Thanks to HTML5, Streaming Movies on Netflix Might Suck Less
Netflix currently uses Microsoft's Silverlight plugin to run its
streams. It's an inelegant solution that sometimes makes for
subpar and bogged down streaming experiences. But Silverlight is
possibly dying! And Netflix wants to get better! So Netflix is
planning to move on from streaming on Silverlight and move
towards HTML5 video. When that happens, streaming movies on
Netflix might suck less.  Netflix detailed its goals to move
away from Silverlight because of the limitations of browser
plugins in general: Users have to install a plugin, users may be
wary of security and privacy risks that come with plugins and
probably most importantly for Netflix, not many mobile browsers
support plugins. The future for browser plugins such as
Silverlight is not bright. Enter HTML5.  Netflix has been trying
to make HTML5 ready for "premium video playback" (which
basically means putting all those DRM chains on its movies) by
working on three W3C initiatives: str