1. DRM vulnerabilities in past 1 year
2. Extracting video urls to play outside website/app or app clones
3. Illegal password sharing leading over-usage
4. Screen Capture in some platforms
5. Telegram promoting large scale piracy – Hacker friendly policies
6. Coordination between international hackers through anonymous forums

Problem 1 – DRM vulnerabilities in past 1 year

Widevine DRM has 2 security levels – L1 and L3. L1 is hardware based key exchange security , while L3 is software based key exchange security. While L1 based devices have been always full secure, L3 based devices on android and windows can face on and off vulnerabilities. The hacks which came out earlier were quite sophisticated and not many hackers were actually able to technically implement it. Over the time the hacks have improved, and though they still are technical, but with helps from international hacker communities, now each country has several groups of hackers who can implement these hacks to download DRM content.

VdoCipher Solution for this issue –
VdoCipher has launched a piracy tracker and hacker identification tool to auto-block advanced piracy tracking attempts including DRM breakage. Our years of experience has led us to know the common technical tools, patterns and device vulnerabilities which hackers tend to exploit, and we autoblock them. In addition to auto-blocking these attempts, we also provide a list of users who attempted these, so that if required further action can be taken against them. All this information is provided in the dashboard. Please contact us to implement this in your platform.

Results in past 6 months for our customers:

57,000 sessions blocked for potential piracy attempts
9,000 unique devices/IPs blocked for potential piracy attempts
780 users detected who misused their accounts sharing login/password with multiple users
590 customer websites/apps where these attempts were detected & auto-blocked
290 users’ accounts have been proactively blocked by our customers based on above data
7 users against which the customers have also initiated legal actions

More details on piracy tracker tool

Problem 2- Extracting video urls to play outside website/app or app clones

While DRM encryption can attempt to prevent illegal video downloads, but still if video urls can be fetched outside the platform site or app, and played outside by unauthorized users; then encryption is of no use. Sometimes, hackers can even make clone piracy apps of the main apps. 

VdoCipher Solution for this issue –
VdoCipher provides backend authenticated dynamic playback urls which are authorized to only play in the particular website or app where it is intended; any attempt to extract and play these urls outside the app/url is automatically blocked. Our API embeds also have other parameters to control access like number of days for access of offline downloads, time expiry for playback urls etc.

More details on API authentication at backend

Problem 3 – Illegal password sharing leading over-usage

Suppose there is prevention from illegal downloads, screen capture and url sharing, but still if someone shares access to login and password; then multiple users can enjoy the same subscription and cause revenue loss to the content creator.

VdoCipher Solution for this issue –
While there are few ways to do this at website/app login level, which can be done directly by the platform owners; if you integrate our apis, we provide a watchtime based calculation for per user per folder/per course so that you can see which users’ are over using. We also provide unique device/browser count for users and total watchtime across all videos per user. This information is provided in the dashboard.

Problem 4 – Screen Capture in some platforms

A lot of misinformation is spread by some video hosting or DRM companies who claim full screen capture protection in all browsers including Chrome, Firefox. It is technically not possible to prevent 100% screen capture in browsers like chrome, firefox in desktop and android. Other platforms claiming it are factually incorrect. Netflix and other major platforms are also unable to prevent screen capture in many cases in desktop.

VdoCipher Solution for this issue –
Screen capture can be prevented with 100% surety in Safari browser and mobile apps (android, ios) with help of DRM and some additional technologies. For other cases , we have a viewer specific watermark to discourage screen capture. The watermark is user specific and can be customised for color, transparency, speed of movement, frequency etc. to optimise for viewer experience and security.

More details on screen capture protection 
Demo of dynamic watermarking

Problem 5 – Telegram promoting large scale piracy with Hacker friendly policies

Any body can make a group (with anonymous identity) and directly upload videos or other content in the telegram group. The name of the group can be the name of the brand they are pirating content of, and it can be searched by people. Groups can have 20,000+ people who can get this content. Telegram has 3 core features/services which seem to have been created intentionally for these purposes. 

• Anonymity of the user is maintained regardless of any illegal activities they may be involved and the anonymity is still maintained even after being forced by govt. Authorities. Same user can create groups again and again , and keep pirating content. 
• Allowing searching groups by title, so that anyone in the world can search and join a group where illegal activities are being done (e.g Child Pornography , piracy of paid movies, courses, secretive messaging about illegal activities, child). Such things can not happen on whatsapp or most other chat apps.
• Intentionally poor response to takedown requests from copyright owners and allowing multiple groups to be made by the same person.

VdoCipher Solution for this –
Best action against piracy is pre-piracy action by implementing technical actions so that the content does not get leaked in the first place. DRM, Watermark, Piracy tracker, Backend Authentication – All these tools ensure that the content does not get downloaded in raw files and is prevented from going on telegram. Most of our customers, even the largest ones, never find their content leaked on telegram. There are various levels of security which a customer can use based on how much restriction they want to impose. But suppose, the customer decides to use fewer security features and there is some piracy which happens, VdoCipher helps in takedown of content/group from telegram.

Problem 6 – Coordination between international hackers through anonymous forums

Let us consider this situation –  A platform providing courses for finance students or medical students. Now these students do not have a coding background or enough technical knowledge to even attempt basic technical hacks. But what they do is share their access to advanced technical hackers; and surprisingly we have seen that these hackers may not even be in the same country as the students. There are telegram groups, users, online forums on various social media platforms enabling this interaction.

VdoCipher Solution for this –
Our piracy tracker solution also provides user id who attempted piracy, and our customers regularly take action against such users. When students come to know that they are being tracked and are reprimanded with legal notice, they fear in attempting such things; and also overall student community understands that their illegal actions can have consequences.

Please feel free to contact support@vdocipher.com for implementing these video security features with VdoCipher video player on your app and website.

Siddhant Jain

CEO, VdoCipher. Writes about video tech, ed tech and media tech.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post Why is DRM not enough to protect video piracy? What additional measures are required? appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

With so many streaming platforms available, users often prefer to pirate content rather than pay for a particular platform. In this current scenario, if you don’t focus much on video protection, chances are that your videos will be downloaded and freely available for users. This in turn hurts your revenue by a lot, as users would rather prefer to watch your content for free. The movie industry alone suffers an annual loss of revenue of about 40 and $97.1 billion. If you account for eLearning, personal wellness, and other online platforms, this number can rise even more.

You don’t necessarily have to lose your revenue due to piracy. DRM solutions or Digital Rights Management, solely exist for this purpose- to save your videos from any illegal access.

But then, you might be wondering, what exactly is a DRM Solution? How can it help you? And many more questions. But you don’t have to worry about it, as you’ll get an answer to these questions and more. So, fasten your seat belts and bring out your notepads. Cause this is going to be a ride and not that one filled with just joy and excitement. Which only riddles you with guilt afterward. You’re only going to come out of this journey wiser (hopefully!?)

What is a DRM Solution?

DRM Solution is essentially a Digital Rights Management software package, which ensures that your content is only accessible by anyone you authorize. You can use Video DRM software to make sure that your content is only accessible by the user you authorize and you can even manage the browser or devices they consume your content on. 

In a lot of cases even though the videos are encrypted, the key used to decrypt the video is often easily accessible. Any hacker with some knowledge can then easily get access to the encryption key and then access your content. Once he’s downloaded the video it’s then easy to spread it to other pirates

With a DRM server and DRM protected key exchange mechanism, your encryption keys are hidden and aren’t accessible to anyone. This way you protect your videos from any potential hacker or download tools. This makes sure that your content is not pirated and you don’t lose any revenue due to piracy. 

In fact, with DRM services or solutions, video platforms tend to see a rise in their revenue. Read this case study by Vdocipher on how users end up raising their revenues up to 990% with the help of a DRM Solution.

DRM services or solutions caters to different forms of content, they can be -video, audio, video games, comics, ebooks, etc. In this blog, I’ll focus on DRM solutions for video and audio streaming.

But before that, let’s have a look at what DRM protected content exactly means.

What Does “DRM-Protected” Mean?

The phrase “DRM protected” means that the digital content it is being applied to is restricted in how it can be used. “Digital rights management” is the term that describes a systematic authorization for the use of copyrighted material. DRM protection is applied by using DRM encryption, access control methodologies, a proprietary hardware-controlled environment, a software-enabled black box, and a dynamic key exchange management system. The complete infrastructure regulates copyrighted digital works’ use, modification, and distribution.

A DRM protected content is nothing but the digital content on which DRM protection is applied. Basically, any piece of digital content you protect with a DRM solution would be considered as DRM protected content.

As mentioned in the above section, content becomes DRM protected when you apply a certain set of rules on your copyrighted content to restrict any unauthorized access. 

These DRM restrictions are usually against downloading or making a copy of your video. Also, the number of times your videos are being accessed and even the devices on which the video is being viewed. These DRM restrictions can be as simple or complex according to your requirements.

What Steps are required to become a DRM Solution

• Acquiring DRM license permissions
• Setting up storage infrastructure
• Encoding
• Transcoding
• Using the license encryption keys to encrypt the digital content
• Storing the encrypted file
• CDN setup
• Authorized access management
• Request processing via license server
• Decrypt the requested resources via the license server
• Allow playback or opening of a file through a DRM player or viewer

Who provides a DRM license to a DRM Solution?

Since the whole digital ecosystem is dependent on Google and Apple either for devices (hardware) or OS, browsers (software), they are the major DRM license providers. Google provides a license of Google Widevine DRM and Apple provides it for Apple FairPlay DRM. Obtaining a license from them means that you get protection across,

• Desktop/Laptop – Windows, Mac, Linux.
• Browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Android Chrome, Edge, Mac Safari, iOS Safari.
• OS – Android, iOS, Android TV, Android TV, Chromecast, IOS App

Understanding DRM requirements for your business

When choosing a DRM service for your business, there are some key aspects to understand.

Accessing content security requirements – While choosing a DRM solution, it is important to evaluate the level of protection your business requires. The various considering factors include the value of your content, the potential risk of piracy and unauthorized access as well as compliance and regulators requirements.

Identifying target platforms and devices – The chosen DRM solution needs to be compatible with the devices and platforms your audience uses to access your content. This includes web browsers, media players, and device types. Identifying this requirement beforehand will ensure seamless delivery for your users.

Analyzing your content distribution strategies – The DRM system should be compatible with the streaming protocol you use such as HLS or MPED-DASH. It should offer features like offline playback, geographic restrictions, and IP/Domain restrictions.

What makes DRM Software so essential?

When content is easily accessible with a single click, protecting intellectual property has become important. Digital Rights Management (DRM) software plays a crucial role in this protection mechanism.

Universal Application – DRM isn’t just for videos. From e-books to software applications, DRM ensures that digital content is only accessible by authorized users. This wide-ranging application makes it a versatile tool in the digital content protection arsenal.

Adaptable Restrictions – One of the standout features of DRM software is its adaptability. Depending on the content creator’s needs, restrictions can be tailored. Whether it’s limiting the number of devices on which content can be viewed or setting a specific geographic boundary, DRM software can handle it.

Combating Piracy – Piracy has become a concerning factor in the media industry. With DRM software, content creators have a robust tool to prevent unauthorized distribution of their content. By encrypting content and ensuring that only authorized users have the decryption key, DRM software effectively combats piracy.

Boosting Revenue Streams – For businesses, especially those in the entertainment and e-learning sectors, DRM software can be a game-changer. By ensuring that content isn’t freely distributed, businesses can maintain their revenue streams, ensuring sustainability and growth.

User Experience – While DRM software is primarily about protection, it’s also about user experience. By ensuring that only legitimate users access the content, businesses can offer a more personalized and seamless experience, enhancing user satisfaction.

How does DRM Software ensure protection for your Videos?

Before I take a deep dive into how DRM solutions work, you’ll first need to understand what video encryption is. Then later I’ll show you how a Video DRM solution makes encryption even better to ensure that your videos are protected.

Video Encryption

Video encryption is basically the process of encoding your videos to a non-video secure format. This ensures that no one can’t access your raw video files. When anyone wants to access the file, they’ll only get access to an encrypted file which is just random gibberish.

