Video Stream only at 540? - CoreElec - Linux - Arm

[spikerguy]

Bug report

Your Environment

• Netflix add-on version: 1.3.2
• Operating system version/name: Linux - CoreElec 9.2.2
• Device model: GT1 Ultimate

Used Operating system:

• [ ] Android
• [ ] iOS
• [x] Linux
• [ ] OSX
• [ ] Raspberry-Pi
• [ ] Windows

I've tried to set 1080 in the plugin setting but still it is only playing at 540p.

Yes ignored rules, not sure how I can help in debugging the cause of it only playing at 540p. I can play at 720p on chromium (1080p with a hack extension)- armv7 browser on the exact same device.

Kodi Log

SUMMARY for the problem

If the follow links not works, copy/paste the link in to the browser

The tests, and how to check resolutions:

https://github.com/CastagnaIT/plugin.video.netflix/issues/655#issuecomment-647163339

The cause of the problem:

https://github.com/CastagnaIT/plugin.video.netflix/issues/655#issuecomment-648695860 https://github.com/CastagnaIT/plugin.video.netflix/issues/655#issuecomment-648929816

Notice for user, to be read before you say it does not work:

https://github.com/CastagnaIT/plugin.video.netflix/issues/655#issuecomment-663852816

[kafantaris]

I can confirm it's working here too on my arm device, I'll check on the x64 later but I suspect it'll be the same.

Edit: As I suspected it works fine on the LibreELEC x64 Intel NUC as well.

[CastagnaIT]

so it was their problem as i suspected better so

[norbix029]

I confirm, after installing version 1.3.2 with repo - netflix correctly plays 1080p on Raspberry Pi 4

ESN back to NFCxxx-01-xxxx

Thanks for the help

[xDaKillerx]

i didnt have to do anything. it works nicely again on my rpi 4. it goes to 1080p no problems. although throughout this problem i had some interesting findings. so when its on 540p . all is fine. but when it is only 480p it causes color issues. like the one described on the other thread (which is fixed on kodi Matrix i heard? but i dont know how to upgrade to Matrix on RPI4) . anyways now that its fixed episodes which was having color issues (480p) now works nicely. no more color issues. also interesting findings. i heard that the rpi 4 cant handle HW accel on netflix even on h264 right? so before all this 540 problems i tried using hevc etc and it is smooth. now after its fixed (the 540) it is still smooth. only i cant do hevc. when i use hevc and i open a movie or series and play em. it gives me error. i forgot the error exactly. but now only h264 and vp9 works. interestingly on 1080p vp9 is fine too. on htop it only uses 2-3 cores on about 30 percent max.

on youtube module. i tried using vp9 too to get 4k60fps stream. and suprisingly it is smooth without any hitch. i think i checked the htop back then and its fine too. so idk . is my rpi using HW accel? or what . since its weird tbh.

[major-mayer]

Working again for also for me :)

[jlb312]

It works again for me to.

Thanks to all contributors aspecially @CastagnaIT and @spikerguy that spent lot of time to freeup the problem.

[spikerguy]

Working fine for me on 1080p. So it confirmed that it is external. @CastagnaIT sorry for all the trouble. Thank you once again for all your hard work.

[vteccorp]

I can confirm that Netflix start streaming again in 1080p on CoreELEC 9.2.2 / Beelink GT King. I haven't even reset ESN... mine also starts with NFCxxx... etc. Thanks for support CastagnaIT, even though the fault was on the Netflix server side! :)

[cube79]

Works again as it used before. Thank you for great support and attempts to fix Netflix problems :) No need to reset anything.

[the-dreamer]

@CastagnaIT It looks like the issue is back... i get only SD on rpi 3

[jlb312]

I confirm the bug from Netflix side is back. my system RPi4 Libreelec 9.2.3 Leia 18.7.1

[CastagnaIT]

i reopen the issue if you want continue if you want talk about the problem

[jlb312]

Thank you @CastagnaIT. It was just to inform the community but it is a good idea to reopen the topic for discussion.

[vteccorp]

1080p was working in the morning... now again... SD only! I hope that it will "repair" itself quickly... like last time. CoreELEC / Beelink GT King

EDIT: This time ESN has not changed it still starts with NFCxxx. I tried to reset it but it's still the same.

