We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use. Last month, old Roku streaming box owners received some bad news as Netflix revealed it would no longer stream on pre-2011 Roku devices after Dec. 1. At the time, the reason given was technical limitations with no further details, but now we know what the limitation is: DRM. As Gizmodo reports, Netflix relies on Microsoft's PlayReady DRM for protecting its streams against piracy. However, the oldest Roku devices (Roku SD, Roku HD, Roku HD-XR, Roku XD, and Roku XDS) and some old Samsung and Vizio TVs aren't capable of using it. Instead, they rely on Windows Media DRM, which Netflix continued to support until now. The technical limitation Netflix describes is the inability for these old devices to upgrade to using PlayReady, and after Dec. 1 that will be a requirement for Netflix streams to work. So if you still own one of these very old Roku streaming boxes, their time is really going to be up in less than three weeks. The same is true for select 2010-11 Samsung TVs and select 2012-2014 Vizio TVs. The good news is, there isn't a lack of choice when it comes to upgrading and you don't have to spend very much money to do so. There's also a good chance you're either already using, or thinking about upgrading to a 4K TV, which means you can select a streaming device with support for 4K content. If you just want the cheapest upgrade possible for HD streaming, then why not pick up a Roku Express for $29.99 or Fire TV Stick for $39.99. Alternatively, wait for the inevitable Black Friday sales where streaming devices are bound to be heavily discounted.
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We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use. Last month, old Roku streaming box owners received some bad news as Netflix revealed it would no longer stream on pre-2011 Roku devices after Dec. 1. At the time, the reason given was technical limitations with no further details, but now we know what the limitation is: DRM. As Gizmodo reports, Netflix relies on Microsoft's PlayReady DRM for protecting its streams against piracy. However, the oldest Roku devices (Roku SD, Roku HD, Roku HD-XR, Roku XD, and Roku XDS) and some old Samsung and Vizio TVs aren't capable of using it. Instead, they rely on Windows Media DRM, which Netflix continued to support until now. The technical limitation Netflix describes is the inability for these old devices to upgrade to using PlayReady, and after Dec. 1 that will be a requirement for Netflix streams to work. So if you still own one of these very old Roku streaming boxes, their time is really going to be up in less than three weeks. The same is true for select 2010-11 Samsung TVs and select 2012-2014 Vizio TVs. The good news is, there isn't a lack of choice when it comes to upgrading and you don't have to spend very much money to do so. There's also a good chance you're either already using, or thinking about upgrading to a 4K TV, which means you can select a streaming device with support for 4K content. If you just want the cheapest upgrade possible for HD streaming, then why not pick up a Roku Express for $29.99 or Fire TV Stick for $39.99. Alternatively, wait for the inevitable Black Friday sales where streaming devices are bound to be heavily discounted.