Encryption can not be broken and the encrypted files can only be accessed with the help of an encryption key. But then the encryption key exchange is where the weakness lies for any standard video encryption technology such as HLS, RTMP or AES-128. Due to the weak key exchange, encryption keys can be accessed by hackers to decrypt and then access the video. This ultimately defeats the initial purpose of video encryption. Although it would hinder anyone with no technical knowledge, anyone with some understanding of how to access the keys can easily work it out and share the video file with others. 

DRM-based encryption to protect your videos

DRM takes care of this exact weakness in video encryption and makes sure that the encryption key is not accessible by anyone unless authorized. A video DRM software encrypts the video and even protects the encryption key behind a BlackBox or CDM, which cannot be accessed by anyone. Before going into what a CDM is, you’ll need to know that there are different DRM solutions, which are used together to protect your content.

A typical video DRM service consists of multi DRM, these different DRMS caters to different devices and browsers. These different DRM solutions are:

• Google Widevine DRM solution: It supports Desktop/Laptop (Windows, Mac, Linux) Chrome, Firefox, Edge. Android Chrome, Edge, Android TV, Android TV, Chromecast.
• Apple Fairplay DRM Solution: It supports Mac Safari, IOS Safari, IOS App
• Microsoft Playready DRM solution: It supports Edge in Windows. Windows Edge is also supported by Google Widevine, so Playready is not an absolute necessity.

DRM solution BlackBox the encryption keys in CDM or Content Decryption Module. This CDM, even though on your device, can not be accessed by you. This protects the key as it is kept in the CDM and it can’t be accessed by you or anyone. The only way to access the videos is through Encrypted Media Extensions (EMEs), which are sent via the respective Video DRM System.

As Google and Apple have some control over your browser, OS, hardware or all of these. They can exercise more control and security for DRM encrypted streaming.

Choosing a DRM service provider: what features to look for?

When choosing  DRM tools, there are certain features that can make your content even more protected. One of these can be dynamic watermarking, which inhibits users from screen grab video. These are the features that you need to look out for in a DRM Solution:

Encrypted DRM Streaming to Prevent Download

First and foremost is obviously the Video DRM protection. You need to make sure that the DRM service provider supports both Widevine DRM as well as Fairplay DRM. Having the two DRM is an absolute necessity as they pretty much guarantee DRM support on all the major devices.

Screen Capture Blocking 

Another major feature you would require is a screen capture block. Even though the video downloads are blocked, users still can record your screen to capture videos. You need to make sure that the DRM Solution you go for stops any type of screen capture. 

Dynamic Watermarking with moving user details

Dynamic watermarking helps to discourage any screen capture. You can add the IP address, User-Id, and Email-Id to the screen. Using these, you can identify the point of origin of video piracy. 

IP, Geo & Time Based Restriction

Sometimes you need to restrict video playback in certain locations or devices. A Video DRM provider can help you restrict access to a particular Geo/IP. Also, you can put restrictions on total user video playtime.

What are the User Authentication and Acess Control in DRM Services?

In Digital Rights Management (DRM) services, user authentication and access control are pivotal for safeguarding digital content and ensuring that only authorized users can access or interact with protected materials. These DRM features play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and value of digital assets across various platforms.

User Authentication in DRM Services

User authentication is a foundational component of DRM services, designed to verify the identity of a user before granting access to DRM-protected content. This process typically involves credentials such as usernames and passwords, biometric data, or multi-factor authentication methods. For DRM services, ensuring robust user authentication is critical for preventing unauthorized access and distribution of copyrighted digital content.

Access Control Mechanisms

Access control in DRM services goes hand-in-hand with user authentication. Once a user’s identity is verified, access control mechanisms determine the level of access or the specific actions that the user is permitted to perform with the DRM-protected content. This might include viewing, copying, editing, or sharing digital files. Effective access control is essential for DRM services to enforce content usage policies and comply with copyright laws.

Implementing DRM Services for Secure Content Management

Incorporating user authentication and access control within DRM services involves several steps:

1. Designing a Secure Authentication Process: This involves creating a user verification system that can effectively thwart unauthorized access while not detracting from the user experience. DRM services often utilize advanced authentication technologies such as OAuth, token-based authentication, or even blockchain-based identity verification.
2. Developing Dynamic Access Control Policies: DRM services must be equipped with flexible yet secure access control policies that can adapt to different user roles, content types, and distribution channels. These policies should be rigorously tested and updated regularly to address emerging security threats and changes in legal requirements.
3. Integrating with Existing Systems: For many organizations, integrating DRM services with existing content management systems (CMS) or customer relationship management (CRM) systems is crucial. This integration allows for seamless user authentication and access control across all platforms where DRM-protected content is available.
4. Continuous Monitoring and Reporting: DRM services should include mechanisms for monitoring user interactions with protected content and generating reports on access patterns. This data is invaluable for auditing, compliance, and improving the DRM strategies.

Benefits of Advanced DRM Services

Implementing sophisticated user authentication and access control within DRM services provides several benefits:

• Enhanced Security: Reduces the risk of unauthorized content access and piracy.
• Compliance Assurance: Helps organizations comply with digital copyright laws and regulations.
• Improved User Management: Facilitates better management of user rights and access permissions.
• Data Insights: Offers valuable insights into how content is being used, aiding in future content strategy and rights management.

FAQs

What are the challenges of DRM?

One of the main challenges of DRM is that it can be difficult to implement DRM in a way that is both effective and user-friendly.

What type of DRM Solutions are available?

There are a variety of DRM solutions available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The best solution includes VdoCipher which has a complete implementation, best infra and accessible support.

What is the result of a lack of video protection?

Ultimately it hurts your revenue by a lot. This revenue loss can be instant or in the future.

Is DRM a solution to Video Piracy?

DRM prevents anyone who does not have the dynamic key from being able to view or use the content. The downside to this solution is that it can be difficult to implement. A solution to implementation is DRM Encrypted Video Hosting providers like VdoCipher.

Rahul Rana

Head of Digital Marketing at Vdocipher. I love the art of connecting the right product to their users. When i’m not doing that i love getting lost in books.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post The Right DRM Solution For Your Business appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

In other words, Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to the technological protection measures used to prevent unauthorized access, copying, use and distribution of copyrighted digital media and information. Various products and services employ DRM to protect copyright and related rights. It is in the video, audio, E-books, digital software, video games, and digital television applications.

DRM Content Protection and DRM Encryption Meaning

The term DRM Content Protection refers to several different processes used to control the use of digital media, software, or devices designed to prevent unauthorized duplication or use of the protected material. Some of the included processes are:

Digital Rights Management (DRM): Refers to a range of technologies used to enforce the rights of digital media owners, particularly concerning the use of copyrighted material. For example, DRM content protection ensures that the protected material is only played on specific devices or controls the transfer of protected material from one device to another. The way DRM works usually depends on the content type and the distribution platform. Still, even when those things are the same, two content providers can use different methods based on the level of restrictions they want to apply.

DRM Encryption: Process of encoding the protected material in a way that makes it unreadable without the correct key. For example, material encrypted using the Digital Rights Management (DRM) process may require a computer or device to be registered to receive the decryption key. The main reason DRM creation was to protect the copyright holder’s interests.When you purchase a copy-protected file, you aren’t actually purchasing the file itself, you’re purchasing a license to use the file. This license is held in a database on a DRM server, and this database is what DRM Encryption protects.

DRM working in Browsers and Devices

DRM Protection works alongside encryption, the videos are first encrypted and the encryption key is hidden in the CDM(content decryption module) or hardware-backed protection.

Every time a user clicks on the play button, a license request is created and verified by the DRM server and sent back to the player, after the player sends the license key to the DRM module, the DRM content is decrypted and sent to the player in chunks.

In browsers like Chrome and Firefox, Google Widevine CDM is integrated by default, ensuring a seamless user experience on DRM-requiring sites. The Google Widevine CDM operates within a sandbox environment, enhancing security and user privacy. Users are notified of CDM usage and retain the option to disable the CDM, although this may impair functionality on certain websites.

In Android and iOS/Safari, DRM content playback is facilitated by DRM framework which uses hardware-backed protection to secure premium content and user credentials. These frameworks enable Android and Apple devices to support various DRM technologies, ensuring that protected content can be securely streamed and played. The content protection provided by the DRM framework depends on the security and content protection capabilities of the underlying hardware platform. For example, L1 security level provides maximum security in comparison to L3 compatible devices.

Major Providers of DRM Providers

A typical DRM Content Protection consists of multi DRM, these different DRMs caters to different devices and browsers. The major ones are:

• Google Widevine DRM solution: It supports Desktop/Laptop (Windows, Mac, Linux) Chrome, Firefox, Edge. Android Chrome, Edge, Android TV, Android TV, Chromecast.
• Apple Fairplay DRM Solution: It supports Mac Safari, IOS Safari, IOS App
• Microsoft Playready DRM solution: It supports Edge in Windows. Windows Edge is also supported by Google Widevine, so Playready is not an absolute necessity.

What is DRM Protected Video Content and Streaming?

DRM Protected video content is only available to people who have the right to access it. A video file protected by DRM encryption will no longer be accessible by just anyone. DRM protects the video file by ensuring the content is stored and transmitted in an encrypted format so that only authorized users and devices can access it. Multi-DRM schemes encrypt and package the video content before streaming for improved and more excellent device compatibility. When a user attempts a video playback, the video player requests a key from the license server. Before issuing a license response with a decryption key, the server checks for the authorization of the user and device. Finally, the player decrypts and plays the content for the user.

Preventing unauthorized video downloads requires a multifaceted approach. While DRM is effective, it’s not sufficient on its own. Explore why is DRM not enough to protect video piracy and what additional steps you can take.

How to DRM Protect a Video File?

When we upload video content on websites or release premium content on online platforms, a major concern is content security. There are chances that someone may download and misuse the video content if it is not protected or secured. Also, there are various methods available to protect digital content so that no one can copy or download the content unauthorizedly and misuse it. One such way is implementing DRM or Digital Rights Management to protect a video file. Below is a DRM Workflow mechanism.

Source: Input video files upload or transfer to cloud storage such as AWS S3.

Encoding: The input video file is packaged and encoded into Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR) formats like HLS or MPEG-DASH.

Encryption: The video file encrypts with digital keys provided by the DRM License provider during the encryption process.

Storage: The video files transfer to a Content Delivery Network (CDN) such as Amazon CloudFront.

Authentication: The video player makes an authentication request from the DRM server to ensure the license validity.

Playback: Once authenticated, the video player unlocks the video and allows for video playback.

Why need VdoCipher for DRM Content Protection?

Setting up the whole previously described workflow is a tedious task. That is why only a few technology-equipped media houses like VdoCipher provide the complete package to end-users. The package adheres to all your uploading requirements through FTP or even via direct links from Vimeo etc. Well, uploading is easy but what goes parallelly like Encoding, Encryption, Global Distribution and Storage, and Authenticating via License Provider are difficult to implement. For the same, VdoCipher has done all for you, even playback and integration with Google Widevine DRM & Apple FairPlay DRM for the widest support of devices and browsers.

So whether you are an eLearning solution provider or anyone whose videos are precious and piracy cannot be afforded, VdoCipher is the best choice for you. You can go through their pricing to find the affordable plan as per your need. As a rule of thumb, the more you go high in consumption, the lesser the will be per unit charges.

DRM Protected Content Examples

Any online streaming is an excellent example of DRM protected content. Online platforms use DRM to protect their content before releasing it online.

Here are a few examples of DRM protected content

• Online Video Streaming: Users stream content online through a browser or application. Here every view is validated via the license server. Any video streamed through DRM can’t be downloaded and screen recorded in most cases.
• Video games: Whenever you buy a game from a store online, instead of buying that you are basically buying the license to play that game on your device. Whenever you buy a game on Steam, PSN, or Nintendo store, you get a license to download and play that game which is added to your account. This license allows you to download the game anytime you want.
• Audio streaming: DRM in audio streaming’s case works very similar to the ones in video streaming. DRM ensures that any audio streamed through the respective music player can’t be downloaded.

What are the Benefits of DRM Protected Content?

DRM lets content creators decide what should be done with their content, and it offers many advantages, such as:

• Protection from any revenue loss due to piracy
• Restricts any unauthorized access to the content.
• Prevents any piracy of the content
• Provides an extra level of security to the content

There are several major devices and browsers that support DRM. One of the most widely used DRM is Google Widevine and Apple Fairplay.

FAQs

What is a DRM Server?

A DRM server is a database that stores information on the files licensed to you. A DRM server hosts on a server on the Internet or a local database on your computer. The DRM server is encrypted by DRM Encryption.

What is the difference between DRM and copyright enforcement?

Copyright restricts who can distribute media, while DRM software restricts how users access protected media. Copyright provides leverage against illegal distribution. It means the largest distribution platforms must already adhere to the demands of large publishers, studios, and software companies.

How do web browsers support DRM-protected video streaming?

DRM-protected video streaming consumption is by using Smart HTML5 media player. The player uses the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) API to enable the playback of the protected content.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post DRM Content Protection meaning & How to DRM Protect a Video File appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

The content owner/distributor has to obtain the required license from Apple to use this. As your streaming partner, we provide the encryption and licensing service to use your FairPlay keys. The complete integration setup is handled directly by VdoCipher, you only need to apply for a license and get the keys.

What is FairPlay DRM?

Fairplay is Apple’s DRM technology, which is used by Apple exclusively to stream content securely on iOS app, iOS safari, macOS safari as well as TV OS.

Fairplay streaming(FPS) securely delivers encrypted content through HTTP Live Streaming(HLS) and CBCS protocol .

Apple Fairplay DRM prevents video download as well as ensures screen recording protection.

Apple Fairplay DRM Compatibility

Fairplay DRM is compatible with the following devices:

• Mac Safari
• iOS Safari (iOS >11.2)
• iOS App. Native Apps are supported, web view apps are not supported.

Difference between default VdoCipher encryption security & Fairplay DRM Encryption – VdoCipher provides default encryption security for ios and Safari to prevent downloads. Apple Fairplay DRM is approved by studios and has an additional advantage of prevention from screen capture. VdoCipher helps our customers to apply to Apple for a Fairplay license and also then integrate it for your videos without any extra steps needed from your side.

Features of Apple FairPlay DRM

Apple FairPlay DRM (Digital Rights Management) provides a robust framework designed to secure multimedia content across Apple devices. This system includes several key features that ensure high-security standards suitable for premium content, such as early-window Hollywood movies. Here’s an overview of the fundamental features of Apple FairPlay DRM and how they enhance content security:

Hardware DRM Support

Apple devices such as macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS come equipped with hardware-level security, making them highly secure environments for deploying FairPlay DRM (FPS). Unlike other DRM systems like Widevine, which can also operate on Apple devices through browsers or SDKs, FPS offers native hardware DRM support. This hardware integration is crucial for securing premium content, as it provides a higher security level that is not readily available when using solutions like Widevine CDM SDK for iOS or Chrome’s Widevine on macOS.

Apple AirPlay Compatibility

One of the standout features of FPS DRM is its native support for Apple AirPlay, the technology that enables wireless streaming of content from Apple devices to Apple TV. This seamless compatibility allows FPS content to be easily played through AirPlay without requiring additional programming. Moreover, when FPS content is streamed to an Apple TV via AirPlay, the key delivery and decryption processes occur directly on the Apple TV. This maintains the same high security level as if the content were being played directly from the source device, such as an iPhone.

Download and Offline Playback

Starting from iOS 10, Apple has enhanced the FPS capabilities to include support for downloading and offline playback. This feature is particularly beneficial for users who wish to access content without an internet connection. The relevant APIs provided by Apple’s operating system facilitate the handling of downloading HLS content along with managing offline licenses. This ensures that even when content is accessed offline, it remains protected under the stringent security measures enforced by FPS DRM.

Supported Ecosystem of Apple FairPlay Streaming

To effectively deploy Apple FairPlay Streaming (FPS), it is essential to understand the supported platforms and versions that can leverage this DRM technology. Here is a detailed table outlining the compatibility across different Apple devices and operating systems:

Support Formats for Apple FairPlay

Apple FairPlay supports a variety of streaming formats and protocols to ensure broad compatibility and high-quality streaming experiences. Below is a table that summarizes the supported formats and protocols under the FairPlay DRM:

How To Request Apple FairPlay DRM Production License?

IMPORTANT: Below are some key steps, but it is recommended to mail us at support@vdocipher.com and we will guide you on the procedure to apply to Apple for the license. 

1. Please go to the Apple FairPlay page.
2. Click on the link to Request Deployment Package. You need to have a developer account before this.
3. If you are an organization you should use the organization account for this purpose. Companies outside the USA need to obtain a DUNS number in order to create an organization account.
4. After proceeding further, you should see a form to request the deployment package.
5. Enter your company and content details. Please take our help (support@vdocipher.com) to ensure that Apple doesn’t reject your use case as it can do for many cases.
6. If asked, you can enter our name “VdoCipher” in “Streaming Distribution Partner Name”
7. Confirm that you already have a “Keyserver module” setup and tested. You now need the “deployment package” for production.

Note that Fairplay DRM is only allowed for entities who are the content owner or have distribution rights to the content. Apple only provides Fairpay license when the video content is premium i.e. can only be accessed after payment.

FairPlay Streaming: Key Components

Apple FairPlay Streaming (FPS) is an essential technology for securing digital rights management (DRM) on Apple devices. To implement FPS effectively, several critical components must be integrated within your content delivery architecture. Here’s a breakdown of these components and how they interact to protect your streaming content:

Key Server and Key Security Module (KSM)

At the heart of the FairPlay implementation is the Key Server, which is responsible for managing the encryption and decryption keys. These keys are crucial for the secure delivery of DRM-protected content. Content service providers have the option to integrate a Key Security Module (KSM) directly on their key server. Apple provides a KSM sample that can be referred to during implementation, facilitating the validation and secure transmission of key request data from clients.

Client Application

The client application is designed to run on various Apple operating systems, including iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS. This FPS client app communicates with the key server to request the necessary decryption keys for accessing protected content. Developers can utilize Apple’s provided sample code to build their own FPS client applications or opt for a comprehensive FPS SDK from a DRM solution provider. This flexibility allows content service providers to tailor the client app to meet specific operational needs or user experiences.

FPS Content and Encryption

For content that utilizes FPS, it is essential to encrypt each HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) segment using the SAMPLE-AES encryption method. The standard encryption protocol used here is AES-128 CBCS. To manage this, content providers can employ tools like the Shaka Packager, which facilitates FPS packaging by adding the necessary KEY tag to the m3u8 playlist. This tag includes all pertinent information required for decrypting the HLS content, ensuring that the encryption aligns with Apple’s stringent security standards.

How To Use Fairplay DRM Deployment Package?

You should have received an FPS_deployment package file from Apple. Open the zip file. You should find a PDF document titled: “FPSCertificateCreationGuide.pdf”.

This pdf describes the process of creation of an RSA key-pair and then getting the public key signed by Apple. In the process, it also generates an ASK. This key is a 32 character alphanumeric string associated with your Fairplay DRM. Once the process is complete, you can share your private key, challenge password, signed certificate, and the ASK.

Checklist before proceeding:

1. Make sure you understand the overall process.
2. Make sure your hardware and OS is stable enough and has power backup so that it does not shut down unexpectedly. You can not recreate the keys if anything goes wrong, so prepare for such events.
3. In case of any issue, we are always there for help. If you need help with the key generation and signing process, we can offer guidance through a remote desktop session or skype.
4. Understand that it is your responsibility for the safe-keeping of generated keys.

How do we use the above keys?

The Apple FairPlay DRM is a multi-component system. It also requires us to maintain the media keys in our database.

– When the player loads, it requests the signed public certificate.
– The FairPlay DRM device uses the certificate to create a license request.
– The license servers can read the “license request” using the “private key” and corresponding challenge password.
– The ASK is used to create the license containing the content keys.

How do we store your keys?

– We have dedicated license servers and licensing database separate from the rest of our infrastructure. The license database is heavily access controlled.
– We save your encrypted private key for FairPlay DRM in Google Storage or AWS S3 for Video Streaming.
– Private keys and challenge passwords are only accessible from license servers.
– The challenge password and ASK is stored in MySQL Database encrypted by a session key held in license server application.
– The signed certificate is kept in separate S3 and is public readable from a CDN. The FairPlay DRM in the player will load this certificate on your website or mobile app.
– We have set up encrypted backups every 6 hours.

Safe-keeping

Although we take extreme care of your keys, we do not allow retrieving the keys in future. We expect you to safe keep all your keys. You should make sure backups of the keys and ensure that they remain accessible to only authorised persons. As a checklist, here is a list of things to keep for FairPlay DRM.

1. The private key (file)
2. Challenge password (string)
3. ASK (string)
4. Signed certificate (file)

It is recommended not to trust your memory and keep all the files and associated passwords in digital format.

The steps for generating and signing keys

Step 1. Generating key pair with private key (.pem) and signing request(.csr) files.

i) When asked to enter a challenge password, you should first write down the password somewhere safe.
ii) Copy it from there once.
iii) When asked for verification type the password without pasting.

Note that when typing in the terminal, you should not see anything on the screen. That is how the terminal hides passwords.

Step 2. Signing the key requires an active Apple developer program membership.

• Follow the exact process as described in the PDF document provided by Apple.
• You should receive the ASK and need to type it again. Make sure you have it copied to a safe place before typing it again.
• After proceeding, it should ask you to download the certificate file. (.cer)
• The document should ask you to save the certificate in Keychain. This step is only for safekeeping. It does not affect any functionality.

The process is now complete. In the end, you should have the following files safe:

1. Private key file (.pem)
2. Challenge password for the private key
3. ASK
4. Certificate file (*.cer)

Send your Apple Fairplay DRM keys to VdoCipher:

1. To share the above keys with us, use our email info [at] vdocipher.com. Do NOT use any other email or cc another email to the email. This process is to ensure that the files and passwords remain within our systems.
2. You should delete the email from your email servers after receiving confirmation from us.

How To Publish Videos On Your Site/app with Fairplay DRM & VdoCipher

Once you have shared the keys with VdoCipher, we will integrate it with streaming for your account at the backend. You don’t need to do any modifications to integrate VdoCipher. With our standard APIs or plugins, you can integrate our streaming player and enjoy secure embeds in the site or app.

What is The Technology Architecture behind Apple Fairplay DRM

The security of the content stream lies in the way encrypted content is transferred over the internet in a highly secure manner with a black-boxed key exchange mechanism.

FairPlay DRM files are encrypted using the AES algorithm on mp4 container files. The security of any encryption technology lies in the openness/closeness of its key exchange mechanism. For Fairplay DRM, the key for decryption is kept again in encrypted format in a closed box environment. The reason this close box is high secure is that Apple can control the total device and browser environment (Mac & iPhone). It is the same reason that the same DRM can’t work on android or chrome, because Apple can’t implement a hidden box environment in such cases.

Here are some details of DRM + Streaming infrastructure with VdoCipher

• Video Ingestion – You can upload videos through the dashboard, or using our upload APIs.
• Video Transcoding  –
  • Encoding videos to multiple sizes for different devices and net speed.
  • Encrypting the video (CENC).
  • Video File packaging and Key generation from the DRM license server
• Apis or plugins for Video Management 
• Encrypted video files are streamed through Amazon AWS Cloudfront and Google Cloud Platform CDN Edge locations to ensure fast video streaming
• Secure Online Video playback
  • Embed Code to generate Dynamic URLs (HTTP Post request including client secret key to get unique OTP)
  • Unique OTP is then sent by the DRM Server
  • The encrypted video file is decrypted in Browser/ Device’s trusted environment. The video is rendered via the video player, which can switch across different streams of different bitrates.
• Multi-DRM: For content creators wishing to stream across all devices and software, they need a multi-DRM strategy. At VdoCipher we provide Widevine for Chrome, Fairplay for Apple devices, with Flash as a fallback. This multi DRM solution ensures that content providers can fully rely on VdoCipher for distributing content on all devices.

Key Features And Benefits of Apple Fairplay DRM

These are some of the most important features of Fairplay DRM and their benefit.

Hardware DRM support

This feature is similar to widevine’s L1 security. Here you have security at the hardware level. This includes all the client environments that are compatible with Fairplay DRM. Through this you can ensure that screen recording is completely blocked.

Content Key Expiration

Fairplay DRM allows you to create expiring content keys. These expiring content keys allow you to allow playback for a limited period of time. A good example for this would be rental videos online. Also you can fix the number of simultaneous video playback for a single user account. Using this you can restrict the number of users similar to what Netflix does. 

Offline Playback

Fairplay DRM supports the download and offline playback of videos through native app. Apple provides the relevant APIs to handle the downloading of videos and managing the hls content through offline licenses.

How Does FairPlay Streaming Work?

Let’s have a look on how various elements in FairPlay work with each other stream encrypted content.

1. User interacts with the video player on the content provider’s app. 
2. Application then notifies AVFoundation about the video playback
3. AVFoundation downloads the HLS playlist for streaming.
4. AVFoundation then checks the KEY tag in the HLS playlist and ensures if the video file is encrypted. 
5. After the confirmation, AVFoundation requests the encryption key from the AVFoundation app delegate.
6. App delegate in turn asks for Server Playback Context(SPC) data from AVFoundation.
7. Upon receiving the SPC, App Delegate sends the SPC to the key server.
8.  Afer interpreting the SPC data through KSM module, it retrieves the key from the keydatabase.
9. Key server then sends the key to the AVFoundation delegate in the form of Content key context(CKC)
10.  AVFoundation delegate then pushes the CKC data to AVFoundation
11. AVFoundation then decrypts the key and streams the content securely

FAQs on Apple FairPlay DRM iOS

By now you must have got a fair enough idea on Apple FairPlay DRM iOS and Safari Video Security. It is a must-have for video protection on Apple devices.However, if you still have any doubts left about it and want to know more, then here we have mentioned some frequently asked questions. This will give you more understanding of Apple FairPlay DRM iOS:

Does Apple still use Fairplay?

Yes, Apple uses Fairplay DRM to secure its music content and Movie platforms also use Fairplay DRM to secure videos on Mac and IOS.

Does Fairplay DRM support Safari?

Yes Apple Fairplay DRM supports high secure playback in Mac Safari, IOS Safari and IOS App.

How can I get Fairplay License from Apple?

Please contact support@vdocipher.com for a detailed guideline from VdoCipher on applying and integrating Apple Fairplay DRM.

Does Fairplay DRM prevent video downloads?

Yes Fairplay DRM prevents illegal video downloads because of its strong encryption.

Does Fairplay DRM prevent screen capture?

Yes Fairplay DRM also blocks screen capture in Safari & IOS App.

Is Fairplay DRM free?

Apple Fairplay DRM integration is technically handled by DRM companies like VdoCipher to ensure the highest security on IOS and Mac.

How to secure videos from piracy in IOS App?

The highest security in the IOS app is ensured with the integration of Fairplay DRM. VdoCipher provides integration for Fairplay DRM

How to secure videos from piracy in IOS?

The highest security in IOS is ensured with the integration of Fairplay DRM. VdoCipher provides integration for Fairplay DRM.

We’ve also written a blog on how to stream videos on iOS using AVPlayer, do check it out to know more about video streaming in iOS.

Siddhant Jain

CEO, VdoCipher. Writes about video tech, ed tech and media tech.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post Apple FairPlay DRM: Video Protection on iOS & Safari in 2024 appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

DRM vendors help prevent piracy by developing complex software that prevents people from copying content they haven’t paid for. The content is encrypted using a key only available to someone who has paid for the content. DRM vendors provide you with an encrypted version of the content you have purchased. The provider usually distributes the content with a license that determines how the content gets used.

What is DRM (Digital Rights Management)?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a critical tool for creators and publishers of digital media, aiming to safeguard their profits and intellectual property. With the rise of personal computers, it has become exceedingly simple to replicate digital files countless times without losing quality. DRM serves as a means to control and monitor the distribution and usage of digital media, thereby curbing the unauthorized sharing of copyrighted content.

At its core, DRM systems protect digital content by either encrypting it, allowing access only to those with proper authorization, or by embedding digital watermarks that deter unauthorized distribution. These measures ensure that only paying customers, who have legally acquired the rights, can access and use the content.

In many jurisdictions, such as the United States, circumventing DRM protections is illegal, highlighting the legal backing that supports the enforcement of these digital rights. DRM is therefore seen not only as a technical solution but also as a legal framework designed to control the use and dissemination of digital assets, exclusively applicable to digital or digitized media.

How does a DRM Vendor works?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) mechanisms function by securing content through encryption, ensuring that only authorized users who possess the decryption key can access it. The DRM process, particularly for video content, involves multiple parties including the content provider, packager, Content Delivery Network (CDN), DRM platform, and the player. Here’s an overview of how DRM works in four key steps:

Step 1: Encrypt the Content
The initial and most fundamental step in DRM is encryption. This process converts plain data into ciphertext using a key, making the content unreadable to anyone without the corresponding decryption key. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is commonly used due to its efficiency and simplicity in key management, as it uses the same key for both encryption and decryption.

Step 2: Key and License Management
The encryption key is usually generated by the content provider and handed over to the packager or transcoder for encrypting the content. In DRM systems, this process is often enhanced with tools from DRM vendors to manage and generate keys securely.

Step 3: KeyID and ContentID
Once the content is encrypted with a key provided by a DRM vendor, identifying the correct key for decryption is crucial. This is managed through a KeyID, which acts as an identifier for the key, and a ContentID, which is a unique identifier for the content. Both identifiers are packaged within the license, stored securely on a License Server.

Step 4: Decryption and Playback
During playback, if a video is encrypted, this information is flagged in the manifest file. The player, upon attempting to play the video, requests the license from the DRM server using the license URL provided in the manifest. If the server validates the request, it issues a license containing the decryption key, which the DRM modules within the player use to decrypt and play the content.

This simplified overview covers the basics of DRM operations. However, the full implementation can be more complex, involving additional features such as key rotation, particularly for live streaming services.

Why need DRM Vendors and DRM Providers?

Flawed Implementation – The root cause of DRM malfunctions is the inconsistencies in implementing DRM. It can lead to a lousy user experience or security breach. From UX designing to software diversity, collaborative integration must occur between users and DRM vendors.

End-user adaptability – The other common issue in DRM implementation is End-user adaptability. With the growing number of new devices and on-demand content consumers, the delivery model, licensing, and content management needs implementation. Educating former and existing customers about the various new updates and changes is a task to handle with better customer support.

Lack of all-in-one DRM solutions – Instead of subscribing to multiple DRM vendors, most end-users look for an all-in-one DRM solution. Implementing a unified DRM solution for digital content requires workforce, investments, and levels of technical implementations.

Security and IP protection – DRM vendors can effectively manage access to digital assets by employing IP geolocation. IP geolocation data needs to be up-to-date and standardized. It simplified the licensing rights authentication across regions and authorized users’ access. DRM vendors need to securely store a vast amount of Intellectual Property data and create a workflow for users to manage and track their content. If there is a bug in the DRM software that allows people to copy content without paying for it, then it is easy for people to pirate content. DRM vendors have to address this issue by implementing multiple security layers, IP protection, watermarking, and of course, customer satisfaction.

What Steps are required to become a DRM Vendor

• Acquiring DRM license permissions
• Setting up storage infrastructure
• Encoding
• Transcoding
• Using the license encryption keys to encrypt the digital content
• Storing the encrypted file
• CDN setup
• Authorized access management
• Request processing via license server
• Decrypt the requested resources via the license server
• Allow playback or opening of a file through a DRM player or viewer

Benefits of using DRM Vendors and DRM Providers

The main benefit of using a DRM provider is the ease of implementation. A DRM provider is a company that provides technology and services to help content owners and distributors protect their intellectual property. DRM providers offer a variety of services, including digital rights management, content security, and anti-piracy measures. They work with content owners to help them protect their copyrighted material and ensure that it is not illegally copied or distributed.

Most DRM providers offer APIs that are easy to use and will take most of the implementation burden off your shoulders. Additionally, you get a lot of additional functionality out of the box, such as a wide array of supported devices, reporting, and even analytics.

The great thing about this is that you don’t have to build all of it yourself. It frees up your time and resources to focus on other areas of your business. You also get support and the latest updates from the provider. You’ll easily integrate any newly added features in the future.

You may also have the option of building your custom reporting based on the provider’s data. It will give you a lot of insight into the performance of your eBooks or video content and the customers who purchase them. In other words, when you register your work with a DRM provider, you can make your work securely available, in multiple formats and across multiple platforms, without having to know about all the logistical details of digital rights management. You can focus on your work, and the provider will worry about making your work available.

Challenges in implementing DRM and need of DRM Vendors

DRM license providers usually don’t sell directly to customers. Instead, they sell to software and media companies, which then sell their products to end-users like eLearning companies.
When it comes to digital rights management implementation, there are three main challenges: security, compatibility, and interoperability.

• The first challenge, security, is an important topic of concern. One of the most common threats to digital rights management is hacking. Hackers can bypass DRM systems and gain access to protected content. Content providers and publishers must ensure that the content they protect is secure against hackers.
• The second challenge, compatibility, is also a major concern. DRM must be compatible with many different types of devices. If the DRM is not compatible, it can be highly limiting.
• The final challenge, interoperability, is similar to the second challenge. DRM must be able to work with multiple technologies and platforms.

VdoCipher – Best DRM Vendor to protect your Video Content

Choosing among the best DRM Vendors for your business needs is a challenging task. It requires considerations on features, pricing, deployment model, customer support, and much more for your businesses. We have listed the best Digital Right Management Vendors for video security, eBooks, documents, and brand protection.

VdoCipher is a secure video hosting solutions provider to LMS platforms, media, e-learning platforms and individual videos creators and helps them in boosting revenue. Vdocipher offers Hollywood Grade DRM Protected Video Streaming to protect videos from piracy and unauthorized access or sharing.

Videos streamed through VdoCipher cannot be downloaded via any software or internet plugins. Using Google Widevine and Apple Fairplay DRM, VdoCipher is serving video content security to over 2000 business customers in more than 40 countries.

• Google Widevine and Apple Fairplay protected DRM encrypted streaming
• Dynamic watermarking and screen capture block
• Live streaming
• API and Plugin Integration
• Multi CDN Integration
• Adaptive and Responsive HTML5 player
• APIs and SDKs
• Geo, IP and Time based restrictions
• Backend Licensing and Authentication
• Best DRM Vendors for eBooks and Brand Protection
• User-based Video Analytics for Piracy Tracking and Hacker Identification

Best DRM Vendors for eBooks and Brand Protection

RedPoint for Brand Protection

Brand intelligence platform, Red Points delivers online brand protection, copyright enforcement, and distributor monitoring capabilities. Red Points gives you full visibility into brands’ presence online. Over 1000 brands and companies rely on Red Points to fight counterfeits, piracy, impersonation, and distribution abuse allowing them to maintain control, improve their brand value, and increase revenues.

• Detect infringers reselling credentials
• Bot-powered scan on marketplaces and social media 24×7
• Photo-analysis
• Self-improving detection
• Potential infringement review in the DRM platform
• Automatic enforcement

Memberspace for Brand Protection

Memberspace is a web application that helps organizations manage their memberships and communications. It allows members to access and update their information, makes it easy to send newsletters and other communications, and provides tools for managing events and activities. With their DRM software, you can protect the existing website and gain new members.

• Access expiration management
• PDF and image protection
• Digital distribution management
• Password management
• Member-only access

Kitaboo for eBooks

Kitaboo DRM is a digital rights management system used to protect e-books from unauthorized sharing and copying. It employs a variety of measures to prevent users from copying, printing, or sharing e-books without permission. Kitaboo DRM is the software to protect the eBooks we publish.

• Publish and secure ebook distribution
• DRM encryption
• Social DRM
• Digital watermarking
• Role-based permissions
• Create a webstore and license your eBooks
• Distribute ebooks to your users from the cloud
• Own branded apps to distribute your eBooks

FAQs

What kinds of content does DRM protect?

Digital rights management is suitable for all kinds of digital content, including everything from novels to computer programs and music. A digital Rights Management system can protect the content which gets digitized.

How is DRM technology applied to digital content?

Digital rights management is often used with digital content delivered over the Internet. When you purchase this type of content, you usually download a copy to your computer. To use the content, you may be required to install a software application. This application will protect the content by preventing unauthorized copying or unauthorized sharing.

What are the points to consider while choosing DRM providers?

