Hasta La Gadget!

Those of you who have been using Netflix on your computer instead of a set-top-box or video game console are probably familiar with Microsoft Silverlight as it has been the plugin of choice to be able to stream Netflix videos onto computers for some time now. But it looks as though Netflix’s time with Silverlight will soon be coming to an end as the company is announcing it plans to move on from it to deliver their video content to computer users by way of HTML5.

Netflix has some work to do in order for its service to fully adopt HTML5, primarily support for DRM. The company says it has been collaborating with three W3C initiatives which when combined will offer the kind of functionality Netflix would require for its streaming video services. The combined extensions, dubbed the “HTML 5 Premium Video Extensions,” will allow Netflix to deliver its streams via JavaScript, allow DRM encryption and a third extension that will keep communications secure. (more…)

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Due to Microsoft’s confirmation that support for its Silverlight plugin will end and the rise of plugin-free browsers, Netflix will eventually need to stream to PCs using something other than the tech it’s had in place since 2008.The company has already implemented one example of the technology for Samsung’s ARM Chromebooks, and plans to bring it to Chrome on PCs and Macs eventually. Right now, it’s waiting for several W3C initiatives it’s been working on called the HTML5 Premium Video extensions that handle things like video quality and DRM support to be fully implemented. Once the last one (Web Cryptography API) is available, it can ditch the custom API plugin it’s currently using and begin testing on PCs and Macs. What isn’t mentioned is any support for other platforms like Linux, although Netflix says it can’t wait until the features are “implemented in all browsers!”

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Microsoft

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Source: Netflix Tech Blog

Samsung’s Exynos-powered Chromebook released last fall may get the job done for those who rely mostly on websites and web apps, but there have still been some gaps in the web-based services it supports — like Netflix. That’s changed today, though, with Google announcing that it has collaborated with Netflix and Microsoft to enable HTML5 video streaming on the ARM-based Chromebook (Google had previously said Netflix support was coming, but provided few specifics). That notably also makes it the first instance of Netflix using HTML5 for streaming instead of Silverlight, although there’s no indication of it spreading to other devices just yet. As far as Chromebook users are concerned, all you have to do is go to the Netflix website and log in to get started.

Filed under: Laptops, Samsung, Google

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Source: Chrome (Google+), Google Groups

Sometimes a browser needs to leave a little data on your computer, just a little 5-10KB nibblit, a cookie. HTML5 is a hungrier beast than that which came before it though, and sometimes wants a little more. Maybe 5MB or so. But that’s where it should end. Thanks to a little HTML5 vulnerability, however, this site can and will fill your entire hard drive with trash. Specifically cats. Lots and lots of cats. More »

Good news for fans of the web browser from Mozilla. Firefox version 19 is available for download from Mozilla’s website ahead of its official launch tomorrow. The new web browser is available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux with a few features and bug fixes from previous versions. Android users will have to wait a little longer, but should have the new version available for download from tomorrow.

Perhaps the most talked about feature in the new release is the PDF viewer based on HTML5. Firefox users will no longer have to rely on external plugins like the Adobe Reader PDF plugin, to view PDF files. The use of external plugins made browsing slower and at the times the plugins tended not to work properly. External plugins also had vulnerabilities that could be exploited. Users no longer have to worry about that as PDF files can be viewed within the browser.

Other updates in the browser are mostly focused on developer tools for the CSS and bug fixes, probably something that the average user will not fancy much. A complete list of release notes should be available tomorrow at the official launch.

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