i am posting this only for the purpose of our records. okay here we go:
Netflix streams a movie (during a single session) from mixed servers:
*.wmv from
http://***.lcdn.nflximg.com/***
*.wma from
http://***.lcdn.nflximg.com/***
*.wmv from
http://***.nflximg.com.edgesuite.net/***
*.wma from
http://***.nflximg.com.edgesuite.net/***
*.wmv from
http://***.vo.llnwd.net/***
*.wma from
http://***.vo.llnwd.net/***
So original URL's look like this:
Any
URL sniffer can catch the url's (
Replay Media Catcher,
GetFLV, ..) -- they are as you can see http links and the streaming servers are the well-known
CDN servers by
llnwd,
edgesuite, ..
From what i can tell, the media snippets are "transferred from the servers to your browser" (obviously!) but they are
not saved on hdd (unless you download them with Replay Media Catcher). In other words, there is no caching of the video chunks. They seemed to get used up (or
eaten up 
) by the Silverlight player, and gone they are!
The WMV's and WMA's are "hundreds" of little files, and our media players cant play them. It is safe to assume that those media files are protected in some way and that they need decryption thru the player. The website (or the webplayer) seems to be based on Microsoft Silverlight technology, with probably no DRM involvement. (DRM is something of the very past. Windows Media Player times. yawn.) In any case it is impossible to play them unless some clever SRF boardie finds a medicine
In early
Netflix times, there was a "Download"-button. That must have been a thing of the past as well. There is no more DOWNLOAD button. When you hit play, the movie plays. Instantly. No introductory "video page / videopage", no presentation of the video like scope/synopsis/description, nothing. You click "Play" (see screenshot below), and then Netflix opens the video (in the same browser window). Very primitive, but also very easy. You cannot get confused!
I dont think that i am telling something new here.
Netflix seems to be a huge success in the USA, and there are hundreds webpages and websites which try to explain whether and how it is possible to capture Netflix videos in original quality. Some people (incl. bloggers) have even programmed some script/software for it (~Netflix downloaders). I have no personal interest in Netflix contents so whoever is interested might find some solution with google. If you find anything (e.g. a still working script/program), then feel free to share it here with the SRF community.