Some general considerations are pricing model, market reputation, customization, flexibility in implementation, customer support, the number of countries served, client portfolio.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post DRM Vendors & Providers to evade Implementation Challenges (2024) appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Microsoft didn’t earn much from Media Services and lacked a strong marketing strategy for it. The company will now concentrate on areas promising steady growth and a competitive edge, excluding streaming video. Azure video delivery clients shouldn’t worry about disruptions. Microsoft has been outsourcing this segment for around a decade, mainly to Verizon’s EdgeCast CDN (now named Edgio) and later included Akamai as another partner. Microsoft is discontinuing its Akamai collaboration but will focus more on their in-house CDN, Azure Front Door. An update on Microsoft’s CDN page to reflect current partnerships would be helpful. Moreover, Microsoft’s departure from this segment won’t heavily impact the streaming media industry.

What is Azure Media Services?

Azure Media Services (AMS) is a cloud-based media processing, storage, and streaming platform provided by Microsoft Azure. It enables users to securely upload, store, encode, and package video or audio content for both on-demand and live streaming to various devices.

Features

Media Processing – Use Azure Media Indexer for audio and video content analysis and extract insights. Also, encode, protect, or process multimedia content using Azure Media Encoder.
Live Streaming – Supports live event broadcasting, with tools to manage and monitor the live event.
Dynamic Packaging – Transcode media files into multiple formats dynamically as per device and bandwidth conditions.
Content Protection – Offers a set of content protection features including DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Video on Demand – Stream previously recorded content to any device at any time.
Video AI – Enhanced video indexing capabilities, allowing features like facial recognition, voice transcription, and extracting metadata.

Azure Media Player and Azure Media Streaming

Azure Media Player (AMP) is a web player built to playback media content from Azure Media Services. It offers:

Adaptive Streaming – AMP supports formats like MPEG-DASH, Smooth Streaming, and HLS, allowing playback on various devices with different bandwidth conditions.

Azure Media Services provides adaptive bitrate streaming, ensuring viewers get the best possible quality based on their device capabilities and network conditions. Supported protocols include:

• MPEG-DASH
• Microsoft Smooth Streaming
• HLS (HTTP Live Streaming)
• RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol)

It’s also worth noting that AMS provides a feature called “Azure Live and On-Demand Media Streaming,” which enables users to deliver content efficiently to a global audience.

• Monetization – Integrated support for advertising standards like VAST, VPAID, and VMAP.
• Accessibility – Support for multi-language audio tracks and closed captions.
• Customizability – AMP can be styled and customized to fit any brand or design requirements.

In conclusion, Azure Media Services provides a comprehensive suite of tools and features to handle media processing and delivery tasks, catering to businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re looking to stream live events, host on-demand videos, or even delve into video analytics, AMS is equipped to handle it all. However, just like any other cloud service, careful consideration regarding costs, scalability, and specific requirements is vital before diving in.

Pros

• Scalability – AMS scales automatically to meet demand. This is especially useful for live events with unpredictable viewership.
• Versatility – With the wide array of tools and services on offer, AMS can handle both VOD and live streaming seamlessly.
• Global Reach – Azure’s CDN ensures content is delivered quickly to users worldwide.
• Security – DRM and AES encryption keep content secure. Also, it integrates with Azure’s identity and access management tools.

Cons

• Complexity – The breadth of features might be overwhelming for some users.
• Cost – Depending on usage, AMS can be expensive, especially for small businesses or individual users.
• Learning Curve – Requires some time to understand and optimize all its capabilities.

Azure Media Services Pricing

Azure Media Services provides on-demand and live streaming in multiple formats, scaling for various customer needs through standard and premium services. The standard streaming endpoint suits typical needs, automatically scaling bandwidth and including core features found in premium units, which are ideal for high-demand scenarios and offer scalable, dedicated bandwidth. Costs are calculated based on service type and data usage. If the Azure Content Delivery Network is active, its standard pricing applies; otherwise, data transfers are billed according to regular data transfer rates.

Media reserved units were previously used to manage encoding performance by controlling concurrency. However, as of April 17, 2021, the system for V2 and V3 accounts now automatically adjusts, scaling up or down based on the current load, eliminating the need for manually setting these units. Consequently, there are no longer any charges associated with media reserved units for accounts that are configured to use them.

Azure Media Services Alternatives

Listed below are the best alternatives to Azure Media Services as per user reviews and feature capabilities.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elemental Media Services

AWS offers a suite of services designed for media processing and delivery. This suite includes MediaLive (for live video processing), MediaConvert (for on-demand video processing), and MediaPackage (for video packaging and origination).

AWS Elemental Media Services is a suite of services designed to make it easy to build reliable, broadcast-quality video workflows on the cloud. This set of services provides the tools needed to create, package, and deliver video content, all integrated with AWS’s vast cloud infrastructure.

MediaLive – Live video processing

Allows you to create high-quality live video streams for broadcast and streaming to multiple devices. Supports standard streaming protocols, rich encoding features, ad marker insertion, and more.

MediaConvert – File-based video processing for on-demand content

Transcodes content for broadcast and multi-platform delivery. It supports a wide range of codecs, DRMs, ad insertion, and other advanced features needed for on-demand content delivery.

MediaPackage – Video packaging and origination

Prepares and protects your video for delivery over the internet. It packages content on-the-fly to support just-in-time packaging, allowing for various streaming formats and DRMs. It also provides DVR-like features for live streams.

MediaStore – Media storage optimized for video

It provides an AWS service tailored for storing media, allowing for high performance and low-latency retrieval. This is crucial for live and on-demand media workflows.

MediaTailor – Video personalization and monetization

Lets broadcasters personalize and monetize content through server-side ad insertion. This ensures a seamless playback experience as ads are stitched into the content on the server-side, reducing the chances of viewers using ad-blockers.

Integration with AWS Ecosystem – The strength of AWS Elemental Media Services is its deep integration with the AWS ecosystem. For instance, you can use Amazon CloudFront for content delivery, AWS Lambda for serverless workflows, and Amazon S3 for storing raw content.

Use Cases

From live sports broadcasting to streaming a company’s internal meetings, AWS Elemental Media Services can be used for a wide range of applications. Its scalability ensures that it can serve both small businesses and major broadcasters.

Google Cloud Video Intelligence API

This is more for video analysis but can be combined with other Google Cloud services for a comprehensive media solution. The Google Cloud Video Intelligence API is a part of Google Cloud’s machine learning offerings, and it’s specifically designed to analyze video content. The API utilizes Google’s machine learning models to extract actionable insights from videos.

Features

Label Detection – Recognizes over 20,000 objects and activities, assigning labels to sections of the video where these appear.

Shot Change Detection – Detects scene changes in a video. Useful for understanding the structure of a video and separating it into logical segments.

Face Detection – Identifies faces within videos, but not specific individuals (i.e., it doesn’t name the person, but it can detect if a face is present).

Object Tracking – Tracks objects as they move through frames in a video.

Explicit Content Detection – Recognizes inappropriate content within videos, which can help with content moderation.

Text Detection – Detects and extracts text from video frames, which can be useful for things like sign or license plate recognition.

Speech Transcription – This feature isn’t limited to just video but can convert spoken words into readable text.

Person Detection – Detects the presence of a person in video segments.

Integration – Being a part of the Google Cloud Platform (GCP), the Video Intelligence API seamlessly integrates with other GCP services. For example, you could store your videos in Google Cloud Storage and then process them with the Video Intelligence API. After processing, you could use tools like BigQuery to analyze the output or Pub/Sub to notify users of certain detections.

Use Cases

• Media Archives – For large media organizations with vast amounts of archived footage, the Video Intelligence API can help categorize, tag, and make this content searchable.
• Content Moderation – For platforms where users upload videos, the API can help in identifying inappropriate content
• Advertising – Ad agencies can use it to identify themes or objects in videos to place relevant ads.
• Surveillance and Security – The API can help in detecting anomalies or specific activities in security footage.
• Education – Teachers and institutions can auto-generate metadata for educational videos, making them easily searchable for students.

VdoCipher

The importance of DRM, or Digital Rights Management, in video security cannot be overstated. Its primary function is to safeguard videos from unauthorized use and piracy, ensuring that creators receive their rightful revenue. Think about premium platforms, such as Netflix; they release movies and series that are protected by DRM to prevent subscribers from downloading and freely distributing them. This level of control is essential in a world where the film industry loses billions to piracy every year. Additionally, DRM upholds the integrity of content by ensuring it remains unaltered, preserving the creator’s original vision.

Furthermore, DRM facilitates various business models like rentals and subscriptions. On a consumer level, there’s added trust in knowing that the content they’re consuming is secure and unaltered. Sometimes, the use of DRM isn’t just a choice but a legal requirement, especially when licensors mandate its use for content distribution. DRM ensures the longevity and sustenance of content creation by protecting and securing the revenue streams of creators.

Serving over 3000 customers across 120+ countries, VdoCipher is a top-tier video hosting solution for elearning and media businesses.

The key features include Hollywood Grade Multi-DRM Video Encryption, Live streaming, AWS-powered servers, customizable HTML5 player, dynamic watermarking, a user-friendly dashboard, video analytics, adaptive streaming, and integration plugins.

Custom Video Player

• DRM Protected Video Streaming (Google Widevine and Apple FairPlay DRM)
• Make Your Smart Video Player with easy to use toggle buttons
• Custom HTML5 Video Controls
• SDKs available for various platforms like React Native, Android, iOS, Flutter, JS
• Live streaming
• Easy customization without coding.
• Users can jump to video sections using chapters.
• Supports multi-language captions and search function.

AWS Server Storage

• Videos are stored on Amazon S3.
• Data remains secure, even during network or hardware issues.

Dynamic Watermarking

• The player displays dynamic watermarks to deter screen capture.
• You can overlay user details, like email or user ID.

Dashboard

• Easy-to-use interface
• Upload, import, or organize videos in folders.
• Sections include accounts, payments, support, analytics, and player customization.
• Tutorial videos are available for guidance.

Video Analytics

• Bandwidth and video usage for each video as well as for all the videos.
• Most of these analytics data can also be downloaded in CSV file.
• Avg watch percent and finishes
• Popular videos and cities
• Total view count
• Per video views & bandwidth data
• Total storage and bandwidth usage

Plugins

• Supports major CMS like WordPress and Moodle.
• Videos can be embedded effortlessly on your website.
• Compatible with WP membership plugins and LMS platforms like LifterLMS and LearnDash.

Use cases

• To secure videos from online piracy and unauthorized access
• Protect your revenue stream by restricting access and applying geo/domain restrictions
• To securely store and stream premium video content
• To live stream online classes and sessions
• Restrict screen capture on majority of browsers and devices
• Make video content available to a large audience base even in tier 2 and tier 3 cities with Adaptive Bitrate Streaming. The video bitrates are automatically adjusted as per the network availability and device capabilities to deliver a buffer-free viewing experience.

IBM Video Streaming

Certainly! IBM Video Streaming, formerly known as Ustream, is a platform designed to provide both live and on-demand video streaming solutions. IBM acquired Ustream in 2016 and subsequently expanded and integrated it into its suite of enterprise offerings. It provides reliable, scalable, and professional live and on-demand video streaming services for businesses and enterprises.

Features

Live Streaming – Allows broadcasters to stream live events, webinars, or any live content. This comes with real-time analytics, chat integration, and more.

Video On Demand (VOD) – Store and deliver pre-recorded content to viewers at their convenience.

Built-in Video Player – Embeddable, customizable, and supports adaptive bitrate streaming to provide an optimal viewing experience.

Multi-Device Streaming – Ensures content is accessible on desktops, mobile devices, and tablets.

Security – Offers password protection, encryption, restricted embeds, and access controls to ensure content remains secure.

AI-driven Insights – Uses IBM’s Watson to provide insights into video content, such as automated closed captioning.

Video Analytics – Understand audience engagement, track viewer metrics, and monitor performance.

Content Management – Organize and manage video assets, with features such as playlists, scheduling, and archiving.

Integration – Works with various enterprise solutions and has API support for custom integrations. Being a part of IBM’s broader cloud and enterprise services, IBM Video Streaming integrates well with other IBM offerings. This ensures businesses can weave it into their existing infrastructure and solutions seamlessly.

Use Cases

• Corporate Communications: Use for town hall meetings, training sessions, and other internal communications.
• Marketing and Sales: Product launches, webinars, and other customer-facing events.
• Events and Conferences: Stream keynote addresses, panels, or entire events to a global audience.
• Education: Lectures, seminars, and educational content delivery.
• Entertainment: For artists, musicians, or other entertainers to broadcast their events.

