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Security Desktops (Apple) Media Apple

Netflix Will Only Stream In 4K To Macs That Have a T2 Security Chip (engadget.com) 103

Posted by BeauHD from the it-shouldn't-be-this-difficult dept.
According to a Netflix support document, an Apple T2 Security chip is required to stream Netflix in 4K HDR on a Mac. "What that hardware requirement means is that only recent Macs have the ability to play UHD content from Netflix," reports Engadget. From the report: Here's the full list of T2-equipped Macs: 2018 or later MacBook Pro, 2018 or later MacBook Air, 2018 Mac mini, 2019 Mac Pro, iMac Pro and 2020 iMac. If you're not sure whether your Mac has the necessary hardware, you can find out by following the steps Apple details on its website. The Verge suggests the requirement could have something to do with the T2 chip's ability to process HEVC encoded videos. On its webpage for the iMac, Apple says the coprocessor can transcode HEVC video up to twice as fast as its previous generation T1 chip. If Netflix is encoding streams using HEVC, that could explain the requirement. Whatever the case, we've reached out to both Apple and Netflix for more information, and we'll update this article when we hear back from them. There are some other requirements too. In addition to having a T2-equipped Mac, you'll need macOS Big Sur, a Premium Netflix subscription, and the Safari browser -- other browsers will limit you to 720p on a Mac.
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Netflix Will Only Stream In 4K To Macs That Have a T2 Security Chip More

Netflix Will Only Stream In 4K To Macs That Have a T2 Security Chip

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  • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re:Fuck Netflix. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by dgatwood ( 11270 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @10:24PM (#60563064) Homepage Journal

      I am a customer, and I'm leaning towards the same response. No, I will not replace a three-year-old computer because of a crypto chip. Kaby Lake (MBP 2017 and newer) have hardware-accelerated HEVC playback. If they can't do it on all of the 2017 machines, they're doing something wrong, and if they can, then they're REALLY doing something wrong.

      • You can't even tell the difference on that machine, be honest.

        • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

          by saloomy ( 2817221 )
          I left my Netflix subscription because of their child porn. I don't condone that. Just my $0.02.
          • You're talking about Cuties? Which scene offended you, just curious.
            • The one where a kid takes a photop of her snatch to put online is pretty bad, multiple close ups and preteen crotches, chests and asses like your watching a cardi b video or some shit. One of them full on gets a tit out. Which scenes were your favourites? As you don't seem to undestand the issues everyone has with that film. Tip, it's not the subject matter, it's the execution.
              • My apologies, I'm not the cinephile you seem to be. Thanks for the in-depth critique, you obviously have a well-trained eye for this sort of thing.
                • So which bits did you like then? You seem to be on the defence of the film but reluctant to actually defend it. 99% of the public have obviously missed some vital detail which makes the film not dodgy as fuck at absolute best, disguised kiddie porn at worst. Please enlighten us as to why the film isn't that bad.
              • So what do you think of US "child beauty pageants", where you get to see similarly creepy things live on stage?
                • Slightly less dodgy but only because it's a bit less overt.
                  • There is a difference between "beauty" and "sexy". Children can be beautiful, most are in my opinion, just like a great landscape or magnificent flower or animal. Children are only sexy to pedophiles.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by nagora ( 177841 )

                  So what do you think of US "child beauty pageants", where you get to see similarly creepy things live on stage?

                  They are fucked up.

                • Re: (Score:3)

                  by 1s44c ( 552956 )

                  So what do you think of US "child beauty pageants", where you get to see similarly creepy things live on stage?

                  The rest of the world is watching that and wondering what the hell is wrong with you people.

                  • Re: (Score:2)

                    by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

                    Then we watch the behind the scenes documentaries and wonder if it would be possible to send some kind of aid.

              • You're horrified by it, yet you caught every detail.

            • Re: (Score:3)

              by 1s44c ( 552956 )

              Why is the assumption that someone who doesn't like a thing should watch it just to decide which scene is worse?

