As important as it is for an on-demand video platform to launch services internationally, it is equally critical to address compatibility concerns. Keeping that perspective in mind, Netflix has now added support for Firefox browser on Linux operating system. Till now, Linux users only had the option of using Chrome (version with EME support) to directly stream videos from Netflix.
Netflix announced the news via its official tech blog which read as under,
Starting today, users of Firefox can also enjoy Netflix on Linux. This marks a huge milestone for us and our partners, including Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Mozilla that helped make it possible.
The development dismisses the need to install any plug-ins. Moreover, the viewers now onwards need not use Chrome’s digital rights management (DRM) technology to access the videos. This move from the company especially benefits users operating on Linux with Firefox as their default browser of choice.
In addition to supporting Firefox on Linux, Netflix has launched HTML5 video on Chrome OS, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, Firefox, and Edge on all supported operating systems. During the past year, Mozilla fused EME support for Firefox on Linux. Although the fusion only offered to play encrypted content on the browser. With today’s announcement, the browser is now capable of streaming DRM-protected HTML5 videos.
In simple terms, Linux users can now freely navigate to the Netflix website on Firefox, log into their account and binge watch without worrying about the limitations and needed plug-in support.
Apart from it, the company is currently working on availability of high-resolution videos on more platforms. It has already launched 4K Ultra HD on Microsoft Edge in December of 2016, with additional support for Dolby Vision and HDR10. It looks forward to HDR video and is working with various partners to extend similar support to other platforms over time. For now, it just a Yay! for all Linux-friendly, Firefox preferring users.
