Netflix won't play audio over Bluetooth. Any suggestions?

January 16, 2011 6:08 PM

Netflix Instant stops playing when I route the audio through my Bluetooth headset. Netflix suggested it was an HDCP issue and sent me to Microsoft (because playback is via Silverlight) but Microsoft will only speak to me if I'm using Windows 7 and Internet Explorer (I'm on a Mac).

It works fine to play through the computer's built-in speakers. As soon as I switch to a Bluetooth source, the video stops. It will start again when I switch back to the computer speakers. I've tried multiple bluetooth headsets (an old Plantronics and a brand new Etymotic Research model) and I've restarted the computer. I'm running the latest update of Mac OS X.

The Netflix rep suggested it could be an HDCP issue and mentioned that Silverlight allows the content to stay very protected.

Can anyone offer a solution or workaround? Does anyone out there successfully listen to Netflix content over Bluetooth? I'll check this thread regularly in case there are any questions or experiments to try and report back on.

Thanks!

posted by reeddavid to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)

I was just able to get audio through my Jawbone Icon over Bluetooth on my macbook pro. In System Prefs there were two "Icon" options, one worked and the other didn't. Same with my Lubix headphones. I suspect one is the mono profile, and the other stereo.
posted by Runes at 8:08 PM on January 16, 2011

I also was just able to watch a Netflix video with the audio routed to my Bluetooth headset.

However, this is on Windows 7 and Firefox.

Things to consider:

- Screwy bluetooth drivers that can't "grab" the audio from the Silverlight object.
- You are watching videos that have HDCP turned on, and I wasn't.
posted by gjc at 7:46 AM on January 17, 2011