By Stephen Schenck | February 16, 2011 12:08 AM
Qualcomm has shed a little more light on what lies in store for Netflix on Android, reiterating some earlier claims about the app finally coming to Snapdragon-based systems, but creating some new uncertainty over the potential for the Netflix app to ever arrive on currently-available hardware.
Last month we learned that the determining factor for which Android phones get Netflix when is going to be the processor under the hood. While full details of how everything will work haven’t been made public, presumably the app will require a DRM implementation that is tailored to specific families of processors. The LG Revolution will likely be the first Android running Netflix, soon to be followed by other devices also using its Qualcomm-designed Snapdragon processor.
We had assumed that once these DRM packages were in place, you’d be able to run Netflix among Android models sharing the same CPUs. The statement Qualcomm released at the MWC today tells a slightly different story, specifically singling-out “future Android devices powered by the Snapdragon platform” for Netflix compatibility. Does this mean that we won’t ever be seeing Netflix on Android smartphones that are out right now?
Qualcomm also speaks to Netflix having to individually certify phones for its app. It would certainly be in the company’s best interest to get as many existing phones as possible approved for use, so this whole situation is definitely in need of some clarification. Hopefully Netflix will step up and set the record straight soon.