              I heard about 'cuties' so I never watched it, not even a trailer. I like sci-fi, I did not join netflix for child porn. I'm offended that any of my netflix subscription went towards that.

          • And that would likely be what Mr. Hastings was referring to when he basically said that working from home was preventing Netflix management from recognizing bad ideas.

            Congrats, Mr. Hastings; arbitrarily requiring hardware-based decrypt from your customers with Macs would definitely constitute another stupid decision.

      • Re:Fuck Netflix. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Bert64 ( 520050 ) <bert@[ ]shdot.fi ... m ['sla' in gap]> on Thursday October 01, 2020 @11:08PM (#60563144) Homepage

        Exactly, they don't care about ability to play the video (the 2017 models will do that just fine), this is an arbitrary limitation for drm...
        A pirated copy of the exact same content at the exact same resolution will play just fine on your 2017 model. Pirates don't try to impose arbitrary limitations on you, if your hardware is fast enough to play the content it will play.
        A 2017 macbook is still a perfectly good machine and there's very little reason you'd want to replace it yet unless it's faulty.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by dgatwood ( 11270 )

          It's a 2017 MacBook Pro with a butterfly keyboard. Of course it's faulty. I've already replaced one key that fell off. I bought a complete set because an identical machine at work lost five keys in the first two years. I'm still not going to upgrade just because Netflix management is being a bunch of tools.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

          2017? I've got a 2015 model and it plays 4k just fine.

      • If they can't do it on all of the 2017 machines, they're doing something wrong, and if they can, then they're REALLY doing something wrong.

        Can't. Can. You never said "won't". There's always ways to do something, the question is if you want to engage in additional security, do you bother putting the effort in or offload it on hardware produced by someone who already has put the effort in?

        We all know what results from people attempting to reinvent security. Heck that's the reason a lot of randsomware is defeated, it's actually hard to code your own security unless you really know what you're doing.

        This post brought to you in a browser that uses

      • I would say that they are wanting to increase the complexity level of their DRM, and thus need the crytographic features of the security chip.

        (Specifically, they want to add a keypair token to the security chip, and then use it to decode the data, and leverage the "no, you can't look inside, naughty naughty!" nature of this arrangement to prevent people from getting the keys.)

        Utilizing the naked CPU to do the decoding potentially exposes the keys, especially on Intel chips, which have known management engin

        • Whatâ(TM)s wrong with protecting intellectual-property revenue from copy theft?

          • The issue is that they want to pretend that they can get 100% monetization.

            They can't. They never will.

            The march towards that flame that these moths seem so eager to fly into, brings the whole world down in livability.

            The desire to protect a revenue stream should not be so great that it causes social bads.

            They are causing social bads.

            That's why it needs to be curtailed.

            • I do not believe they expect 100% monetization. But I do not see any social bads resulting from someone not being able to watch a movie on every device out there. A person might wish they could watch a movie on every device, but that does not seem to me to be pulling at the foundations of society in even a small way. If a competitor comes along who doesn't require so much control over content, that competitor may win in the marketplace, or maybe the competitor won't be able to make enough money to stay in b

    • I'm the customer of both companies and I find this fucking abusive.

    • Interestingly, there is ever more evidence that Lysenko was not entirely wrong. No such evidence for Marx, though.

  • Or just pirate the content. (Score:5, Informative)

    by ludux ( 6308946 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @10:22PM (#60563060)
    No restrictions on how you use it, and you won't be treated like a criminal as a result of paying for it.

    • This is exactly why this restriction is in place. Has nothing to do with HEVC decoding, and everything to do with stream security.

      This is the problem with content providers. The methods they are using are becoming more invasive and draconian. The issue is, fair use gets locked down too.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ludux ( 6308946 )
        No chip can stop someone from pointing a camera at their screen recording the content.

        • You think you're going to get decent 4k with a camera recording off a screen? Really?

        • Why do you need a camera? There are plenty of digital screen recorders around - even the bog-standard QuickTime Player that ships with macOS can do 4K screen recording in real time.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            I'd imagine Apple is at least competent enough to block screen recorders. On Windows apps that say their content is protected can't be captured by other software, at least not without hacking.

            HDMI capture works but the scene has tools for ripping Netflix streams directly.

        • Re: Or just pirate the content. (Score:5, Informative)

          by tysonedwards ( 969693 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @11:04PM (#60563140)
          There are plenty of HDCP bypassers that sit in-line. Then run strait into a HDMI capture card and youâ(TM)re good to go. I sadly NEED to use one to play PlayStation since I didnâ(TM)t want to buy a new TV. My understandably old Mitsubishi is still going strong.

      • Re:Or just pirate the content. (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Z80a ( 971949 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @10:36PM (#60563086)

        It seems like a very bad move, as it will not get even close to blocking piracy, due factors such as Windows machines still not having the limitation, and HDMI capture devices.
        All it will achieve is to block legitimate customers from 4k content.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Actually Linux is the preferred OS for ripping Netflix. There are tools that capture the stream and decrypt it, complete with every audio track and subtitle track. That's why the rips on The Pirate Bay are so high quality.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Z80a ( 971949 )

            Indeed, but let's suppose they do manage to create some hyper draconian scheme that use some secret CPU instruction or something that makes actually impossible on any OS.
            You still can use a capture device.
            And if they come up with a super encrypted display connector, you still can crack open a monitor and get the decrypted signal in it.

      • It seems ridiculous to try and go through all this trouble when one can easily just rip a 4k blu-ray which is way better quality than anything you can get from Netflix. All you need is one person to copy the blu ray and then let everyone else download a copy.

    • Pirating is much easier than paying to rent a movie.

  • You could just umm, buy a $30-$200 streaming device and attach it to your monitor/tv.

    For netflix, you really don't need to do more than a 4k roku or android tv device.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Bert64 ( 520050 )

      My laptop travels with me, and is usable in locations which don't have a tv, where the tv isn't very good (many hotels), or where there isn't an immediately available power socket.
      Why should i need to carry a separate box when there is no valid technical reason the laptop couldn't play this content?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dgatwood ( 11270 )

      The funny thing is that I have an easier time reliably capturing the output of my Roku than my MacBook Pro (and no, I don't own an HDCP stripper). So I'm not impressed with their outright user abuse masquerading as "security". This is only making them more secure in the minds of complete idiots in the boardrooms of content creators, and IMO, Netflix has a duty to their customers to jerk a knot in those bozos and make them accept reality.

  • t2 chip main goal revealed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by elcor ( 4519045 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @10:39PM (#60563102)
    your safety. just kidding it's all about drm

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Dunbal ( 464142 ) *
      And yet, the analog hole is still as wide as ever.

    • And Apple will throw all their resources behind the T2 chip as their 'security' mainstay. Why should they waste resources to maintain security on that older hardware that they want people to scrap and replace anyway? Their new security flagship is their T2 chip.

  • That way you can watch your child pornography [nydailynews.com] show with better crypto...

  • Transcode HEVC (Score:5, Interesting)

    by deimios666 ( 1040904 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @10:51PM (#60563120)

    Know what else can transcode HEVC? Every damn GPU.
    And the intel one used by Macs is using quicksync so it's actually damn good at it too.

