There seems to be some issues around Netflix/Google Play and non-Certified devices. I will try and find the thread, but in a nutshell, from Netflix's side, they can pick and choose which devices they decide are capable of serving up video above 720p. This is down to the fact that they want the best experience possible on their apps. Most low-end phones and really crappy TV-boxes actually don't even output above 720p. So, no worries from Netflix, in terms of quality, framerate and playback. 1080P (@60fps) relies on the DEVICE being of proper capability to provide video playback to a certain standard that they've set. Certified devices (Nvidia Shield, PS3, PS4, etc), get vetted through Netflix's Certification process and receive certifications to do 1080p and higher. It all revolves around the quality of their service-offering. Half of the TV-boxes and bottom-range smartphones, even if the are "1080" can barely generate 1080p@60 for 30% of the video's duration.
Nobody wants the disappointment of having a bottom-end-smartphone with a HD1080 display grind Netflix away at 7fps.... Netflix will be embarrassed and outraged! So, Google Play is also upholding that deal: Certified devices get 1080p60+, the rest, don't. Every android device type is identifiable to the store. Working with Android APP developers, I can attest to the extent at which those poor souls have to test against to tweak for about 50% of the devices out there, even that is exhaustive. If you connect a PS3 to a 1080p60 display, Netflix will honor that. PS4, AND a 4K display...Netflix will honor that. Regardless of how terrible the screen actually is, they at least know the hardware performing playback is ticking all the boxes. As far as I am able to research, Netflix does indeed recognize that nearly all of the MINIX devices are ACTUALLY capable of delivering 1080p60 and 4k...MINIX has not gone through the process to get that sticker. BUT! Nexflix, on their own support forums, offers an alternative build, on a thread specifically for MINIX. That's literally them saying
"This is the best we can do until MINIX does some certifications with us". That Build plays 1080p60 5.1 on my U9.
The
"other-other" side of the coin is DRM. Most Smartphone/TV-boxes in the world are really, really, really cheap and nasty. Really budget. You may not know it, but go to a country where 80% of the population of 1.4 billion, owns an android smartphone of the lowest caliber, made by the lowest-bidder and sold through the cheapest store, don't even consider DRM. The root-part of your popular brand-name smartphone, or high-quality android box contain thesse special controls, containing manufacturer certificates, unique per-device recognition, and a bunch of info regarding the authenticity of the device:
Netflix and other premium services require DRM present on the device to protect their content from side-downloading, screen capturing, to-disk-downloading and manipulation. DRM protects these apps from misuse by 3rd-party apps that may be loaded to the android device.
Rooting your smartphone for example, invalidates these DRM features, much like rooting your TV-box. If they're not present, the app installs but fails to load. Netflix has admitted that a
non-rooted MINIX does have these DRM controls in place... albeit the lower-order ones, but again, MINIX has not gone through the process, again, hence the
"sorry, we get it that your device is cool, but this is the best we can do."