EDIT: It all coincided with my CoreELEC update to version 9.2.3 and I thought this was the main problem. Indeed reopening this topic is good idea :)

[adrian-007]

I too confirm that this issue persists. I'm running a CoreELEC devel (9.2) on Odroid N2 board. I tried reinstalling netflix plugin (official release and master), downgrading (and updating to latest version) a widevine library, clearing caches, resetting ESN, etc. Unfortunately, nothing worked.

[Deadmansshoe]

I just wanted to say, that I got the same problem on a Pi4, Kodi18.6, raspbian buster. It coincided with a widevine update 2 days ago, so I first assumed this would be the problem. I think I tried all the suggestions here, but nothing worked so far.

[ghost]

I also observe a similar issue on a fresh GS-King X (running the P0 firmware): the max resolution I can get today is 960p (running with CoreELEC, not Android).

[CastagnaIT]

@eenbroleke my post on bee-link not concern this issue GS-King X have other problems on Android

[ghost]

ok, my bad, I updated both posts.

[perHub]

I can confirm this issue in my Vero 4K+ with OSMC. @Deadmansshoe if the problem coincided with a widevine update, did you try to use the older version? I've tried an older version of the library (from September 2019) extracted from a Chrome OS recovery image, but it was the same thing, no HD at all.

[Deadmansshoe]

@perHub so far I have not tried it, just reinstalled widevine through the inputstream helper adding. Unfortunately I don't know how to install an older version so far, but I will find out and tell you then.

[perHub]

ok, I can tell you what I did, I downloaded an ARM Chrome OS Image and copied the file "libwidevinecdm.so" to ~/.kodi/cdm. The problem is finding a version that lets you play HD content (if downgrading the library actually helps with that), it may be so since you said this issue started after a widevine update (in my case I just installed the addon recently, I've tried the deprecated version some months ago and the HD content worked well but the hardware acceleration was not available at the moment)

[marcinolawski]

I have the same problem even though I haven't updated the Widevine library. I doubt that a return to the old version of Widevine would solve the problem.

[sk2212]

Can confirm the issue on CoreELEC 9.2 with Plugin Version 1.4.1.

Any ideas how to debug?

If I selected "manuall stream selection" the 960x540 resolution option is the highest one I can choose.

Edit: Seems to be a Netflix Issue because they force "non-certed" devices to a lower rate?! If that is true we have to go back to the roots.

[Isator]

Hello, Do you think we can try to contact Netflix about this problem? It seems to me that "Due to the many configurations of Linux, Netflix customer support is unable to assist with troubleshooting issues on Linux devices" concerns error F7355 and not necessarily resolution selection concerns. (But I don't know much about it and I may be saying something stupid)

[sk2212]

@Isator Well, I think someone who knows something about the internals of the Netflix Plugin and used Widevine Plugin can give some information how the stream selection is requested from Netflix.

Somehow Netflix must decide which streams they provide for the client and I do not know which information they are using.

[CastagnaIT]

when it occurred the first time, netflix will not provide in the manifest the 1080p streams if that's still the case, as i have said many older posts, the widevine is not the real cause

I would like to help but the only ARM device i have does not start CoreElec so black screen...then i can not do any test...

[ghost]

Hi Stefano, which device do you own ? If this is the GS King X, we can discuss the booting failure.

[CastagnaIT]

@eenbroleke yes it is, but not in this Issue post, i have informed the company and i am waiting an answer, if you have a working firmware or steps to do you can use my github email to contact me via Hangout message

[sk2212]

@CastagnaIT Well, I can debug and test for you if you tell me what I should do :-). What ARM device do you have? If nothing helps I can provide an Odroid C2 for you.

[spikerguy]

@sk2212 Send it to him now ;) The work he have doesn't have a working corelec or libreelec yet.

As he is doing such a great work with this plugin.

[sk2212]

@spikerguy No joke: I will do it if he wants.

Edit: Maybe, a 70€ Donation is easier ;-).

[CastagnaIT]

@sk2212 thank you but now i see what the company says to me next days

I can't provide you file to testing, we are not aware of the actual cause then i need to do a lot of tests to figure out something, not possible in remote

[CastagnaIT]

@eenbroleke many thanks! your solution has worked! now i have CoreELEC working, i will try to investigate to the problem

[spikerguy]

@sk2212 Place an order of a device which have good support for LE and CE and use @CastagnaIT address as delivery address.

