https://medium.com/netflix-techblog/per-title-encode-optimiz...

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I pay for 4k netflix but can't watch it on my computer because of drm. On Chrome it only streams up to 720p, and I have to use Edge for 1080p. To stream 4k you need to use their microsoft store app, a specific high-end processor or graphics card, and on top of that you also need a monitor that supports hdcp 2.2. I have all of the above (1080ti and hdcp 2.2 compliant monitor) but still can't stream 4k because my second monitor is not hdcp 2.2 compliant. The monitor states that it is but I couldn't get it to work even after extensive research. All of my setup is pretty modern and high-end and I still can't stream 4k netflix because drm hardware keeps evolving. If this is supposed to make me pirate less, it's not very effective.

Ah this actually explains something I have been wondering about. My new computer with firefox sometimes hitches and blacks out all the screens when I start/stop watching certain netflix content. I just realized this must be a DRM thing.

I have a 1080ti too, 2x HDCP2.2 (over DP) compatible monitors and a 1 gbps connection and yet I can’t even stream 1080p content on Linux, much less 4K.

I guess it’s still me to blame because I pay for it for friends and family who use my account.

Anyway check your cable if your monitor states that it’s compatible.

Nah, it's a DRM thing. You get 4k if you open it in edge with their PlayReady DRM.

There are (or at least were) some titles which even Edge didn't show in HD, but the Windows Store application does (did). But even then, certain drivers like virtual audio devices might restrict all available methods to lousy SD quality that requires a full reinstall of Windows to reset.

The blog post you link explicitly mentions that they have 1080p streams (and since then they have added 4k). That post makes no claims about 720p being sufficient for consumers.

And if you have the right combination of browser, os, Intel CPU, GPU and monitor to have intact DRM of the required level, Netflix will stream you the 1080p or 4k stream

It states it depends on bandwidth, sometimes 720 is served. I certainly receive 720p in aus.

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