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How to manually install Widevine plugin in Firefox 58.0.2 on Windows 10 x64?
I am trying to manually install the Google Widevine CDM plugin in Firefox 58.0.2 because the network does not allow redirects or software downloads from un-approved sources.
I have used another computer on a unrestricted network to download the latest zip file from the redirector.govt1.com link I could find, and I have Google Chrome installed with the Google Chrome version of the Widevine plugin.
I have tried creating a new profile, and tried dragging the zip file into a tab, I have tried manually installing it from options, and I have enabled debugging and tried to test install but got the errors with the manifest file. Any ideas on how to manually install the plugin?
Ŋuɖoɖo si wotia
I think these are the links for the August 2017 release: https://bug1388771.bmoattachments.org/attachment.cgi?id=8903279
I think you would download the 64-bit Windows link: https://redirector.gvt1.com/edgedl/widevine-cdm/1.4.8.1008-win-x64.zip
That archive doesn't set up the folder structure that I see, I think you will need to create it by hand.
[profile]\gmp-widevinecdm\1.4.8.1008\ {contents of archive}
Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Troubleshooting Information
- (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
- type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter
In the first table on the page, on the Profile Folder row, click the "Open Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.
Select and copy the folder name: gmp-widevinecdm
Right-click a blank area of the list > New > Folder, then paste the folder name and click away. Then double-click into the new folder.
Select and copy the folder name: 1.4.8.1008
Right-click a blank area of the list > New > Folder, then paste the folder name and click away. Then double-click into the new folder.
Finally you can drop the contents of the ZIP archive here.
Presumably Firefox will discover that at your next startup, but possibly you would also need to create some settings.
Here are custom settings I see:
(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful or accepting the risk.
(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste wide and pause while the list is filtered
- media.gmp-widevinecdm.abi (string) = x86_64-msvc-x64
- media.gmp-widevinecdm.version (string) = 1.4.8.1008
This probably is not important:
- media.gmp-widevinecdm.lastUpdate (string) = 1512869095
All Replies (7)
Ɖɔɖɔɖo si wotia
I think these are the links for the August 2017 release: https://bug1388771.bmoattachments.org/attachment.cgi?id=8903279
I think you would download the 64-bit Windows link: https://redirector.gvt1.com/edgedl/widevine-cdm/1.4.8.1008-win-x64.zip
That archive doesn't set up the folder structure that I see, I think you will need to create it by hand.
[profile]\gmp-widevinecdm\1.4.8.1008\ {contents of archive}
Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Troubleshooting Information
- (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
- type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter
In the first table on the page, on the Profile Folder row, click the "Open Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.
Select and copy the folder name: gmp-widevinecdm
Right-click a blank area of the list > New > Folder, then paste the folder name and click away. Then double-click into the new folder.
Select and copy the folder name: 1.4.8.1008
Right-click a blank area of the list > New > Folder, then paste the folder name and click away. Then double-click into the new folder.
Finally you can drop the contents of the ZIP archive here.
Presumably Firefox will discover that at your next startup, but possibly you would also need to create some settings.
Here are custom settings I see:
(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful or accepting the risk.
(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste wide and pause while the list is filtered
- media.gmp-widevinecdm.abi (string) = x86_64-msvc-x64
- media.gmp-widevinecdm.version (string) = 1.4.8.1008
This probably is not important:
- media.gmp-widevinecdm.lastUpdate (string) = 1512869095
Thank you so much, you solved the issue!!!
Well I had the x86 version of FF so I altered your directions slightly;
1) Created the folders like mentioned 2) Copied the contents of the "fileUrl": "https://redirector.gvt1.com/edgedl/widevine-cdm/1.4.8.1008-win-ia32.zip" into the folder 3) Opened another tab/window and went to about:config 4) Added media.gmp-widevinecdm.abi (string) = x86-msvc-x86 & media.gmp-widevinecdm.version (string) = 1.4.8.1008
Started playing Spotify as soon as I completed adding the data, thank you so much again and hopefully other people find this and it works for them!
jscher2000 said
...
You seem to be the most knowledgeable and helpful person on this site. I frequently come across, and end up using, your answers; and they're often answers to difficult problems that virtually everyone else avoids trying to answer. I'm currently trying to get widevine installed and working in Firefox ESR 52.7.3 in Windows XP. By spoofing the OS version to 6.1 (Windows 7) using Application Verifier, I've been able to get the DRM toggle to appear in the FF settings menu and have got widevine 1.4.8.903 to install and update. However the websites that require widevine aren't recognizing that widevine is installed. Here are the two websites which require widevine that I'm using for testing: https://demo.castlabs.com/ https://open.spotify.com/browse Do you know of any about:config settings (or anything else) that might make these websites recognize that widevine is installed? Here's the thread that I originally asked this question in, in case you'd like to answer there instead (seems like it would be a good idea): https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1214129 Thanks in advance!
Widevine likely uses API calls to the Windows OS that XP lacks, so even if you force Widevine to install then the program will probably detect that you have an unsupported OS. Note that doing this is entirely at your own risk.
Hi JuzBeKind, thank you for your kind words. The March 1st post is pretty much what I know.
Websites generally cannot detect Widevine directly, like they can with Flash. I think they have to query Firefox as to whether it supports DRM.
But isn't the bigger problem for XP that Firefox can't natively play MPEG-encoded media on that platform because Microsoft never released "Media Foundation" for XP? Normally that's a deal breaker for sites that do not offer alternative formats (like WebM on YouTube) even if they don't require DRM.
In your other thread, you mentioned using the Adobe Primetime plugin to decode MPEG media. It seems Firefox doesn't integrate the two plugins to create a working pathway for DRM protected MPEG media. I don't know whether anyone has ever posted a solution for that.
cor-el said
Widevine likely uses API calls to the Windows OS that XP lacks...
Thanks for the reply. Widevine 1.4.8.903 works in XP. It's what Google Chrome 49.0.2623 used for DRM in XP. But perhaps because I'm spoofing the OS to get Widevine to install in FF, I'm ending up with a Win7-dependent variant of Widevine 1.4.8.903 (as you suggested).
jscher2000 said
Websites generally cannot detect Widevine directly...
Thank you for the reply. I have a better understanding of how Widevine likely works now. I do indeed have the Adobe Primetime plugin installed and working. It allows me to play all the media I normally couldn't play (gifv files, Reddit videos, Twitter videos, Streamable videos, etc) except for DRM videos. I personally don't watch any DRM videos but I do use Spotify and at this point Spotify appears to require Widevine (I haven't gotten it to work without Widevine). Youtube works with or without Adobe Primetime. As I mentioned in my reply to cor-el above, Google Chrome uses Widevine 1.4.8.903 in XP. I suspect that, if I can trick FF into installing Widevine 1.4.8.903 using some method other than OS version spoofing, I might end up with the same working XP variant that Chrome uses instead of a Win7-dependent variant. Any thoughts on this? Do you think there might be about:config settings that could be changed to force FF to install the Widevine plugin without OS version spoofing?
If Google Chrome comes with its own Widevine version then try to install this version in Firefox. You can search the GC installation directory for files with Widevine in the name and compare what you have for Firefox.