Netflix Taps Microsoft PlayReady for DRM
Netflix has selected Microsoft PlayReady technology and the Protected Interoperable File Format (PIFF) for use in new Netflix ready devices and applications. This adoption will enable Netflix members to instantly watch content over the Internet on a wide range of new devices – Internet TVs, Blu-ray disc players, home theater systems, and other devices from a broad variety of consumer electronics manufacturers.
The agreement makes Microsoft PlayReady the primary content protection technology for Netflix partner devices and applications. Netflix already deploys PlayReady to enable all instant streaming scenarios on Windows-based PCs and Macs. The company expects the first Netflix ready devices beyond computers to incorporate Microsoft PlayReady as early as this summer.
The Netflix ready device program, which launched in 2007, already has dozens of devices on the market that use Windows Media DRM.