A Digital Rights Management system is used to deliver the highest security for videos, from the moment the video is uploaded to the time that the video is played on user devices. DRM systems combine multiple processes to secure premium videos from download and piracy.

The first step in the DRM system is to encrypt the video using the AES-128 encryption algorithm. Secondly the video file is stored on a private cloud, where even the encrypted file cannot be accessed without proper authorization just by sharing the URL.

At the time of video playback, the encrypted video file is streamed to the user device from the video platform’s Content Delivery Network. At the same time the content keys used for encryption are delivered to the user device from a DRM license server.

The content keys are not handled by the streaming application directly, but are only accessible by the trusted Content Decryption Module. CDMs decrypt the video using the content keys, and ensure that the content keys are not accessible to the user playing the video.

A DRM system can also include dynamic watermarking. In mobile devices screen capture softwares can be blocked using DRM. However in browsers blocking screen capture is not available on most devices. A dynamic watermarking solution, wherein user information is overlayed on the video, is an effective deterrent against the use of screen recording software.

Google provides Widevine DRM for highest security in Google Chrome, Android and Chromecast. Microsoft’s Playready is used to deliver content protection on Windows platforms. Content creators looking to stream premium videos on iOS and Safari require Apple’s FairPlay DRM license.