How to watch Netflix on the Raspberry Pi 4

Source: pplwareSource: pplware

Many users of the low-cost computer Raspberry Pi, have complained of difficulties to run the Netflix program. This is due to the video reproduction of the streaming service depending on DRM (Digital Rights Management), which is usually distributed to closed platforms.

In this guide a plug-in for the Kodi media center will be used. According to the website pimylifeup, the combination of the plug-in with Kodi was one of the best solutions for the playback of Netflix videos to run successfully on the Raspeberry Pi.

It is possible to use operating systems that already have Kodi, such as OSMC. However, in this tutorial the Raspbian OS will be used.

Equipment list:

Below is a list of all the equipment needed to complete this tutorial.

Recommended

  • Raspberry Pi 2, 3 or 4
  • 16 GB or more Micro SD card recommended
  • Power supply
  • USB keyboard
  • USB mouse
  • HDMI cable
  • Ethernet cable or WiFi dongle (Pi 3 and 4 has built-in WiFi)

Optional

Configuring the Raspberry Pi to install Netflix

1 – The first thing we should do is update all packages already installed on the Raspberry Pi. This ensures that any outdated packages cause problems during the tutorial. To update all packages, run the following two commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade

2 – After installing the update for all possible packages, we will install Kodi on the Raspberry Pi. The choice of this program due to its reliability to access Netflix on the Raspberry. There are methods where browsers are used to run the streaming service, however there are often malfunctions and are difficult to configure.

If you use the OSMC OS, skip this step, as Kodi is already installed.

For the installation of Kodi and the necessary packages, run the following command:

sudo apt install kodi kodi-peripheral-joystick kodi-pvr-iptvsimple kodi-inputstream-adaptive kodi-inputstream-rtmp

Note that we will install several other packages with Kodi. They will make the Netflix plugin on Kodi work correctly on Netflix.

3 – Now it will be necessary to install some extra packages. These packages have a Python package manager "pip", plus some extras to be able to run the Netflix plug-in. Run the following command to install the necessary packages:

sudo apt install build-essential python-pip python-dev libffi-dev libssl-dev libnss3

4 – Now, install the Python packages needed for the Netflix plugin for Kodi. We will install the packages using the pip package manager. Use the following command to install the packages:

sudo pip install setuptools wheel pycryptodomex

5 – With the packages installed, it will now be necessary to download CastagnaIT. This program makes it possible to install the Netflix plug-in on Kodi and update it automatically. To download the latest version directly from the project on GitHub, run the following command:

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

Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi to install the Netflix plug-in

Here you will be done step by step to use the packages installed above so that you can run Netflix on the Raspberry Pi.

1 – The first thing to do is open Kodi on the Raspberry Pi. To do this, click on the start menu icon on the top left, hover your mouse over "Sound and video" and click on "Kodi".

2 – Before starting, you will need to change the Kodi settings to allow the installation of unknown programs. For this, it will be necessary to open the Kodi settings page. If you are using the standard Kodi theme, the button to access the settings is the symbol of a gear, which is located above the left side.

Step 02 - Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeupStep 02 – Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeup

3 – In the menu, select "System" located in the right corner below the screen.

Step 03 - Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeupStep 03 – Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeup

4 – Click on "Add-us" which is located on the left sidebar.

Step 04 - Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeupStep 04 – Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeup

5 – Now activate the option "Unknown sources". When doing so, some warnings appear. Ignore them. After activating, press "Esc" to return to the settings page. This option will allow you to install CastagnaIT that was previously downloaded.

Step 05 - Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeupStep 05 – Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeup

6 – On the home page, click the "Add-ons" button. In doing so, you will be directed to the "Add-us" settings page that will allow you to install CastagnaIT, the program responsible for allowing the download of the Netflix plug-in for the Raspberry Pi.

Step 06 - Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeupStep 06 – Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeup

7 – On the "Add-us" settings page, select the "Install from zip file" option to continue.

Step 07 - Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeupStep 07 – Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeup

8 – With the installation window open, click on "Home folder", because the location where the CastagnaIT program is located.

Step 08 - Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeupStep 08 – Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeup

9 – Scroll down until you find the file called "repository.castagnait-1.0.0.zip" to install it.

Step 09 - Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeupStep 09 – Adding CastagnaIT to Kodi. Source: pimylifeup

Installing the Netflix plug-in on the Raspberry Pi

1 – With CastagnaIT installed on the Raspberry Pi, it will be possible to install the Netflix plug-in on Kodi. To do this, select the "Install from repositor" option on the "Add-ons" page.

Step 01 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 01 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

2 – In the menu, look for the option "CastagnaIT Repository" and select.

Step 02 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 02 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

3 – With CastagnaIT open, open the category "Video add-ons"

Step 03 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 03 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

4 – In this window, just select the "Netflix" plug-in.

Step 04 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 04 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

5 – Select the "Install" button at the bottom right of the screen.

Step 05 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 05 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

6 – Select "Ok". The installation process may take a while, as several additional add-ons will be installed.

Step 06 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 06 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

7 – After installing the Netflix plug-in, activate the "Adaptive Inputstream" plug-in. To do this, go to the "My Add-ons" page.

Step 07 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 07 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

8 – On the "My Add-ons" page, select the "VideoPlayer Inputstream" category.

Step 08 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 08 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

9 – Now select the "InputStream Adaptive" plug-in. He is responsible for transmitting video data from Netflix servers to the Raspberry Pi.

Step 09 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 09 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

10 – On this screen, select the "Enable" button to activate the "InputStream Adaptive" plug-in. Once this is done, return to the main screen to perform the next step.

Step 10 - Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeupStep 10 – Installing the Netflix plug-in. Source: pimylifeup

Running Netflix on the Raspberry Pi

1 – In the main menu, select "Add-ons" in the sidebar. On the "Add-ons" page, select "Netflix" to open the Netflix "Add-on".

When you first open Netflix, you will be prompted for login details. Insert them.

Step 01 - Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeupStep 01 – Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeup

2 – With the Netflix Add-on open, choose a series or movie to watch. When playing a video for the first time, it will be necessary to install the DRM modules that the plug-in requires to function. Without the modules it will not be possible to transmit via streaming.

3 – You will then be notified that Widevine CDM is required, select the "Install Widevine" button to install it.

Step 03 - Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeupStep 03 – Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeup

4 – Another notification appears saying that at least 3.1GB of free space is required for the installation. The reason why the installer needs to get Widevine CDM from the ChromeOS image. Select "yes" to continue with the installation.

Step 04 - Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeupStep 04 – Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeup

5 – Before starting the installation process to use Netflix, you will need to agree to Google's EULA terms. Select "I Accept" and continue the download.

Step 05 - Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeupStep 05 – Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeup

6 – Now a message appears stating that the plug-in needs to use tools with root permissions to extract the necessary file from the ChromeOS image. To continue select "I Accept".

Step 06 - Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeupStep 06 – Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeup

7 – Wait for the download and extract process to finish. The process can take a long time. It may seem at times that the progress bar has stalled, but keep waiting.

Step 07 - Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeupStep 07 – Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeup

8 – After the Widevine installation is complete, you can watch any series and movie on Netflix on your Raspberry Pi.

Step 08 - Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeupStep 08 – Running Netflix. Source: pimylifeup

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