    I'm not buying the apple and netflix bullshit here, since Skylake chips released since 2015 have partial integrated HEVC transcode with Kaby Lake in 2016 having full 10 bit HEVC transcode.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Maybe it's prep for the new ARM Macs. ARM CPUs usually decode 4k video on the GPU, but it seems like Apple chose to put that functionality in the T2 chip instead.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Malc ( 1751 )

      Except Apple don't give you access to the GPU in macOS. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing, but this tells me that I donâ(TM)t have HEVC hardware decide support, even though I have hardware that should be able to do it: VTIsHardwareDecodeSupported(kCMVideoCodecType_HEVC)

  • They have to find some way to get get your sheep to buy a new machine.
  • T2 chip was all about us. TPM successor we control. All about our safety. Stopping hackers. And now today we see it's true purpose. Again hiding keys from you, serving their interests. Glad to be a customer of NEITHER

    • The primary purpose of the chip is secure boot. A guy like me can't sneak a kernel extension onto your machine and do really nasty stuff. You have assurance that your OS is as it's supposed to be. (Unless you press command-r to disable secure boot).

      It also secures things like touch ID, making it harder for me to do sneaky things and access your files and accounts.

      It can provide some assurance that I'm not taking data off your machine.
      And it can provide some assurance that you're not taking data off your m

      • Re:It's both, really (Score:5, Insightful)

        by phantomfive ( 622387 ) on Friday October 02, 2020 @02:37AM (#60563478) Journal
        It means someone else owns your computer.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by nazsco ( 695026 )

        Get down that horse and tell me how can i sign the OS boot with a Key I trust.

        If you don't own the keys, that just mean you attacker had to pay someone before taking over your machine.

        • > Get down that horse and tell me how can i sign the OS boot with a Key I trust.

          I would just give you the command here, but to be secure, everything in the TCB needs to be signed. It tries to handle *all* the different ways a hacker could end up in a kernel. Signing a bootloader is a little different from signing a kernel image is a little different than signing a kernel module. Installing your key the first time is a different command than using it later for a new kernel. Here is the process for each:

      • This is on Netflix, not Apple. Don't have an HDCP 2.2 capable monitor? Won't work! Don't use Microsoft Edge on Windows? No UHD for you!
        Running GNU/Linux? Stallman don't do DRM, so neither can you! No 4K for you!

        Now on to Apple, their Secure Boot implementation backed by the T2 chip won't let me downgrade/rollback the bootloader or kernel to bypass security. Compare that to GNU/Linux, where a compromised system can be transparently made to boot an older, more vulnerable kernel and on Windows, where an at

        • It's an interesting idea and this approach has some me advantages in some applications.

          On the other hand, using Silverblue as an example, /var, /root, /home, /opt, /use/local, and /srv are all fully writeable. Which includes /root/.bashrc and root's PATH, btw - think about what that means. "grep" might well be /var/tmp/grep, a nice little binary put there by who knows. Which is to say, don't get OVER excited about the idea.

          Security fundamentally requires that you be able to update important things to addr

      • Great, but the PC owner should have keys to install kernel module he wants (and rip the damn video), not only Apple.

        • Well yes.
          If you want to write your own kernel modules and you don't want to turn secure boot off by pressing command-R, buy any PC brand other than Mac.

          And if someone spends $300 million making a movie and doesn't want you posting rips all over the web, they'll not send it to you.

  • same bs different platform. (Score:5, Informative)

    by bored ( 40072 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @11:24PM (#60563164)

    PC's have been second citizens for a while on netflix. My machine doesn't meet the requirements either because I don't have HDCP enabled to my monitors and its not a skylake+ with intels secure enclave BS.

    Its simple, I don't pay extra for 4K either. And I'm hardly missing anything, netflix's 4k content looks about the same as the HD content I "borrow".In fact more than once my wife who is pretty ignorant about such things is like "oh this movie looks good" at which point I shrug, because its being sourced on plex rather than netflix.

    • The Netflix requirements page doesn't say anything about HDCP or which generation of processor is needed.

      • The Netflix requirements page doesn't say anything about HDCP or which generation of processor is needed.

        Yes it does, on this page: https://help.netflix.com/en/no... [netflix.com]

        A 60Hz 4K capable display (with HDCP 2.2 connection if external display)

        Intel's 7th generation Core CPU (i3, i5, or i7 models in the 7xxx or 7Yxx series) or newer, or a NVIDIA GPU that meets these requirements


        Protip: Don't pay for this crap. Save your money and refuse DRM-laden media.

    • Hell, I mostly watch movies in DVD-quality, and you know what? If it's a good movie I enjoy it. If it's not a good movie, HD doesn't make it good.

  • Older Macs play it fine. Jump in quality. (Score:3)

    by CanadianMacFan ( 1900244 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @11:26PM (#60563168)

    I have a Late 2015 model of the Retina 5k iMac and I can play that content. I can't be doing any intensive CPU or memory tasks at the same time but I don't have to shut down all my apps in order to view it either. I just fire up VLC and everything plays fine.

    Whenever I buy a movie or TV series, including 4k content, I rip the content onto my computer and convert everything over to hevc to save storage space. I like having everything easily at hand plus it's a good backup in case the discs fail. (I have had some DVDs already become unplayable even though they have been sitting in their cases protected. I'm not going to buy the item again for a failed disc.)

    Also, notice that Mac users have only had access to 720p video until now even with the hardware available. It was with the latest macOS release that Netflix allowed the increase to 2160p, as long as you pay. So what happened to 1080p? I know that on my monitor, which is what I use to view videos, I can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p videos.

  • Apple (Score:3)

    by cygnusvis ( 6168614 ) on Thursday October 01, 2020 @11:41PM (#60563196)
    This is a ploy by apple to get you to upgrade.

  • T2 is another weapon in the DRM arms race (Score:4, Interesting)

    by seoras ( 147590 ) on Friday October 02, 2020 @12:14AM (#60563228)

    If you followed anything in Apple's WWDC2020 you'll have seen that iOS14 is attempting to secure proprietary app data, specifically in-app AI models.
    CoreML Model encryption was one notable announcement.
    Apple has also updated their DeviceCheck API to include, in iOS14, an App Attest Service [apple.com] which lets developers check if an installation of an App is compromised before downloading data (e.g. AI model) which is at risk of being stolen. I believe it requires the T2 secure enclave.

    My concern, with iOS Apps running on MacOS, was that they would continue to be wide open to file browsing and stripping.
    This isn't an issue on iOS (unless device is jail broken which Attest is supposed to address).

    I think this is just the first of many applications that are going to start requiring Apple's T2 secure enclave.
    For an app developer this is a good thing because the only way to protect your valuable AI ML models right now is to offer them as a cloud based service.
    CoreML Model encryption, in iOS14, is meant to encourage downloading of AI models onto the device and run without the need for a network connection which may even provide speed gains.
    Apple device owners should benefit from T2 being a requirement as they will benefit from faster, and offline, AI applications becoming available on both iOS and Mac OS.

    The T2 enclave provides another weapon in the DRM arms race between publishers and pirates, for songs, video, AI models and other digital IP.

  • To not buy a Mac.

    • Do iMacs support HDMI pass-thru so one can connect a 4K streaming dongle or smartphone with USB C alt mode as a dumb display?

      [obviously I'm not an iUser] but if I lived in a 1 bedroom studio apartment I'd allow for only one screen >= 27".

      • No idea Iâ(TM)m not a Mac user. Iâ(TM)ve found them to expensive for what they offer. Been a Linux user for over 15 years and I can get my very simple needed met with Linux, so no need to switch to expensive Mac.

  • 4K video is a waste of electricity and bandwidth, provided for morons who think they can see the invisible.

    • Indeed, people should check if they can really see the difference: https://referencehometheater.c... [referencehometheater.com]

      I can't tell the difference been 720p and 1080p, and I don't want to have my living room dominated by a bigger TV.

      A lot of HDR I've seen is horrible too: oversaturated colours, and simply because they can, they've also crushed the dynamic range to the point of it looking fake and scenes looking flat by lifting dark areas so you can see extra details. Details that don't add anything to the story.

