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Anonymous User
Not applicable

NowTV on Linux

Hi there.  I've just signed up for NowTV and have an entertainment pass, to find that I can't use it on my PC.   I'm a long term user of Linux, who gave up on Windows about 14 years ago.  I'm currently running Linux Mint 17.3 and wanted to watch TV on my PC.  Why can't I?  Is there a solution?  Any ideas anyone?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Anonymous User
Not applicable

You can't... which is why theres a free trial for content first... try before you pay... 14 days to test it out...

 

You can't view on linux as Linux never Supported Silverlight from Microsoft at all and Third party recodes do not support DRM changes Microsoft added to silverlights DRM... breaking the reverse engineered versions... 

 

Dispite the myth HTML5 would bring DRM GPU drivers to all browsers on all systems thats still a myth as it does not,

DRM on Linux Drivers Is NOT compliant with Windows Or Mac driver levels, So even HTML5 DRM is not going to be compliant... This is because ZERO day DRM levels for TV, FILMS and SPORT events that content providers add that matter are Higher requirement DRM levels than 3 year old movies which no body would pay for any more any way that are shown on Freeview channels IPTV...

 

Silverlight is still a requirement to watch 720p and Higher content protected with DRM ... 

Only when Safari and IE stop support for silverlight will HTML5 be used on all systems but don't expect HD with out DRM compliant drivers and Intell and AMD is not any were near ready on linux to supply the required drivers as linux is run on some very very old hardware....

 

 

 

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22 REPLIES 22
Anonymous User
Not applicable

You can't... which is why theres a free trial for content first... try before you pay... 14 days to test it out...

 

You can't view on linux as Linux never Supported Silverlight from Microsoft at all and Third party recodes do not support DRM changes Microsoft added to silverlights DRM... breaking the reverse engineered versions... 

 

Dispite the myth HTML5 would bring DRM GPU drivers to all browsers on all systems thats still a myth as it does not,

DRM on Linux Drivers Is NOT compliant with Windows Or Mac driver levels, So even HTML5 DRM is not going to be compliant... This is because ZERO day DRM levels for TV, FILMS and SPORT events that content providers add that matter are Higher requirement DRM levels than 3 year old movies which no body would pay for any more any way that are shown on Freeview channels IPTV...

 

Silverlight is still a requirement to watch 720p and Higher content protected with DRM ... 

Only when Safari and IE stop support for silverlight will HTML5 be used on all systems but don't expect HD with out DRM compliant drivers and Intell and AMD is not any were near ready on linux to supply the required drivers as linux is run on some very very old hardware....

 

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Solution....

Not for the faint hearted... windows user... so inside a Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

being a linux users you know how to do more complex things... 
Dual Boot windows insider w10 version and use the HTML5 NowTV Windows 10 app....
Give Microsoft junk fake details and install the Free version on a small partition or stand alone HDD.. 
You now have Windows 10 for free with out ever installing Windows 7 or windows 8.1

Only boot it when required to watch TV... No requirement to pay Microsoft any thing... all their emails go to a dead Email address...

For some one who used linux for 14 years kinda suprised you don't know about the complete lack off support for the OS from virtualy every big company going...   

 

SeeMoreDigital
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User wrote:
Dual Boot windows insider w10 version and use the HTML5 NowTV Windows 10 app....
Give Microsoft junk fake details and install the Free version on a small partition or stand alone HDD..
You now have Windows 10 for free with out ever installing Windows 7 or windows 8.1

 Is it still possible to obtain Windows 10 for free?

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Sub topic..

Windows insider version yep... just use temp email sign up then nuke email address...

Retail upgrade version NOPE... pay for W7 or 8.1 first... July will end that as well aas you had a year to upgrade...

Insider version ISO contains a universal activation key unlimited number of users...

You are forced to upgrade when microsoft wants... In the end the hardware will become incompatable...

 

I use it for PS4 remote play... which is not available on Linux or windows 7 and lower or MacOS 10.9 and lower...

[video]

Use it while the Pub password stays the same and is not reset again... 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Yes, I know a lot about the 'lack of support' for Linux, but usually find a work-around some way.  I will not pursue the Windose route though, although I admire the idea you gave me.  As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft are evil, and I don't want to dally with them even in a subterfuge manner.  Microsoft spend more on lawsuits than they do on development.

 

I have been using Linux Mint for the last few years as my main platform, but also have a 17 year old laptop with four other distro's on it, just for fun.  Peppermint is very fast on there, and interesting as it uses ICE.  I used Ubuntu until they went all scopes on me.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I use Linux on an Alienware i7 Laptop 2.2Ghz Turbo 3.3Ghz (No this is not overclocked), 16GB Ram, SSD etc and I doubt you could call that very old hardware - Hmmm,  actually it is - lol - just over 5 years, but you can't say its not powerful enough, it can quite happily play 1080p content.

Admittedly using VLC player but there's certainly no issue with the performance of Linux machines, especially since most TV Top set boxes run Linux and although I cannot confirm it, I believe the Skyboxes run it too !

Also Android and MacOS also run on a heavily modified version of Linux too !

So when Silverlight is retired then you will get it to run on HTML5 ?

Why not get it to work on HTML5 now and capture more users to your service ?

You might be barring a lot of potential users as a lot of people are fed up with Microsoft with Win 10 fiasco and are either going back to Win 7 or over to Linux Ubuntu like I did just over 3 months ago.

So I have no Windows machine and my Tablet is only 10.5" compared to my Laptop 17.3", also the Tablet battery always runs dry at the most inopportune moments whereas the laptop runs on the mains due to the battery dying about 2 years ago.

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

There are a number of falshoods in the above stattements:
 - Linux can be run on almost any hardware, including the latest.

 - Hardware has nothing to do with DRM

Most of your points are based on those two falsehoods, which leads to even more incorrect assumptions.

In fact, NowTV uses silverlight purely for business reasons. There are no technical barriers to protecting digital rights on a cross-platform basis. Both Amazon and Netflix do it.

 

Also, what on earth do you think Android is? a version of windows? And MAc OS X - that is just a properitary distribution of BSD Unix. Maybe open a terminal any any of them and investigate for yourself before leading people astray.

 

A proper, professional answer would be "we currently only support offocial versions of silverlight", leaving it at that!

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I gave up on that silvershite and nowtv and just watch netflix.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

And if this is the best answer, there is no hope. Actual answer should be "jump ship".