My Vero4K Specific guide to install Netflix add-on on Vero4K

Help and Support Vero 4K / Vero 4K +
1

I’ve broken a few things since updating from vero kodi 17 to 18, and caused many headaches on the forums.
Time to repay:
The reason to get Kodi 18 was Netflix.
It’s tricky to install.
Here’s my full, updated (from the hard work of others) Vero4k step-by-step

My Vero4K Specific guide to install Netflix add-on on Vero4K

Modified, expanded, and clarified from:

Note:Nearly all large blocks of text are verbatim from the original guide
My additions are generally marked RR: (Retro Resolution)

RR: Ignorning all Raspberry Pi update from 17 to 18 via nightly builds etc

Drm decryption libraries

RR: ssh onto the Vero4k to perform all command line operations

"Lets add some dependencies

In order to get our add-ons working correctly, we need to add some additional dependencies and their recommended packages."

sudo apt-get install python-pip python-crypto build-essential -y

sudo apt-get install python-all-dev python-setuptools python-wheel -y

sudo apt-get install python-crypto-dbg python-crypto-doc python-pip-whl -y

"Now lets install our Python cryptography dependency.

pip install pycryptodomex

To make sure our add-ons are finding our pycryptodomex module, lets add a symbolic link to the location."

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/Crypto /usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/Cryptodome

Netflix add on

wget https://github.com/castagnait/repository.castagnait/raw/master/repository.castagnait-1.0.0.zip

-------> only for amazon:

wget https://github.com/Sandmann79/xbmc/releases/download/v1.0.2/repository.sandmann79.plugins-1.0.2.zip

“Once downloaded, lets go ahead and reboot our system.”

RR: NOTE: unlike the original guide, it’s necessary to manually install these zip repositories, and the add-ons therein:

Add-ons | Add-on browser

  • install from zip file
  • browse to ‘home folder’ (of vero - default user home where wget saved into)
  • select (for netflix) ‘repository.castagnait-1.0.0.zip’

Next, also in Add-ons | Add-on browser, select
‘Install from repository’

  • select ‘Castagna IT Repository’
    then select ‘video add-ons’
    Install Netflix add on from the next dialog

(Now netflix will be able in the next step, below…)

Netflix Configuration

RR: [The below is incorrect - please skip]
“Settings → Add-on browser → My add-ons → Video Add-ons → Netflix
Select Configure
Under Account, select Switch Accounts and enter your login information.”

RR: Setup your Netflix Account

  1. Return to kodi’s main menu
  2. Select add-ons
  3. Select Netflix
  4. Enter your email associated with your Netflix account, and then your password
    Attempts to play anything will trigger a request to install WideVine - see below.

InputStream Configuration

“Settings → Add-on browser → My add-ons → VideoPlayer InputStream → InputStream Adaptive -Select
Configure
Set your Max Resolution general and secure decoders to your desired resolution and Select Ok.”

RR: [Don’t do this if you’ve set up youtube to livestream in 1080p…]

Install WIDEVINE

Running Netflix or Amazon Video for the first time

“Netflix (and Amazon Video) require a proprietary decryption module called Widevine. Luckily our add-ons will take care of this for us. Select a Netflix or Amazon show and start an episode. You will then be prompted to Install Widevine. Because it is propriety it will be downloaded from a Chrome OS recovery image. Select yes to continue, and accept the license and root permissions. Once downloaded you will be prompted once more to install.”

RR: REQUIRES 2.0GB FOR EXTRACTION
(Nearly all of this is freed and returned once widevine has been extracted)

Check disk space ( all drives, in human readable format)
~$ df -h

Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
devtmpfs 774M 0 774M 0% /dev
tmpfs 895M 8.7M 887M 1% /run

/dev/vero-nand/root 14G 3.3G 9.9G 25% /
[9.9 gigabytes free]

tmpfs 895M 0 895M 0% /dev/shm
tmpfs 5.0M 0 5.0M 0% /run/lock
tmpfs 895M 0 895M 0% /sys/fs/cgroup
tmpfs 179M 0 179M 0% /run/user/1000

"This installation will take some time, and prompt you a few times for the license agreement, root privileges, and installation. Once the installation is complete, lets reboot once more. Head back to the home screen, to Power and select reboot.

The first time you launch the video, the quality may be poor, but after the first launch it should improve to your selected quality. You can launch both Prime and Netflix and back out. Next time in should be looking great!. Netflix seems to be more cpu intensive on the decryption/streaming."

3 Likes
2

Is there any difference between this and using the script from the Pi post?

3

I didn’t look at the script in the post i referenced (if there was one, i didn’t even see it).

There are several crucial changes for the vero4k in the steps i followed from the post I followed and linked to right at the top of this thread, citing the hard work of others.

I don’t intentionally plagiarize work - i put too much r&d and writing/proof-reading in my own tech guides at retroresolution.com to ever contemplate doing that.

Next time I won’t share my experiences in how I get anything working.
Yes, I’m ratty - I’m dying (stage 4 cancer) and my morphine didn’t get delivered today.

4

You totally got the wrong end of the stick there fella. I was referring to post no 4 in this thread:
[HOW-TO ALL PLATFORMS]Can I use Netflix on OSMC?(post 4) - #3 by Markino where @joakim_s had made/shown/used whatever a script that I used/loaded to be able to watch netflix on my vero 4K. I was purely asking if your method had any differences and/or better ways to do things as I have had the odd netflix issue and would be interested in another method (if that was it) to get netflix working really well on my vero.

Why would you think I was getting up you??

5

I have recently been told I’ve got terminal cancer, I’m not sleeping, on heavy medication, and terrified.
I apologise.

6

The biggest change is it uses one of the latest add-on forks, v. 0.14.something. While the script that i made uses 0.13.22. There are a lot of changes between 0.13 and 0.14 since 0.14 is completely rewritten as i understand it.

But when I made the Netflix_prep script I felt I’d go with the “stable” 0.13 rather then 0.14, which was and still is under some development.

I’ve considered changing my script to 0.14 just haven’t checked which fork has the latest patches.

1 Like
7

Netflix works fine for me, albeit at 540p

8

I can get 720p, I think it very much depends what program you’re watching and what streams are available. You can change the inputstream settings to manual, and then go into the video settings while watching to see what streams can be chosen.

1 Like
9

Updated the script to 0.14.3 and upgraded pycpryptodomex to latest. HAven’t tested it yet though.

10

How would I upgrade my installation? I’m not familiar with linux commands.

12

Should be as easy as uninstalling Netflix-addon, download the script AGAIN, chmod it, then run it(Like you did the first time).

14

Errr, chmod?

15

It’s explained in the link you’ve provided.

16

Thanks @floatingkiwi , I’ll try that.
As far as I can see, these settings affect YouTube also - is that correct?
Many thanks

17

If it is I can’t find it. Which post #?

18

Yes, it also affects things like Lightbox (any streaming app I guess). I have asked in the kodi forums to see if this can be set independently but haven’t had any replies yet.

19

Forth block in that post chmod +x netflix_prep_install.sh

20

Here, how to get the script and chmod it and run it:

21

Ha, with my linux knowledge it was just cut and paste!!

22

That’s the type of user the guide was made for :wink: