Netflix Open Content

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Site implementation, redirects, and Blogger quirks

  • Several comments note that all links are routed via google.com/url, which feels unusually visible as tracking.
  • Others explain this as a standard redirect pattern used by big platforms (including Google) to avoid leaking referrers, and a side effect of copying URLs from Google/Blogger.
  • Some argue referrer privacy could instead be handled via Referrer-Policy headers, but others say large products don’t trust user agents to honor these reliably, so redirects are safer.
  • The choice to host the blog on Blogger is seen as odd for a large company and likely a legacy or low-priority decision; migration away from Blogger is described as non‑trivial.

HTTP-only downloads and hosting setup

  • Many are surprised that downloads are plain HTTP, triggering mixed-content blocking in browsers like Firefox.
  • The S3 setup is debated: one view is that S3 static website hosting doesn’t support HTTPS; others show you can get HTTPS via the S3 path endpoint and suggest the bucket policy may forbid HTTPS.
  • Some suggest putting CloudFront in front of the bucket for HTTPS and potential cost savings.
  • Chrome’s phishing warning is attributed to the S3 hostname mimicking netflix.com as a subdomain.

Value and purpose of the open content

  • Multiple commenters highlight that uncompressed / mezzanine 4K HDR sequences, IMF packages, and Dolby Vision metadata are extremely valuable for codec and display research, since most online “test footage” is already recompressed.
  • They see Netflix’s motive as aligned with the public: better codecs reduce bandwidth costs.
  • There’s a pointer to newer material in the ASWF Digital Production Example Library.

Terminology: “open source” vs free cultural works

  • Some push back on calling media “open source,” arguing the term historically applies to software source code.
  • Others counter that licenses can be analogous, making “open source media” reasonable, though potentially confusing.
  • Creative Commons is mentioned as preferring “free cultural works,” but most agree the essential point is that the content is legally usable without fear of being sued.

Innovation, extras, and viewing experience

  • Commenters lament “zero innovation” in online video UX, comparing today’s streaming to a stagnant recreation of cable TV, and contrasting it with earlier standards (e.g., SMIL) and experiments like interactive episodes.
  • DRM, locked-down apps, and device fragmentation are blamed for preventing third-party innovation on top of commercial catalogs.
  • Several people miss DVD-era extras (commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes, playful menus) and note their relative absence from most streaming platforms, although a few services and shows still provide companion podcasts or featurettes.

File sizes, production tech, and AI debates

  • A 34 GB 5‑minute short is called “crazy” by some, but others say such sizes are trivial relative to production budgets; multiple copies on hard drives are normal.
  • A long subthread speculates that future AI tools might make it cheaper to regenerate films from source assets or prompts than to store final renders, with disagreements over whether this is dystopian or empowering.
  • Industry-experienced commenters frame AI as similar to past digital revolutions (desktop video, early CGI): it will greatly democratize production, create a flood of low‑quality content, but also enable new kinds of work that couldn’t exist before.

Playback, HDR, and technical details

  • Some want the option to disable HDR entirely on streaming apps and iPads, complaining of overly bright or dark images; others say this should be handled at the TV/box level, though platforms often don’t expose fine-grained controls.
  • There’s praise for Meridian as an example of how good HDR can look, contrasted with more inconsistent quality across typical catalogs.
  • A few users discuss legacy plasma displays vs modern OLED/QD‑OLED and in‑store brightness “arms races.”
  • One question about playing EBU STL subtitles on Linux gets a concrete answer: a specific captioning tool can handle them.

Physical media, ownership, and piracy

  • Some caution against giving Netflix too much credit: they argue the company rarely releases its shows on physical media in the US, effectively forcing users into streaming.
  • This leads to reliance on Japanese editions, bootlegs, or piracy to obtain offline, unalterable copies for long‑term collections or use without internet (e.g., kids with disc players).
  • Others point out that, for technically inclined users, torrenting and burning one’s own discs is feasible, though writable disc longevity and disc-rot concerns are raised.