[picklepixel]

I pay for Netflix Premium but was stuck at 1080p. Turns out Netflix layers multiple capability checks before serving 4K: user agent, screen resolution, Media Capabilities API, codec support, DRM robustness negotiation, and their Cadmium player's internal bitrate caps.

Built an extension that spoofs all of these. The interesting discovery: you have to intercept every layer. Miss one and you're back to 1080p.

Here's the catch though. Even with all the JavaScript spoofs working, Chrome still won't get 4K. Netflix requires Widevine L1 (hardware DRM), and Chrome only has L3 (software). The browser literally can't negotiate the security level Netflix wants. Edge on Windows has L1, so the extension actually delivers 4K there.

So what's the point on Chrome? Honestly, not much for 4K specifically. But the reverse-engineering was the interesting part. Understanding how Netflix fingerprints devices and decides what quality to serve. The codebase documents all the APIs they check.

On Edge: works reliably, getting 3840x2160 at 15000+ kbps. On Chrome: spoofs work, DRM negotiation fails, stuck at 1080p.

The repo has detailed documentation on what each spoof does and why. Happy to discuss the technical approach or answer questions.

[michaelt]

> Happy to discuss the technical approach or answer questions.

Netflix says "Ultra HD (2160p)" requires Microsoft Edge on Windows [1].

This is a "Netflix 4K Enabler" extension that spoofs being Microsoft Edge on Windows - but unless I'm misunderstanding, the extension only works on Microsoft Edge, on Windows.

Under what circumstances would a user want this extension?

[1] https://help.netflix.com/en/node/30081

[stevemk14ebr]

So your extension does a bunch of hooks to spoof edge, but then only works on edge? And edge using Netflix normally already supports 4k. So this does nothing and does not solve the stated problem of chrome and Firefox 4k Netflix streaming.

Am I missing something?

[arjie]

I would imagine it's less a product to use and more documentation of the various techniques that are involved. It seems pretty reasonable to share that with others.

[andrewmcwatters]

That's crazy that Chrome, which basically owns the web standards, does not have a compliant implementation to run Netflix, which leads streaming market share.

[doctorpangloss]

i can understand the enthusiasm around LLM authored code bases.

but i cannot understand why someone would write comments on hacker news with an LLM. how could you say something was interesting, if you didn't even do it?