It is one of the ways to contribute to the amazing work done by Stefano.

[marcinolawski]

I noticed an interesting thing. When I watch movies I get 540p, but when I watch trailers I get full 1080p. The only reason I can think of is that trailers are DRM free.

[npmstart-pray]

when it occurred the first time, netflix will not provide in the manifest the 1080p streams if that's still the case, as i have said many older posts, the widevine is not the real cause

I would like to help but the only ARM device i have does not start CoreElec so black screen...then i can not do any test...

please try xbian www.xbian.org https://sourceforge.net/projects/xbian/files/release/

[matthuo333]

Why is the resolution still 960x540 after upgrading to plugin.video.netflix-1.4.1? How to set it to reach 720p? My environment is: Coreelec 9.2.0

[marcinolawski]

@matthuo333 Because this bug is still open. #701 was for login fails error, not for this error.

[magoscur0]

I confirm I can't get more that 960x540p in all my Linux machines, using this Kodi addon, Firefox with 1080p extension or Google Chrome, on Arch x86-64. I will get 1920x1080p running Microsoft Edge inside a VMWare guest "windows 10" Virtual Machine, on Linux. The issue is not limited to ARM and Corelec but Linux in general.

This is a Netflix issue, thanks for all your hard work and your help supporting alternative OSes!

[jbouwh]

With version 1.5.0 the plugin plays at SD. May be there is a problem selecting a HD stream.

[CastagnaIT]

--edited for last updates--

Summary

The problem is limited only to linux devices with ARM CPU If you have a x86/x64 linux device you can still playback until at 1080P.

I have made some test to try resolve the problem:

• Force 1080p in manifest request, but NF server refuse the manifest request
• I have tried to reimplement the 1080P workaround used for linux (years ago) but NF server refuse the license request
• Tried also change user agent but are worse results

On ARM cpu's NF add-on use the website "behaviour" for ChromeOS, in the website requirements still specified until 1080P: https://help.netflix.com/en/node/23742 ~So the issue is, again, definitely from the netflix servers.~

~The only way to understand if really the Chromebook's devices are affected is try a real Chromebook device with ARM cpu.~

These are the only ways to try verify if the resolutions are still available:

1) Try to play from website by using Chromebook and a Chrome browser, and then see if the video resolution is at 1080P (with CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+D).

2) Try to play from website by using an ARM device like RPI with Chronium browser, and then see if the video resolution is at 1080P (with CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+D).

Do not try compare the video resolutions with other operative systems! (e.g. windows).

so based on this info, we can start check the issue

[AreaScout]

I have spoken with Netflix support and the only thing they have told me for sure was that it's not a corona limitation, so it seems they have banned a lot of devices <--- please not !!

[CastagnaIT]

But this problem is not device specific it is happen on ChromeOS system, the manufacturer or model data are not taken in account

[AreaScout]

Yes but still they banned a lot of devices with this, I mean a resolution of 540 is unacceptable in the long run

[CastagnaIT]

has i say in previous post:

If someone have a Chromebook, then try playback on Chrome browser, and see if the video resolution is at 1080P (with CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+D) so based on this info, users will have to start reporting the problem to netflix

the only way to fix this problem is, test with a Chromebook, then if the issue happen, it is necessary report to netflix that resolutions in ChromeOS not works

[AreaScout]

I know I have read it, but I do not own one, sorry

[marcinolawski]

@CastagnaIT I can confirm that you can get HD on ARM Linux. I used this hack and I can get 720p on my Rasbery Pi 4 in Chromium browser. I'm afraid it's not that Netflix doesn't like ARM Linux, I'm afraid that Netflix doesn't like our plugin.

[AreaScout]

No I don't think Netflix doesn't like the plugin, it look's like they just want to support the slowness of an RPi < 4 🤣, if that script really works on an RPi4, then it must be the browser user-agent string ?

[CastagnaIT]

@marcinolawski can you show a screenshot of nf video details with CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+D? i do not have RPI to make a test to undestand the hack, can you explain better the steps?