Disney streaming service, Disney+, doesn't work on Linux... yet

Want to watch a Disney movie via Disney+ on your Linux-based home media server? You might not be able to. A user in the Netherlands and forum user on tweakers.net have found that Disney+ isn’t compatible with Linux, at least in its current state.

The issue lies with the DRM method used by Disney. DRM is used by every major streaming service in some way, shape, or form. However, Disney’s particular implementation doesn’t play nicely with Linux. Hans de Goede, a Disney+ subscriber, explained that the streaming service simply refused to run in either Firefox or Chrome on his Fedora machine. Every time, the browser would spit out an error (“Error Code 83”).

The root cause is a Widevine DRM error, which means that the device is not compatible with the security level of DRM used by the service. While it’s unfortunate Hans won’t get to stream Disney content on his Fedora computer, the error points to a potentially larger problem. Linux is the basis for Android and ChromeOS, two of the most popular operating systems in the world.

It should be noted that Disney recently confirmed it will run on Chromebooks and Android devices, which may mean that the media juggernaut has or is currently working out the DRM kinks. It should also be noted that Disney+ is currently in its testing phase; Hans de Goede was not running the final released version. Disney+ is set to launch on November 12. Hopefully, Disney has found a space for Linux in its ever-growing ecosystem.