Video Streaming

[cwizard]

Video streaming in Basilisk last worked with the August 16, 2024, release. It hasn't worked since. Any thoughts on what can be done to fix it?
This box is running Slackware64 Linux with a Nvidia video card.
Thanks.

[Basilisk-Dev]

You'll need to be more specific than that. Video streaming could mean anything from YouTube to Netflix to watching a security camera on an NVR.

Please provide specific sites that do not work for you, a list of your installed addons, and please verify that you have tested the site on a clean browser profile.

[cwizard]

OK, did a fresh install of the 01-04 version with a new profile and no add-ons..
YouTube worked.
Amazon Prime did not work. Wouldn't even load the video.
Fox News did not work. Displays an image of the news clip, but when you click on the start button a circular arrow just sets there and spins. Closed the netflix account a couple of years ago.

[moonbat]

Amazon Prime did not work. Wouldn't even load the video.
Fox News did not work. Displays an image of the news clip, but when you click on the start button a circular arrow just sets there and spins. Closed the netflix account a couple of years ago.

Pale Moon doesn't support DRM so DRM videos won't load.

[Basilisk-Dev]

Amazon Prime did not work. Wouldn't even load the video.

Amazon Prime is incompatible with Basilisk because it requires DRM support that the browser does not provide. The entities controlling DRM implementation limit access to a select group of approved browsers. Unfortunately, neither Pale Moon nor Basilisk is included on that list, and the process to gain approval is essentially unattainable.

Fox News did not work. Displays an image of the news clip, but when you click on the start button a circular arrow just sets there and spins.

Fox News did work for me. I tested this video: https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/fires ... st-9e605c6

Pale Moon doesn't support DRM so DRM videos won't load.

Neither does Basilisk

[cwizard]

Thanks for the reply.
The video link at Fox News you provided does not work, nor does any other video at that site.
Amazon is a must for me, so it is time to move on.
Adios.

[frostknight]

Thanks for the reply.
The video link at Fox News you provided does not work, nor does any other video at that site.
Amazon is a must for me, so it is time to move on.
Adios.

Either that or a backup browser for stuff like that.

I have one too. But i rarely use it.

If you use basilisk for most stuff working maybe consider just having a backup

I mean if it works for most things but just fails on a few

[suzyne]

Without wanting to sound too defensive, it is very common for browsers that are outside of the mainstream to not meet the requirements for playing video from streaming sites. It's not like Pale Moon is unusual for not being able to play Prime Video.

As a subscriber to Amazon Prime who enjoys the bonus of the Video streaming and Twitch benefits, I really have no choice but to use Edge (or whatever mainstream browser is convenient at the time) to watch protected commercial streaming content.

The same applies to Spotify, so many browsers can't play all its media once you go beyond the expected.

[Moonchild]

It's not like Pale Moon is unusual for not being able to play Prime Video.

Not at all. In fact, even commercial endeavours based on FOSS were plainly refused by Google for Widevine DRM. Only those Google deems exploitable are allowed (including Mozilla, obviously).
Example: https://blog.samuelmaddock.com/posts/go ... y-browser/

Similarly, I requested Widevine licensing for the CDM in Pale Moon, and they never even gave me an answer.
So in-browser DRM is very, very much an "our vetted club only" thing. It has nothing to do with the quality of the browser or what not, and everything to do with DRM being in the hands of corporations that do not like to share.
Since it was never going to happen anyway, we decided that in-browser DRM through EME was even more of a bad idea than it already was (since you would effectively not be in control of your browser, and would have to rely on "black-box" binary code to be downloaded and run inside the browser to play the content) and the platform had all EME/DRM code removed.

That does mean that if users are looking for a "one magical browser application that also plays tightly-controlled DRM content" that that will never happen in the FOSS realm, as only select few browsers will be allowed to download and use the Content Decryption Modules required.

As an aside: Microsoft Silverlight was a better solution: supporting DRM with 5.1 sounds etc. - but that is a plugin, you know, the technology shunned by mainstream as well because it so happened to offer real choice.

[Basilisk-Dev]

FWIW I always considered the lack of DRM in the UXP platform to be a desirable feature. When I had the option in the past I'd either download DRM-free builds, or when I ran Gentoo on the desktop I'd compile browsers with EME/DRM disabled.