The biggest problem with DRM software such as Widevine, Fairplay and others, is the limited number of devices it is available to, Google and Apple have ultimate control of Widevine, and Fairplay respectively. This means that they have the right to limit it to certain devices (hardware and software combinations.)
GNU/Linux for X86 and ARM devices such as a Laptop and the Raspberry Pi respectively do have support for the Widevine library.
Often you can get it in the "Non-Free" software repository of a Linux distro such as Debian or Ubuntu. But often times it's not a version compatible with the best version of your OS.
There was no WidevineCDM library for 64 bit ARM, so users with a 64 bit raspberry pi had to use the 32 bit version of Debian for streaming.
And these versions in the repository are I believe just for Chrome. Which brings me to the next example of the same problem.
The Widevine library has to be the correct one for a specific browser. If it is made for firefox it has to use GeckoMediaPlugins. WidevineCDM for Chrome uses something different and closed source. So you have to use the correct version of the library for your browser and your OS, and there is no guarentee that it will be available for either. There could have a version for Firefox that only supports X64 Linux or if there is another for ARM it could be a version which only supports 32 bit ARM Linux. Other independently developed browsers could be left out in the cold.
And it has been reported the version in the Linux repositories can have quality problems with streaming, not allowing 4K either. Even on Windows, people have noticed a quality difference when using a browser, compared to a smart TV or streaming device. Content from sailing websites look better apparently.
People are spending 100s or even thousands on Smart TVs, which will probably be obsolete in a few years, just so they can get a good quality stream. And when they're obsolete, the streaming apps will cease to function no doubt, due to software updates being discontinued. Hope the landfills are big enough. Maybe they can make a section next the mountain of old FireTV sticks.
The biggest problem with DRM software
GNU/Linux for X86 and ARM devices such as a Laptop and the Raspberry Pi respectively do have support for the Widevine library.
Often you can get it in the "Non-Free" software repository of a Linux distro such as Debian or Ubuntu. But often times it's not a version compatible with the best version of your OS.
There was no WidevineCDM library for 64 bit ARM, so users with a 64 bit raspberry pi had to use the 32 bit version of Debian for streaming.
And these versions in the repository are I believe just for Chrome. Which brings me to the next example of the same problem.
The Widevine library has to be the correct one for a specific browser. If it is made for firefox it has to use GeckoMediaPlugins. WidevineCDM for Chrome uses something different and closed source. So you have to use the correct version of the library for your browser and your OS, and there is no guarentee that it will be available for either. There could have a version for Firefox that only supports X64 Linux or if there is another for ARM it could be a version which only supports 32 bit ARM Linux. Other independently developed browsers could be left out in the cold.
And it has been reported the version in the Linux repositories can have quality problems with streaming, not allowing 4K either. Even on Windows, people have noticed a quality difference when using a browser, compared to a smart TV or streaming device. Content from sailing websites look better apparently.
People are spending 100s or even thousands on Smart TVs, which will probably be obsolete in a few years, just so they can get a good quality stream. And when they're obsolete, the streaming apps will cease to function no doubt, due to software updates being discontinued. Hope the landfills are big enough. Maybe they can make a section next the mountain of old FireTV sticks.