OnePlus 5 And 5T Shockingly Can't Stream Netflix In HD, No ETA Given For Fix
OnePlus likes to use the tagline "Never Settle," but OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T owners are having to settle for SD video feeds from certain streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Google Play Movies. The limitation boils down to Digital Rights Management (DRM)—as with previous OnePlus devices, both the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T do not support the necessary DRM level to fetch HD feeds from various sources.
Netflix and many other streaming services require support for Widevine Level 1 DRM, in which all content processing, cryptography, and control is performed in a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). In contrast, Level 3 does not have the same requirement and is a less secure implementation. As such, many streaming services only allow SD content on devices with Widevine Level 3.
This is not sitting well with OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T customers.
"I would like to know why a £500 phone is not capable of fully utilizing these very popular services and if there are any plans to rectify this clearly ridiculous issue. I am massively surprised this has not been brought up in reviews/not had a bigger fuss made about as this is completely unacceptable for a brand that is now well established!," a frustrated user wrote on the OnePlus community forums.
A company spokesperson told Android Police that a future update will enable Widevine Level 1 on both the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, which will enable HD playback from streaming services that are currently blocked. However, the spokesperson did not say when the update will be available, nor was there mention of adding support for older devices, such as the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T. It's probably safe to assume that OnePlus will only be focusing on its most recent models.
Netflix and many other streaming services require support for Widevine Level 1 DRM, in which all content processing, cryptography, and control is performed in a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). In contrast, Level 3 does not have the same requirement and is a less secure implementation. As such, many streaming services only allow SD content on devices with Widevine Level 3.
This is not sitting well with OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T customers.
"I would like to know why a £500 phone is not capable of fully utilizing these very popular services and if there are any plans to rectify this clearly ridiculous issue. I am massively surprised this has not been brought up in reviews/not had a bigger fuss made about as this is completely unacceptable for a brand that is now well established!," a frustrated user wrote on the OnePlus community forums.
A company spokesperson told Android Police that a future update will enable Widevine Level 1 on both the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, which will enable HD playback from streaming services that are currently blocked. However, the spokesperson did not say when the update will be available, nor was there mention of adding support for older devices, such as the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T. It's probably safe to assume that OnePlus will only be focusing on its most recent models.