Akamai Media Delivery Solutions

Akamai Technologies is one of the world’s largest distributed computing platforms, known primarily for its content delivery network (CDN) services. The company’s media delivery solutions are designed to optimize the delivery of video, music, and software content over the internet. Let’s delve into the details:

Features

Content Delivery Network (CDN) – At the heart of Akamai’s media delivery is its global CDN, ensuring content is served from the optimal location to reduce latency and improve speed.

Adaptive Media Delivery – Dynamically adjusts video quality in real-time based on the viewer’s network conditions, ensuring a smooth playback experience.

Download Delivery – Optimized for large file downloads, ensuring users can download software, games, or other large files quickly.

Media Services Live – Offers solutions for live streaming events, ensuring scalability and reliability.

Media Services On Demand – Optimize and deliver on-demand content to any device, anywhere.

Cloud Wrapper – Integrates and caches content closer to users by wrapping around multi-cloud environments.

Media Acceleration – Enhances traditional content delivery methods by optimizing data delivery for video, gaming, and other dynamic applications.

Security – Offers a suite of security features including DDoS protection, secure socket layer (SSL) encryption, and content protection to prevent piracy.

Integration – Akamai’s solutions are designed to work seamlessly with major streaming platforms, content management systems, and cloud providers. This makes it easier for businesses to integrate Akamai into their existing infrastructure.

Use Cases

• OTT (Over-the-Top) Platforms: Ensure smooth delivery of streaming video content to global audiences.
• Gaming: Optimize the delivery of game downloads, updates, and in-game assets.
• E-commerce: Enhance website performance, especially during traffic spikes, ensuring users have a seamless shopping experience.
• Live Events: Stream high-profile live events, ensuring minimal buffering and high quality.

FAQs

What are some popular alternatives to Azure Media Services?

Popular alternatives include AWS Elemental Media Services, Google Cloud Video Intelligence, and VdoCipher.

Which service provides the best video security?

VdoCipher is known for its advanced video security capabilities, including DRM encrypted video streaming, secure offline downloads, and dynamic watermarking. However, “best” can vary based on specific requirements.

Is there a significant price difference among these alternatives?

Pricing can vary considerably based on the specific services, usage volume, and additional features required. It’s essential to compare the cost structures of each provider based on individual needs.

Which platforms are best for mobile or low-bandwidth scenarios?

Most of these services offer adaptive bitrate streaming to adjust video quality in real-time based on the viewer’s connection. However, the effectiveness of these solutions can vary, so testing is advised. VdoCipher offers adaptive video streaming to match the bitrates with the user’s network capabilities and device type.

Jyoti

Jyoti began her career as a software engineer in HCL with UNHCR as a client. She started evolving her technical and documentation writing skills to become a full-time Content Marketer at VdoCipher.

The post Azure Media Services Alternatives | Top Picks before June 2024 Retirement appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

The use of DRM servers makes it very easy to protect video and other digital assets due to the dynamic nature of its mechanism. The setup requires you to have your licensed encoding, transcoding, storage, and distribution architecture for complete protection. Also, when setting up a DRM server, it is necessary to enhance the security through multi-DRM layers and other safetynet algorithms. For example, Google Widevine DRM will only protect you on Android, Chrome, other Google devices, and third-party browsers as Firefox DRM but not on Apple. Similarly, Apple Fairplay DRM protects your digital assets on Apple devices and Safari Browser.

DRM server meaning and Working

A DRM server also serves the same purpose as that of a server, but instead of being handled via one server, it is a combination of multiple servers. They work together to establish a secure delivery of videos, audio, and other files. Similar to a server, it consists of handling various requests and responses made simultaneously to capture all levels where a security breach can be made. We have discussed the major levels of security in the section below on the setup of the DRM server.

Basically, all the coding modules for encryption and key exchange are loaded on different computational servers. They carry out the complete process of encrypting an upload stream, adaptive bitrates, storage, global distribution, and secured playback. To enhance the protection on all major devices and browsers it is further advised to have a multi-DRM setup. This means setting up more DRM servers with few alterations as per other license authorities like Apple Fairplay, which requires additional license form submission.

Who needs a DRM server solution?

Before understanding the need for a DRM server, let us understand two kinds of creator economies. One is public content that mainly earns via YT, like video monetization, and the other is premium content that monetizes via subscription, pay-per-view, etc. Now, the public content, which is mainly single user-generated content, requires too much audience and virality to earn. That is why video platforms like YouTube and ebooks platforms like Amazon Kindle are a great choices for them. But the ones having some premium content are in dire need of a DRM server.

For example, OTT providers like Netflix cannot risk direct downloads via browsers or App. EdTech platforms cannot risk their videos being illegally downloaded and distributed. This is a direct loss to their monetizable content, and that is why all the likes of Netflix use multi-DRM servers to protect their premium content. Since every video creator cannot set up their DRM servers, solutions like Vdocipher help them set up a full-fledged multi-DRM setup at very affordable prices.

When the content is unique, and premium, normal encryption like AES-128 fails through various loopholes during the delivery process. That is why it is made possible through the DRM server that no one can try to access your digital content.

How to setup a DRM server

Setting up a DRM server is a process of acquiring licenses and writing various modules of codes to handle all levels for security breach possibility. These levels can be broadly divided into two majors as follows:

Content Encryption: First of all, a DRM server starts with an encoding process to encrypt the upload stream. The digital assets file gets encrypted using DRM OEM specifications. The content stream can be packed through a CLI packager. Next implementations require chunking and fragmentation to prepare packaging of formats like MP4 into different bitrate files. This is done to support adaptive bitrate streaming for different bandwidth users, ensuring a smooth experience. Server-side encryption offers greater scalability, security, advanced API calls, parallel packaging, and more.

The packager requests an encryption key from the DRM server to encrypt the content. The server provides an encryption key and links that key to the content ID. Using the encryption key, the packager encrypts and re-packages the content.

Playback via DRM server: During the playback or when the file is requested, the DRM key exchange mechanism will check for the authorized key. The applicable DRM license provider (Apple/Google) will match the authorized keys with the widevine DRM license server or fairplay DRM license server and will revert with denied access or encrypted chunks. These chunks will later get through the device or browser’s DRM module to finally get decrypted for playback.

All these requests and responses are handled via modules of codes in compatible language with the licensing authority. This network of requests and response usually requires handling major processing codes via different servers for scalability.

Challenges in setting up a DRM server

Apart from a License, setting up a DRM server requires a necessary 2-level security infrastructure. First is at the transcoding level, where content gets encrypted with all updated DRM parameters and gets stored. The storage also requires various encrypted bitrate files for adaptive bitrate streaming. The second level is at the playback level, where the encrypted content is decrypted using a dynamic key-exchange mechanism for final playback. These challenges can also be viewed through two perspectives of in-house DRM vs DRM Server Solutions.

• In-house DRM Setup – Coding and setting up all these request response modules in different servers with load balancers for scalability is an enterprise infrastructure. That is why very large enterprises like Netflix & Amazon Prime build in-house multi-DRM infrastructure.
• DRM Server Solutions – Apart from the tech giants, many large to small video businesses rely on DRM server solutions like VdoCipher, which provide multi-DRM Encryption, AWS infra, customizable video player, and many other features.

Benefits of using DRM server solution for Video Protection

As we discussed the challenges of setting up a DRM server for your digital assets, a solution provider is necessary. Some things that must be considered while choosing a DRM solution provider are scalable infrastructure, multi-DRM, features, players, and integrations. This is because once you start growing, your needs will grow, and then you might require advanced features. A good DRM server solution needs to provide at least the following features for complete security.

• Highest Grade Encryption – In today’s world, due to the efficiency of hackers, a single encryption system can protect a digital asset in some devices and browsers. This means better security is always a mix of multiple security systems as a single infrastructure. As per security reports, multi-DRM with updated devices and an extra private security net is a must for copyright protection.
• Dynamic Watermarking – This is to deter screen capture via displaying dynamic information like the user’s IP on the video. Even if the video gets captured via camera, it will still be easy to prevent propagation.
• API and Plugin Integration – For easy integrations, this must be a benefit you need to look forward to matching with your present and future goals. Otherwise, this benefit can also become a headache with no or non-working integration code and plugins.
• CDN Integration – via scalable and best uptime global distribution infrastructure like that of AWS.
• Adaptive bitrate streaming for various bandwidths and Responsive HTML5 player.
• Geo, IP, and Time based restrictions for broad access management.

Setup Widevine License Server and Apple Fairplay for Multi-DRM

Setting up a Widevine DRM server is a process of acquiring licenses and writing various modules of codes with Widevine-compatible parameters. Its implementation is necessary to handle all levels of security breach possibility on Google devices and browsers. These levels have been previously discussed as Content Encryption and Playback via DRM server in the previous sections. Similar to setting to a DRM server, these levels require setting up coding modules on various servers.

All these coded requests and responses with compatible language and parameters with the licensing authority need to work bug-free. Only then a Widevine DRM mechanism will fully work to block illegal downloads and screen captures on Google products.

You don’t need to set up Google Widevine DRM in case of using a DRM server solution like VdoCipher. Google Widevine DRM comes as default with DRM server providers like VdoCipher, but it is advisable to get Fairplay and safetynet. Apple has made it one step mandatorily extra to write a separate application for multi-DRM via client. Still, it is just an application and nothing to code and set up.

Role of DRM in evading Video Piracy

Video piracy is a major challenge faced by video creators and publishers. It refers to the unauthorized usage and distribution of video content that is copyright protected. This gives the video owner the right to perform certain actions on their content and limit or authorize access. The unauthorized sharing of content and assets has grown multifold due to access to the internet and smart devices. Video pirates now have a range of ways to retrieve and distribute video content. Common tactics include credential stuffing and bypassing encryption vulnerabilities. In 2019, on average 230k people in the United States lost their jobs due to digital piracy.

Organizations and individual creators are forced to adopt some or the other anti-piracy solution in place, the main being Digital Rights Management (DRM). Netflix, for example, has its internal team to address video piracy issues.

The term DRM is a set of technologies to enforce a license between the content provider and the consumer or viewer. DRM controls how the content is accessed and limits the use and transfer of content. Most streaming services now use DRM encryption technologies to prevent users from downloading and saving video content offline. Instead, they put restrictions on how long the downloaded video lasts or ensure only paid subscribers access the content. The key exchange between the license server and the player in DRM Encryption is private. Hackers and internet plugins cannot easily download video content.

Issues with DRM server security

Like every other technology, DRM is also a set of code, and some updates can make it buggy. Sometimes fixing up requires a different set of updated parameters and many times, the license authority handles updates on their end. Also, there is a small percentage of DRM-incompatible devices and devices that are too old and don’t get a DRM-friendly update. Such device % is estimated to be within the range of <0.3%, and such cases occur mostly in Android devices and not in Apple or Windows devices. Google majorly quotes custom Android OS implementations by some mobile manufacturers.

How can a course platform or OTT implement Video DRM server with ease?

Until a few years back, integrating DRM was within reach of big companies and organizations like Netflix that had the technical team and time to handle the complexities of DRM implementation. Small, medium, and large EdTech and OTT platforms look for DRM server providers like VdoCipher. Effortless Multi DRM integration with many other loaded features can be integrated by a single person.

With VdoCipher, you will get Google and Apple Video DRM with advanced safety net protection. The unique proposition of VdoCipher is that the integration effort required by the customers is minimal for integrating DRM-based video playback. You also get the following other features apart from DRM.

• Dynamic Watermarking to deter screen capture
• Domain Restriction for access management
• AWS-powered servers, transcoding & CDN infrastructure to ensure a smooth playback across 6 continents.
• Smart Video Player
• Quick integration with popular CMS and LMS like WordPress and Moodle via plugin.
• Dashboard to manage videos
• Iframe, Plugin, API, SDK Integrations

FAQs

Do DRM servers deter screen recording?

Yes, DRM comes with screen capture prevention support, but it is limited to the devices and browsers of the license provider.

In a simple explanation, how does a DRM server work?

When a viewer tries to access DRM-Protected digital content or video, the DRM license server checks the key authorization and returns the encrypted content. These encrypted chunks get finally decrypted using the final device DRM module.

What is the main purpose of DRM integration?

