Silverlight and alternatives for viewing netflix

Hi,

It's safe to use Silverlight on your Mac.

It is safe to use Silverlight or at least safer than the dreaded Adobe Flash. 😉

However in theory it should be possible to view Netflix in a Mac web-browser using HTML5 which does not require any plugin to be installed. This will depend on what version of OS X your running and what model of Mac you have.

See https://help.netflix.com/en/node/22822

If you have an older Mac e.g. a classic Mac Pro then Google Chrome might be more likely to work with HTML5. A current aka. new Mac Pro running Yosemite or El Capitan should in theory be able to use HTML5 in Safari to play Netflix.

Dan Theal wrote:

I am unable to watch netflix on my mac book pro. I am prompted to install silverlight on my mac. Is this a good idea or is there a better alternative. I used to watch netflix without any problem. I recently installed a solid state drive and upgraded my operating system to El Capitan. Thank you.

You have no alternative on Netflix—you have to use their Silverlight. Safe yes.

Check for it in your browser Extensions ( or plug-ins) to enable if it is already there.

Dan Theal wrote:

I installed silver light on my Mac book pro so that I could view Netflix but when I go on Netflix I am still prompted to install silver light. I'm confused about why it isn't working. I actually reinstalled silver light after the first installation filled. Do any of you know what I can do about this?

Sent from my iPad

Verify that is enabled for your browser. Look for in Extensions, Plug-ins, or Add-ons.

It's ok to use Silverlight but if you don't want to install the plugin, I can confirm that Firefox and Chrome work without needing Silverlight as they are HTML5 friendly browsers.

FWIW, as of Firefox 47, Silverlight is still required to stream Netlix. At least on my Macs.

Yep, I goofed, been using Chrome for Netflix and Youtube on firefox for HTML5.