Days left until Netflix stops for thousands of people due to anti-piracy DRM upgrade

Due to ‘technical limitations’, Netflix will no longer be streamed on some consumer electronics devices from December 1 this year.

If you own one of the affected electronic devices used for streaming Netflix already, you may have already seen this error message pop up on your device: “Due to technical limitations, Netflix will no longer be available on this device after December 1st, 2019. Please visit netflix.com/compatibledevices for a list of available devices.”

To continue streaming, users are advised they’ll need to switch to a compatible device prior to the date.

The Verge revealed the changes will occur because Netflix upgraded its digital rights management (DRM) service, which allows it to bring its streaming service to users and ensure the content doesn’t get pirated, and older smart devices already equipped with that DRM have been left behind.

The devices affected include: the Roku SD (N1050), Roku HD-XR (N1101), Roku HD (N1100, 2000C) and Roku XD (2050X, 2050N, 2100X, 2100N), as well as some Samsung Smart TV models from 2010 and 2011 and some Vizio Smart TVs with VIZIO Internet Apps.

Users can visit the Netflix site to see the most current list of compatible devices.

But if you don’t want to upgrade your TV, Netflix will still work on laptops - and you can use a HDMI cord or a bluetooth device like a Chrome Caster to stream through your TV.