Hi, Is it possible to include in the new firmware update to have these icons appear for non-us LiveHubs? I am sure a lot of us would appreciate this - as we can get around the fact of not being in US through the various IP options. Also, It is not fair when you see non-US WD TV’s having the icons, but not appearing on the more advanced LiveHub!!
No. If the icons aren’t displayed, it’s because your HARDWARE doesn’t support them
Also, It is not fair when you see non-US WD TV’s having the icons
You DON’T see this on non-US WDTVs.
Well, more specifically, on Non-North American units.
The Live PLUS is not even sold outside North America, so you’re not going to see the PLUS anywhere outside North America unless someone bought it over here.
There’s only ONE version:
Americas WDBABX0000NBK-NESN
The LIVE doesn’t include NetFlix or Blockbuster.
The Live HUB is sold in two different versions: A north american version that has the hardware DRM support required by NetFlix / Blockbuster / CinemaNow, etc. The versions sold outside North America do NOT have the hardware DRM support, so those services are not shown.
There are SIX versions that also account for the PAL vs NTSC vs SECAM standards.
Americas <---- This is the ONLY one that supports the hardware DRM.
EMEA
UK
APAC-NTSC
APAC-PAL
Aus/NZ
And, despite the fact that non-North American Live Hubs lack the DRM chip, and physically _ can’t _ connect to Netflix or Blockbuster (making the appearance of the icons seem moot – why would you want icons for something that physically will not be played by the processor?), those premium services have geographic blocks in place.
Even if you bought a North American Live Hub, that has the DRM, if you try to use it outside of Canada and the USA you _ still _ can’t connect to Netflix or Blockbuster or Pandora – the connection will be refused. (Well, as far as I know, even _ with _ the DRM chip, you can’t use Blockbuster or Pandora in Canada – you just get Netflix).
Yes, you mention avoiding the geographic blocks by using a VPN or proxy, which is illegal as far as I know, but that still won’t get you anywhere… you _ still _ need a US (or Canadian) credit card with a US (or Canadian) home address linked to your Netflix account, so unless you’re paying for Netflix from within Canada or the U.S., you still will be refused service. Before Netflix Canada launched, people with DRM-capable players (the N.A. Live Hub, and the Live Plus) tried dodging the geographic blocks, as you suggest, and were still refused service by not having resident US billing.
The fact that Netflix _ requires _ a DRM-capable processor (which your Hub does _ not _ have) is exactly why WD had to build the Live Plus in the first place and couldn’t just add Netflix to existing WDTV Live’s, which also lack the DRM capabilities.
So if the rumors that has started to appear on different tech sites about Netflix will start launching later this fall/early next year in Europe is true, we will all have to replace our Live Hub with another media player since the current one will not support DRM? And there is no need for us in Europe to ask for the Live Hub to support European alternatives like Lovefilm or Voddler since they will probably also need support for DRM in the hardware?
Wolfman74 wrote:
So if the rumors that has started to appear on different tech sites about Netflix will start launching later this fall/early next year in Europe is true, we will all have to replace our Live Hub with another media player since the current one will not support DRM?
That would go for all current players for all manufacturers. Netflix legally requires DRM capabilities. No non-DRM player has ever claimed it would work with Netflix, even in the U.S.
The WDTV Live owners had the same thing happen. They begged WD to “add” Netflix. WD checked in to it and found out that they could not (legally or physically) provide Netflix from their existing devices, so they had to go out and build a whole new player (the WDTV Live Plus). The Live owners were rather outraged that Netflix was not simply added to their currently-owned box, and if they wanted Netflix they’d have to go out and buy a whole new player.
If premium services that demand DRM protection get added outside of North America, many, if not most, players from most manufacturers would be obsolete and need to be replaced – it’s not merely a WD issue. A quick look through chipsets seems to indicate there aren’t that many DRM-capable players currently available – more are driven by non-DRM chips.
And even that can be misleading… most sites just (erroneously) say the Live Hub is driven by a 8654 chip (DRM)… they don’t mention that the non-North American versions use the 8655 (non-DRM) chip. I honestly don’t know how many other devices are also like that… many of the other players listed as being driven by a DRM chip could have non-DRM models too in some parts of the world.
Thanks guys for confirming that it is not doable. So, that means we wait for Live Hub+ or something like dat…Tho all sucrh restrictive practices will be gone in the long run, and if a company finds a work around they r gonna survive.
