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When I bought my first Chromebook in 2020, I envisioned a bright future. I specifically wanted a convertible so that I could replace my aging third-generation iPad (yes, the one from 2012). And thanks to the Android app support, I thought I could use it as my new media consuming machine. Unfortunately, things turned out to be more complicated, especially when it came to video streaming and downloading, and I wish I had known in advance what I was getting into. To save you the same disappointment, here’s what’s going on.
After setting up my Chromebook and installing the Netflix and Amazon Prime Video apps, I quickly filled my local storage with a few movies and shows to watch – after all, Google even advertises Netflix downloads as a Chromebook perk. While traveling (it was relatively safe to travel to where I live during the summer), I noticed that both streaming services only offered below average video quality. At first I thought it was my fault and suspected that I forgot to increase the download quality in the settings, but even when I did that the resolution remained below HD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioWTlpbI8eo
I quickly discovered that while Netflix website supports up to 1080p on Chromebooks, the Android app is limited to 480p whether you’re streaming or downloading. This is something Google doesn’t recognize at all in their awesome promotional video above. Things are worse with Amazon Prime Video. A support site mentions that the streaming service limits quality to standard definition on operating systems other than Windows and macOS. Oddly enough, Disney + doesn’t have these issues at all. It supports HD both in its app and on its website (although it seems to me it’s capped at 720p, which is still way better than what Netflix and Amazon offer).
Arbitrary Netflix Limitations.
Which give? You might have guessed it already – copyright protection.
Streaming services are based on Google Widevine’s digital rights management (DRM) technology, which decodes encrypted video streams. Widevine is made up of three levels that provide different degrees of protection, the highest being L1, followed by L2 and L3. Devices that want a chance to support HD playback on popular streaming platforms usually need to support L1 these days.
It would be simple if you could just say that any device that supports L1 can stream whatever it wants in 4K, but it doesn’t work that way. Streaming services often whitelist specific devices and hardware components for high-quality video streams, and Chrome OS apparently isn’t the platform they pay much attention to.
While we know for a fact that Chrome OS supports L1, Netflix seems to think that the Android container is limited to L3, as specified in the Netflix app settings. This would explain why Netflix limits HD streaming to the website (where it can ensure that high quality streams are harder to hack), but it’s still weird that the Disney + app allows 720p streaming and Amazon doesn’t broadcast. not at all in HD. It is possible that Netflix will only show the lowest Widevine level as it manually certifies Android devices for HD playback, which we cover regularly.
According to Netflix statistics, the streaming service only has access to the lowest level, Widevine L3.
But all of this shouldn’t even matter to me as a consumer – Google should do everything humanly possible to create a platform that supports high-quality video playback out of the box if it does. doesn’t want to disappoint customers, and streaming services should do their part to give subscribers the HD picture quality (not to mention 4K) they pay for, no matter what device they use. It makes sense for streaming services to be interested in copyright protection, but given that Chrome OS is capable of Widevine L3 encryption, implementing the right measures shouldn’t be a problem.
My Chromebook does its job well for blogging, but I’m disappointed it hasn’t become the universal machine for productivity and media, as promised by Google. It seems like the iPad remains the best choice for most people when they want a lightweight device that combines basic productivity with hours of media consumption, and I’m starting to think I could have been better with the Apple product. .
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