DRM, or Digital Rights Management, is mainly used to protect the rights of copyright holders. This is done by protecting against unauthorized access and distribution of digital assets.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post DRM Server Solutions with Widevine License and Apple FairPlay appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

What is HLS Streaming?

HLS Streaming ( HTTP Live Streaming) is a video streaming protocol used for video content across desktop and mobile devices. HLS is developed by Apple, which forms the biggest use case for the streaming protocol. Beyond Apple, there is wide support for HLS streaming across Android devices and browsers. Indeed, HLS can be used as a streaming protocol for all major browsers, including Chrome and Firefox.

In HLS Encryption the video files are encrypted using a secure AES-128 algorithm. The AES 128 encryption is the only publicly available security algorithm that is used by the NSA for encrypting its top-secret classified information.

HLS streaming and HLS Encryption can be used for both the cases of live streaming and for Video on Demand streaming (VOD). Because video streaming is over HTTPS, there is no need for a streaming server, unlike RTMP, which requires its own streaming server.

How & Why Apple Developed HLS Streaming ?

Until about 2010, Flash was the most popular video streaming application. It was supported by all desktop browsers. Because Flash utilized the same runtime across all browsers, it meant that video streamers did not have to create separate workflows for different devices. DRM and encryption were also supported by Flash.

Flash was however plagued by security issues. Video playback on Flash was processor-intensive, which caused phone overheating & mobile batteries to drain very fast. For these reasons Apple did not support Flash in the iPhone and in iPad, instead including support for native HTML5 video playback.

Apple created its specifications for video streaming, which could by both live streaming platforms and for pre-recorded video streaming platforms. Android OS followed suit by blocking flash playback from browsers on Android. From the introduction of the smartphone to the emergence of MPEG-DASH around 2015, Apple’s HLS streaming has been the most widely used protocol.

Because of Apple’s continued support for the protocol, encoding for HLS player is an integral element of any video streaming provider’s workflow.

How does HLS streaming work?

In plain vanilla HTML5 video streaming, only a single video file is available for streaming. The download of the complete video file is initiated every time the stream is played. Even if a viewer watches only 2 minutes of a 30-minute video, the full video would be downloaded, causing data wastage at both the server and the user end.

Streaming protocols remove this inefficiency in video streaming. Streaming protocols such as HLS effectively break down a video file into multiple chunks when streaming, and these video files are downloaded over HTTP in succession. HLS streaming uses the same workflow for both live and for on-demand content. The core idea in multi-bitrate streaming is that multiple renditions of each video, of varying resolution, are encoded. High-resolution videos are delivered to large screen devices having high network bandwidth, whereas lower resolution videos are encoded for mobile phones. Encoding for low resolutions also ensures continuous video streaming when the network connection speed drops.

When the user decides to change video resolution, or when the network bandwidth changes, video streams can be manually (or automatically) switched. HLS video streams are encoded using the H.264 standard, which can be played across all devices. Each of the video copies is broken into multiple chunks having the .ts (transport stream) extension.

There is a main index file, called the manifest file (.m3u8 file format), associated with the video stream. The main manifest file contains links to the specific manifest files associated with each unique video stream. Each of these specific manifest files in its place directs the video stream to the correct URL for video playback when streams are switched. This ensures that stream switching is seamless. This process of a manifest file referring to the video stream is the same for both live video streaming and for on-demand video streaming. The only difference for live video is simply that the video files are being encoded in real-time.

Streaming over HTTP has many advantages over using a separate server. For example, firewalls that may be used to block ports used for RTMP are unlikely to affect video streaming over HTTP. No additional cost are required for streaming over an HTTP server.

Mobile Video Streaming Using HLS Protocol

When users upload a video to a server, it undergoes several phases of processing. Initially, the video is encoded in various resolutions and then segmented into containers, where each segment is indexed in the M3U8 format. This index file is crucial as it is hosted on a server and accessed by mobile applications to retrieve video chunks.

Server Components
Key elements of the server include the encoder and segmenter. The encoder receives the input stream during video upload and encodes it into different formats such as H.264 + MP3 and MPEG-2, creating multiple output streams. These streams are then passed to the segmenter, which divides them into video chunks and generates corresponding index files. Each stream has its distinct index file.

M3U8 File Format
The M3U8 file format is essential for indexing multimedia files. It contains pointers to the locations of video files saved with a .ts extension. These index files are generated by the segmenter and also specify the duration of video chunks, typically set to 10 seconds. They enable dynamic switching between video streams depending on the user’s network bandwidth. The client software autonomously decides the optimal times to switch streams based on network conditions.

Mobile Application Interaction
Mobile applications retrieve the M3U8 index file from the server, which directs them to the required video streams. The application downloads these streams in a sequential manner, and playback begins once enough segments are buffered. As one index file is exhausted, the application proceeds to scan the next until the ‘endlist’ tag is reached.

System Implementation
The development of the mobile application is geared towards enabling users to share videos seamlessly. Users upload videos, which are then encoded and segmented by the HLS server into streamable video slices saved in .ts format. Index files in M3U8 format are generated and uploaded to a storage database. When a user wishes to watch a video, the application sends a request to the server to retrieve the video through the storage, ensuring that the video plays smoothly on the device’s native media player API.

In conclusion, HLS protocol facilitates the streaming of high-quality videos that adapt to varying network conditions. By managing video segments through a manifest file, the mobile application ensures that users can access the best possible video quality based on their current network environment, providing a robust and uninterrupted streaming experience.

What is HLS Encryption? Is HLS Encryption effectively secure against piracy?

HLS AES-128 encryption refers to video streams using HLS streaming protocol wherein the video files are encrypted using the AES-128 algorithms. The key exchange happens through the secure HTTPS protocol. If done in a rudimentary way the key for decryption can be seen from the network console by accessing the manifest file. A poor implementation of HLS encryption would result in plugins automatically finding the key and decrypting the HLS encrypted stream, rendering video security ineffective.

There are however methods to strengthen the HLS Encrypted stream. The challenge is to make sure that the key is not exposed directly. These are the options for additional security in HLS Encryption:

• Not including URL to decryption key in Manifest File

Implementations for this vary widely, and are quite difficult by themselves. This method for protecting HLS content may also cause compatibility issues on devices. If done properly however it is definitely a major improvement in video security.

• Using authenticated cookies for HLS Encryption streaming

In this method, the browser of authorized users stores authentication cookies. These cookies are stored with a digital signature, to ensure that they are not tampered with. This ensures that only the authorised user (and not some external plugin) is seeking to fetch content. The following workflow is used for configuring authentication cookies for HLS encryption:

1. Trusted signers are configured, who have permission to create authentication cookies. This configuration is done at the edge location (content delivery network)
2. Application is developed to send set-cookie headers to authorized viewers
3. Authorized users store name-value pairs in the cookie
4. When user requests protected content, the browser adds the name-value pair in the cookie header to the request
5. The video CDN uses the public key to verify the digital signature in the name-value pair
6. If the authentication cookie is verified, the CDN looks at the authentication cookie’s policy statement. The policy statement determines if the access request is valid. For example, the policy statement could include the beginning and end time for cookie validity.

For further information on authentication cookies for content protection, you can have a look at Amazon Cloudfront’s documentation.

• Signed URLs can be generated for authorized users

The following workflow is used for configuring signed URLs for HLS encryption:

In the CDN trusted signers are created, who have permission to create signed URLs

1. Develop an application to create signed URLs for protected content
2. When user requests protected content by signed URLs, the application verifies if they have the authorization to access it
3. If verified, the application creates a signed URL and sends it to the requesting user
4. On accessing content through a signed URL, the CDN verifies that the URL has not been tampered with. This is done by using the Public Key to verify the digital signature of the URL
5. If the signed URL is valid,
6. The CDN uses the public key to verify the digital signature in the name-value pair
7. If the signed URL is verified, the CDN looks at the signed URL’s policy statement. The policy statement determines if the access request is valid. For example, the policy statement could include the beginning and end times for the signed URL. For protecting content, this period of validity of URLs should be short – as little as a few minutes is optimal. For this you can create dynamic URLs, that change every few minutes.

For further information on signed URLs for content protection, you can have a look at Amazon Cloudfront’s documentation.

All these 3 steps make the video stream considerably immune to direct download through plugins. However, these methods are still breakable by already available codes and tech hacks.

Technical overview of HLS Streaming

HLS streaming or HTTP live streaming is a video streaming protocol to stream audio and video across all major browsers and devices. Here’s a brief overview of how HLS Streaming works.

Source and Encoding: Video content can be either live or recorded and is first encoded into all the relevant formats and quality. The video is also compressed to ensure it can be streamed easily, as raw files are usually pretty big. 

Segmentation and Multiple Formats: After the encoding is done the video is further split into segments of about 10 seconds each. Segmentation makes it easier to switch between video quality, this is done dynamically based on the user’s internet speed. 

Creation of M3U8 Playlist: An M3U8 playlist file is created, which contains information about the video segments of all the different qualities. It guides the player to pick the right segment based on internet speed.

Delivery and Adaptation: All the video chunks and the m3u8 playlist are saved on an HTTP server. When someone streams the video, the m3u8 playlist is downloaded and the video chunks are downloaded. As the internet speed changes, the player chooses the higher or lower-quality video chunks based on it. It ensures a smooth viewing experience with minimal buffering. 

Key Benefits of HLS Streaming

Here are the key benefits of HLS (HTTP Live Streaming):

Compatibility: HLS is compatible with almost all browsers and devices. Initially HLS was limited to Apple devices now it has a much broader range browser it supports.

Adaptive Streaming: HLS ensures a smooth viewing experience by scaling the video quality. It does this based on the user’s internet speed, the quality scales up or down based on the internet speed. This ensures that there is no buffering at lower speeds.

Live and On-Demand: HLS works for both live and recorded streaming. This makes it pretty versatile for streaming different types of content. 

Security: HLS uses AES-128 encryption to encrypt the video chunk, to protect videos from unauthorized access. 

Scalability: HLS offers good scalability to deliver live and record content across global CDN. These CDNs distribute the streaming load among various servers. This distribution strategy efficiently handles sudden increases in viewers, such as unexpected large live audiences, ensuring a stable streaming experience.

Compare HLS with other streaming protocols

Comparing HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) to other video streaming protocols:

MPEG-DASH:

MPEG-DASH is similar to HLS in providing adaptive streaming. But MPEG-DASH is more flexible with different codecs and containers. HLS is more widely supported, especially on Apple devices. MPEG-DASH is gaining popularity due to its open standard nature.

RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol): 

RTMP is older and great for low-latency streaming, like live broadcasts. However, it doesn’t support adaptive streaming and is less compatible with modern devices. HLS, while having slightly higher latency, offers better device compatibility and adaptive streaming.

Microsoft Smooth Streaming: 

This is Microsoft’s version of adaptive streaming. It works well with Microsoft devices and software. However, HLS has wider support across various platforms and devices compared to Microsoft Smooth Streaming.

HDS (HTTP Dynamic Streaming): 

HDS is Adobe’s streaming protocol. It’s similar to HLS in adaptive streaming but is less common. HLS has broader support and is more widely used than HDS.

How is DRM level security for HLS Encryption possible?

DRM requires that the key exchange and licensing mechanism is highly secure and is always out of reach of external tools and hackers. A DRM technology also has additional elements. It delivers a license file, which also specifies the usage rights of the viewer. Usage rights specify the conditions in which the video playback is allowed.
Implementation of these usage rights ensures that the signed key used for decryption can only be used for playback on the viewer’s device. The key would simply fail to decrypt the video stream if the video file is copied to any other device.

DRM adds complex layers of workflow for license management. This workflow includes:

Specifying highly detailed usage rights such as

• Limiting video playback on a device to only a fixed number of times
• Video access can expire after a period of days if the subscription is not renewed
• Limiting the device or screen on which the video can be played. For example usage rights can be used to restrict users to cast their video playback on an external device such as a Smart TV.

The license database is also bound to the user’s device, which means that if shared the license and decryption key becomes redundant.

Licenses are also signed with the digital signature, which means that they cannot tamper with either during transit over HTTP or when stored locally on the device.

Implementing DRM along with HLS streaming entails considerable modification of the HLS Encryption infrastructure.  At VdoCipher, we have been able to do that and provide a full-fledged proprietary + HLS DRM. We cannot technically say that we are streaming an HLS encrypted stream as it is highly modified. We use a combination of other technologies based on different platforms and are able to roll out a cross-device, cross-browser compatible DRM.

