

Even Netflix Can’t Avoid Android Fragmentation - rmah
http://gigaom.com/video/even-netflix-cant-avoid-android-fragmentation/

======
rarestblog
We have fragmentation everywhere. We have different versions and brands of
browsers rendering websites, written in different languages, using different
databases. We have people running Windows, Macs and Linux. We have multitude
of variations of Linux OS.

Fragmentation is all around. Yet it all works.

Somehow when it comes to Android - it's the "go to response" when something
doesn't work. It makes me feel like every article that uses "android
fragmentation" isn't very well thought (or maybe was even paid for Android
bashing).

IMO NetFlix wrote iPhone version earlier because a year ago it seemed like
iPhone is going to be the only platform worth pursuing, not because of
"Android fragmentation". They just started iPhone version much earlier.

------
ZeroMinx
"lack of a common digital rights management (DRM) solution"

Thank you Google. We don't want no stinkin' DRM.

~~~
Terretta
> _We don't want no stinkin' DRM._

Consumers don't care about DRM. Consumers care whether they can enjoy their
media anytime, anywhere.

Hollywood cares about DRM for the edge case of people who want to do something
with media _besides_ enjoy it anytime anywhere, such as give it away.

DECE and PIFF are approaching an interoperable spec; the AES based methods
used by Microsoft and Apple now vary only slightly. When consumers stop
noticing DRM preventing them from legitimate use cases, it will be here to
stay.

~~~
exit
you think consumers won't consider being able to pass on the film/book they
just enjoyed (the way they would a physical dvd/book, etc.) a "legitimate use
case"?

~~~
Terretta
A well architected DRM could support lending and even support an aftermarket
for used "media".

However, it seems more likely Hollywood will eventually decide they're not
selling media, but "entertainment experiences", and will try to train
consumers to pay for the experience. Hollywood would like that, since one
can't conveniently resell a used experience.

------
dev_zero
Remember that Netflix's CEO, Reed Hastings, is on the board of MSFT. This is
the same reason used why Netflix for linux isn't available (it uses
Silverlight and the linux version doesn't effectively support DRM). The cynic
in me would love to think that this jab at Android isn't just a strategic move
to help Windows Phone in it's fragile fledgling state. However, my
understanding is that Netflix's hands are tied on the issue of DRM, if they
don't support it, the content owners won't let them stream, much like iTunes
was for music in the early days.

~~~
dailo10
How does Netflix DRM currently work anyways?

~~~
Terretta
PlayReady. PlayReady works on OS X.

[http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/05/25/netflix-goes-with-
micro...](http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/05/25/netflix-goes-with-microsoft-
playready-drm-for-upcoming-streaming-devices/)

------
AndrewDucker
The problem isn't fragmentation - the problem is that Android doesn't do DRM.

And that may not be considered a problem by everyone... :->

------
ck2
Why does Netflix even need DRM for streaming?

Their streams are not HD are they?

I mean they play on my standalone DVD player, if for some weird reason I
wanted to record it, I could record the analog output to my VCR but it's not
HD so why bother?

So on Android devices just do 640x480 max and if you want HD, rent the bluray?

~~~
wahnfrieden
Netflix will stream at 720p if you have the bandwidth. That's HD.

Whatever Netflix's feelings on DRM are, they'd never get licensing to show
much if they didn't have DRM. That's outside of their control.

------
tomjen3
Bittorrent on the other hand works nicely.

------
num1
Did the author or this article even read netflix's statement? There was no
"lamentation" of the fragmentation of the Android market. Because Android
doesn't enforce a DRM model on every android handset Netflix is going to be
working with individual manufacturers to try to bring DRM to as many phones as
possible.

When I read "Netflix on Android" it seemed more like an apology to me. Netflix
was saying we're sorry that we're going to fragment the market and confuse
people, but this is the only way. They mentioned nothing about any
fragmentation that already exists.

------
Tichy
Off the top of my head, I would say open source and DRM are mutually
exclusive. Since a movie has to be decrypted on the client, the key can never
be kept secret.

~~~
chopsueyar
Like an SSH session?

~~~
Tichy
I don't think that's the same problem. In an ssh session, you decrypt the data
that is sent to you on your end, so you know the key it has been encrypted
with (it is your public key after all).

------
sukuriant
This article seems off to me. It seems like perhaps the author has reversed
the fragmentation issue:

Quote: "Peters wrote that the fragmentation will also lead to slower rollout
across the devices than Netflix would have liked:

“Unfortunately, this is a much slower approach and leads to a fragmented
experience on Android, in which some handsets will have access to Netflix and
others won’t.""

Doesn't the above say that lack of generalized DRM (a feature that doesn't
exist in Android at all) will lead to fragmentation, not fragmentation will
lead to more fragmentation?

I understand that some devices will have netflix and some won't, but isn't
this more because Google decided against providing a system for DRM and less
about there being different types of devices on the market?

~~~
edderly
Bingo. The lack of "common platform security mechanism and DRM" leads to
imposing a fragmented approach rather than Android is fragmented.