  • it seems to me.. (Score:3)

    by bumblebees ( 1262534 ) on Friday October 02, 2020 @05:13AM (#60563834)
    It seems to me the more stupid blocks, restrictions and rules they put up the more people will turn to piracy. Just take a certain media player with a plugin f.ex. it just works. You can choose from SD to 4k and you find just about everything there. They should take in to account that humans on a whole are lazy as f..k and will use what works with the least amount of issues. Not to bring up regional restrictions and other nonsense on ex kids cartoons. In my country we just get on the local majority language even if Netflix have other languages available on the same show in other EU regions. We don't even get the original language of many cartoons. I don't get what is going on in the head of people in charge of streaming services.
  • You are trying to sell me a product and make difficult to use it. So explain me why I have to pay a premium price and having a lot of hassle when I could pay basic rate and have an esier experience. Yes, 4K is cool, and if I'd like to impress friend there are some FTA satellite 4K channels, and even without having FTTH they're watchable.
  • Let's face it, DRM is anti customer. Customers are constantly paying for DRM chips, for HDCP for their HDMI capable devices. It's become rediculous. The people that want to pirate media ARE still pirating media... Everyone else is paying for DRM hardware that they don't need!
  • That's when companies start loosing my business. So my shity Bravia is good but not a "decent" Mac? Time for some privacy.resistFingerprinting?

  • So, If I'll install Linux on my Mac, it doesn't need T2 chip, right? What's the point then, except licking the thumb of Apple?

  • I repeat, Fuck Apple.

    Someone has already defeated their precious T2 chip.

    https://reportcybercrime.com/h... [reportcybercrime.com]

    Hooray for real computers and the folks who make sure they live forever!

    O yea... Fuck Apple.

  • "Netflix Will Only Stream In 4K To Macs That Have a T2 Security Chip"

    ITYM "Macs Need a T2 Security Chip to Stream 4K on Netflix." Because, I get 4K on my Roku just fine, thank you And, I'm sure Netflix will stream in less than 4K to Macs with T2 chips. /. "editors" strike again.

  • This is good for Apple to sell new hardware and Netflix to save on bandwidth costs. It must be that the 4K upsell is more expensive to provide than they charge for it - or - expect a corporate deal between the two companies to be announced in the near future.

  • Myopic (Score:3)

    by fluffernutter ( 1411889 ) on Friday October 02, 2020 @08:33AM (#60564328)
    It's a good thing my eyes are 0.52K. Really, I could have the TV back from my childhood and it wouldn't make much difference.
  • Pirates' files play on anything. DRM is just publishers' way of encouraging you to pirate.
  • This makes sense if it is for protection of IP. Since anyone can currently record any video displayed from a PC using the XBox video capture. I watch and record quite a few TV shows and movies this way and use FFMPEG to shrink them down. I use to use Handbrake but Handbrake actually was creating unwatchable outputs, which was a first. While the original MP4s from the capture were fine Handbrake generated bad MKV files. Very strange, but FFMpeg works just fine and it is just as easy to use for me.

  • They'll just use one of these https://topazlabs.com/video-en... [topazlabs.com] to upscale the video. Upscaling technologies assisted by ML has advanced to a point that made-up information is aesthetically indistinguishable from high res.

    They can also do slow-mo and smooth out low frame rate videos: https://artificialintelligence... [oodles.io].

  • I'm still watching most of my content in DVD quality or HD at the most. It all looks just fine to me on my HD TV or my computer monitor. It even looks decent on my HD projector though obviously bluray definitely looks sharper on much larger screens. I don't even have a 4k display, so really don't care about the content. All my HD displays are newish and won't need replacing for quite some time.

    I guess I just can't be bothered to really care about high quality video or sound. DVD for movies and HD for gaming

  • So? (Score:2)

    by danlor ( 309557 )

    The only place I would give a shit about netflix 4k is on the appletv 4k. Works great. Maybe next you'll complain about you palm pilot not running chrome. TRAVESTY!

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