[mythtv-users] Netflix

Tue Sep 30 16:35:50 UTC 2014

?Congrats on getting something more native(ish) running!

I agree with your suggestion - NetFlix may be willing to allow NetFlex developers to keep using the API. Hopefully the *right* person will ask

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From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org <mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org> on behalf of Gerhard Gappmeier <gappy1502 at gmx.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 12:16 PM
To: Myth TV Users List
Subject: [mythtv-users] Netflix

Hi all

since Netflix is now also available in Germany I gave it a try.

It's the first video on demand service (I know from) that now also works natively on Linux.

Using wine/virtualbox tricks to run this MS Silverlight stuff was never an option for me and I think also not for many other uses.

Now Netflix can stream video using HTML5 and an additional DRM plugin which currently works in Google Chrome and Chromium.

* Pro: First native Linux support

* Con: Still DRM, but it works

I just wanted to let you know how I did a first integration into MythTV (far from perfect, but works).

1.) Install Google Chrome (or Chromium).

2.) Install libnss3 version 3.14 or higher

(this is required by the DRM plugin to work)

3.) Configure the user-agent as described here: http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/08/netflix-linux-html5-support-plugins

3.) edit /usr/share/mythtv/themes/classic/mainmenu.xml (the path may vary on your system)

Add the following new "Netflix" command.

<button>

<type>VIDEO</type>

<text>Netflix</text>

<action>EXEC DISPLAY=":0.0" /usr/bin/google-chrome-stable --alsa-output-device=iec958 --start-fullscreen https://www2.netflix.com</action>

</button>

This will start Google Chrome in full-screen mode with the netflix URL.

Things to note here:

* DISPLAY variable must be set so that Chrome can access X

* --start-fullscreen: This should be obvious

* --alsa-output-device=iec958 selects my optical SPDIF output which I use for sound. Remove or change this to fit your needs.

By default the output goes via HDMI to my TV, which is not what I want.

Result: I can start Netflix using the MythTV menu and it works.

Cons: The Netflix website cannot be controlled by keyboard or the HTPC remote. The website is designed for interacting with the mouse. Exiting chrome works using my wireless keyboard and the shortcut CTRL-SHIFT-Q.

Ideas: It should be possible to create a myth plugin for browsing the Netflix library. No DRM is necessary here. This way the remote control would work as usual to select a movie.

When starting a movie we can use google-chrome as a player using the correct movie url.

Netflix was providing an API that could be used to create a MythTV Netflix browser. But the public API will stop working on November 14, 2014.

See http://developer.netflix.com/blog/read/Retiring_the_Netflix_Public_API

Interested developers can still get access to the API as the site says.

It would be worth a try. The alternative would be reading the web content and parse this. And this is always a fragile thing, as web layouts frequently change.

Unfortunately I don' have the time to develop such a plugin. Volunteers are welcome ;-)

Cheers,

Gerhard.

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