Helium It's a browser that's generating a lot of buzz, especially since Brave unveiled its own. OriginIt's basically Chrome, but without all the Google features and without including extra functions like the brave lion. It has a couple of problemsThe first one does not allow any type of synchronization so as not to upload the data to any cloud, and the second one does not support Widevine after a clean installation.
Why is Widevine important in a web browser? Because without it, you can't play DRM-protected content. Widevine is owned by GoogleAnd that's why it's not supported by default in Helium. But without it, you can't watch Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, or other video and music streaming platforms like Spotify. Therefore, it's a significant omission, but the solution couldn't be simpler.
Copy the Widevine folder from another browser into Helium
Widevine is activated in any compatible browser when attempting to play DRM-protected content, provided it is not enabled by default. It also updates automatically. To use it in Helium, simply copy the folder from a compatible browser to the Helium configuration folder.
For example, in Linux you can go to ~/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-BrowserCopy the WidevineCdm folder and paste it into ~ / .config / of Helium, which in my installation (Manjaro) is net.input.heliumOnce the folder is copied, close the browser and reopen it. Playback will then work immediately.
And how do you update it? It's not possible. You have to repeat the process: take the folder from another compatible browser. If we put helium://components In the URL bar, Widevine appears, but it cannot be downloaded or updated. As for playback quality, it's the same as in other browsers; Prime Video is limited to SD on Linux, but Netflix can be viewed at 1080p. with extensions.
The patch may fail at any time.
Keep in mind that this is a temporary fix, but it could stop working at any time. Widevine is frequently updated, and since Helium can't keep up with these updates, if there are changes that prevent playback on one or more platforms, it will stop playing the content. In theory, simply transferring the updated folder from a compatible browser should fix the issue.
With this, Helium has one less restriction, but it is still not something that can be recommended to the average user.