VdoCipher HLS DRM Infrastructure Details

1. Upload of Videos (All common formats are supported )
   The content can be uploaded through Dashboard or APIs. Upload from desktop, FTP, DropBox, Box, URL, Server all is supported.
2. Encryption & Transcoding for DRM streaming
   Videos are converted into encrypted files, and multiple qualities & versions for ensuring delivery of quality content at all devices, browsers, and all connection speeds. The encrypted content is stored at our AWS S3 servers and raw videos are never exposed. We have set up our custom EC2 instances for the encoding pipeline, and the resultant files are hosted securely on AWS S3 servers.
3. Encrypted Video Streaming (Modified HLS Encryption & Streaming)
   As discussed above the high-security key and license exchange mechanism supports the transfer of encrypted video data, ensuring HLS DRM level security. Dynamic URLs ensure that each playback is authenticated and the URL cannot be extracted outside the website or app for pirated playback. We use multiple top tier CDNs – Cloudfront, Akamai, Google CDN, Verizon to ensure smooth delivery of content all across the globe
4. Decryption in Video Player & Watermarking
   There is a private communication between our API & the client website. This ensures that its not possible for hackers to decrypt our streams. The One Time encryption that we use is theoretically and practically hack-proof. The website embedding the video content requests a One-time password from the VdoCipher web server using the API. This OTP request is made only after the user is authenticated. The VdoCipher API returns the OTP, which is used to render the embed code. This embed code is valid for a single playback session only. Along with the key a usage policy is specified, ensuring that only a logged-in and authenticated user is allowed to playback the encrypted video. The video would simply fail to play if an external plugin or downloader is used to try to access the video file.We have timely modifications to our licensing and authentication mechanism to keep security updated.
5. Watermarking
   Video licensing and playback are combined to generate customisable viewer specific watermarks. The watermark can be IP address, Email ID  and User ID shown in customisable colour & transparency to identify a playback session by the viewer.
6. Result – Progressive High Secure Streaming
   Through this 6-step Video Hosting, Encryption and Streaming process, VdoCipher, as a video hosting software, is able to provide a progressive high security video streaming with future buffer possible. This is also different from RTMP which does not maintain any buffer and can be quite erratic as a result.

You can find out more about DRM Solution here.

Demo Free Trial for HLS DRM Streaming

You can signup for a free full version trial at VdoCipher.

Online businesses also often require features over and beyond video security. VdoCipher fulfills all major requirements for enterprise video hosting. The complete set of features that VdoCipher offers for enterprise video hosting may be found here.

Also, do read our blog on react native video playback.

FAQs

Is HLS DRM protected?

HLS is not protected with DRM by default. Traditionally, HLS streams could only be protected using Apple FairPlay DRM but with new updates, HLS can be protected by Google Widevine DRM in addition to Apple FairPlay DRM.

Is HLS unicast or multicast?

Traditionally, HLS was designed by Apple for Quicktime, Safari, and iOS devices. It did not used to support multicast but with new updates HLS, has emerged as the de facto multicast format for live streaming and video on demand (VOD).

Is HLS better than RTMP?

Moreover, it depends on the use case but HLS has notable advantages which include embedded closed captions, good advertising standards support, synchronized playback of multiple streams, and DRM support. RTMP has advantages of low latency, flexibility, efficient bandwidth usage, and dynamic content delivery.

Siddhant Jain

CEO, VdoCipher. Writes about video tech, ed tech and media tech.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post HLS DRM, HLS Streaming & HLS Encryption for Content Security appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Firefox’s journey with DRM highlights the balancing act between adhering to open web principles and meeting commercial content distribution requirements. While DRM’s closed-source elements contradict Mozilla’s open-source ethos, their pragmatic approach to integrating Google Widevine DRM and CDMs underscores a commitment to user choice and privacy rights.

DRM in Firefox

Firefox for desktop integrates the Google Widevine CDM by default, ensuring a seamless user experience on DRM-requiring sites. The Widevine CDM operates within a sandbox environment, enhancing security and user privacy. Users are notified of CDM usage and retain the option to disable the CDM, although this may impair functionality on certain websites.

In Android, DRM content playback is facilitated by Android DRM framework which uses hardware-backed protection to secure premium content and user credentials. These frameworks enable Android devices to support various DRM technologies, ensuring that protected content can be securely streamed and played. The content protection provided by the DRM framework depends on the security and content protection capabilities of the underlying hardware platform. For example, L1 security level provides maximum security in comparison to L3 compatible devices. Firefox on Android would utilize these DRM frameworks to play DRM-protected content, leveraging the hardware-backed protection. This integration allows Firefox on Android to stream content from services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, VdoCipher and others that require DRM protection.

Disable Widevine CDM in Firefox

Users can disable the Google Widevine CDM via the Add-ons Manager in Firefox, preventing its operation and the automatic download of future updates. This decision, however, might restrict access to content on platforms that rely on Widevine for DRM protection. To disable this CDM plugin in firefox, you can follow the steps as,

• Click the menu button looking like stacked bars.
• Click on Add-ons and themes option and select Plugins.
• In the Add-ons Manager Plugins panel, click on the ellipsis or 3-dot icon next to “Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.”
• Then select Never Activate from the drop-down menu.

Alternatively,

• You can enter about:addons in the URL bar.
• Select Plugins.
• In the Add-ons Manager Plugins panel, click on the ellipsis or 3-dot icon next to “Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.”
• Then select Never Activate from the drop-down menu.

You can turn on Google Widevine again by selecting “Always Activate” after clicking on the ellipsis or 3-dot icon next to “Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.” in the Add-ons Manager Plugins panel.

Disabling Widevine CDM Automatic Updates in Firefox

If you want to disable automatic updates of CDM in firefox, you can follows the steps,

• Click on Add-ons and themes option in the main menu or alternatively, you can enter about:addons in the URL bar.
• Select Plugins.
• In the Add-ons Manager Plugins panel, click on the ellipsis or 3-dot icon next to “Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.”
• Then select “Manage” from the drop-down menu.
• Now, click the “Off” radio button next to “Allow automatic updates” text.

You can also find the CDM Version and the Last Updated details on the same page.

Enable DRM in Firefox or How to turn it On

There are two methods to enable DRM content playback in Firefox. You can follow the steps:

• Click the menu button looking like stacked bars and click on Settings.
• In the General panel, scroll below to the Digital Rights Management (DRM) Content section.
• Tick the check mark next to Play DRM-controlled content.

Alternatively,

• Enter about:config in the URL bar. A warning page will appear. Click Accept the Risk and Continue. Search for media.eme.enabled. Check if media.eme.enabled is true. If false, toggle it to true.

Also, make sure that the Google Widevine plugin is activated by,

• Click on Add-ons and themes option in the main menu or alternatively, you can enter about:addons in the URL bar.
• Select Plugins.
• In the Add-ons Manager Plugins panel, click on the ellipsis or 3-dot icon next to “Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.”
• Then select Always Activate from the drop-down menu.

Additional Troubleshooting if DRM content does not play in Firefox

• Toggle media.eme.enabled off then on again or Untick and again tick the check mark next to Play DRM-controlled content.
• If you are using Avast, Disable Avast AntiTrack as it is known to cause issues with DRM content in Firefox.
• Reset the user agent by going to about:config in the URL bar. A warning page will appear. Click Accept the Risk and Continue. Then search for useragent and click the Reset or Delete button against any of these,
  – general.useragent.extra.firefox
  – general.useragent.extra.productName – where productName can be like microsoftdotnet, etc
  – general.useragent.locale
  – general.useragent.override
  – general.useragent.security

Opting Out of HTML5 DRM playback in Firefox and uninstall CDM

Firefox offers the option to opt out of HTML5 DRM playback entirely, which involves deleting downloaded CDMs and disabling future CDM downloads. This action impacts only DRM-controlled HTML5 audio and video content. To opt out of HTML5 DRM playback completely, follow these steps:

• Click the menu button looking like stacked bars.
• Click on Settings.
• In the General panel, scroll below to the Digital Rights Management (DRM) Content section.
• Remove the check mark next to Play DRM-controlled content.

This will disable all HTML5 DRM content playback, uninstall CDMs and stop all CDM downloads in Firefox. You can turn the DRM playback on again by re-checking the Play DRM-controlled content checkbox.

Evolution of DRM Software in Firefox

The inception of Firefox was driven by the desire to create a streamlined and user-focused browser, distinct from the Mozilla Suite. Initially named Phoenix, the browser underwent several renaming due to trademark issues, finally adopting the name Firefox. Early versions of Firefox garnered attention for features like pop-up blocking and tabbed browsing, which contributed to its reputation as a viable alternative to Internet Explorer.

The implementation of DRM in Firefox, particularly through EME and CDM, was a response to industry shifts towards more secure and standardized content protection mechanisms. Despite reservations about DRM’s closed-source nature, Firefox adopted Google Widevine CDM to maintain web compatibility and user access to DRM-protected content.

The choice of Widevine DRM is derived from the DRM/CDM landscape which is dominated by Google, which stands out for its cross-platform compatibility, unlike Microsoft and Apple’s solutions that are platform-restricted. This universal compatibility is crucial for ensuring equitable access to online streaming content across different browsers and devices.

Supported platforms for Google Widevine in Firefox

• Mac OS X 10.11 and higher
• Windows Vista and higher
• x64 Linux

DRM Notifications in Firefox & Users Bad Experience

Users have reported instances where Firefox prompts the activation of DRM, even when disabled, to play certain content. These notifications might be attributed to websites preferring HTML5 streams available only via DRM. Whenever a user tries playback of such streams, Firefox or any modern browser will prompt the user by reminding via notification to enable DRM support.

Users also experience that certain practices prevent the conditions required for interoperability with competitor products in the browser ecosystem. This happens when popular browsers design, test and release features primarily for their own affiliated platform products. For example, when Google Widevine (which provides critical DRM solution to Firefox) and YouTube are designed first for Chrome and feature gaps are later addressed for other browsers, if at all.

Protecting your Video content in Firefox with DRM

To protect video content in Firefox with DRM, the process involves several technical steps:

• Encoding: Videos are encoded in formats compatible with DRM and encrypted to protect against unauthorized access.
• Storage: Encrypted videos are stored securely in cloud storage solutions like AWS and GCP, ensuring only authorized users can access them.
• Licensing: A DRM license server manages the distribution of licenses, which are required to decrypt and play the video. It is always recommended to use multi DRM licensing by both Apple Fairplay and Google Widevine.
• Key Exchange: During playback, the browser’s DRM module communicates with the license server to authenticate and obtain the decryption key.
• Playback: The video is decrypted and played in the browser, with DRM ensuring that the content is used according to the content provider’s policies.

Using a service like VdoCipher can streamline this process, offering end-to-end DRM protection that covers encoding, secure storage, licensing, and playback, ensuring content remains protected across various devices and browsers, including Firefox. You also get other advanced features like dynamic watermarking, custom video player, CDN, APIs & SDKs, customization options, etc.

FAQs

Why Error, DRM is not enabled and need to add Widevine Content Decryption Module?

To resolve this error, you can enter about:config in the URL bar and check if media.eme.enabled is true. If false, toggle it to true.

Can Firefox open DRM-protected videos?

Yes, Firefox can open DRM-protected videos using CDMs like Google Widevine for desktop applications and hardware based framework for Android based applications.

How to check the CDM version in Firefox?

In the Add-ons Manager Plugins panel, click on the ellipsis or 3-dot icon next to Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc. Then select Manage from the drop-down menu. Now, click the Off radio button next to Allow automatic updates text. Here you can also find the Google Widevine CDM Version.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post Firefox DRM Basics and How to Enable Disable Content Protection appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

The sample video below contains a dynamic watermark displaying the User name, User IP, and User email. The below video is displayed using our WordPress plugin and the same can be configured using APIs or Moodle plugin as well.

The dynamic watermark can be customized for movement, color, size, transparency and frequency. You can try the watermark feature on your website by signing up for a Free 30 Day Trial on our home page.

Dynamic Watermark Demo

Features of Dynamic Watermark by VdoCipher

1. Add user details like user id, email id, phone number, ip address as an overlay over your videos
2. Add time stamp, and fixed text (e.g company name)
3. Customise size, color, transparency, and frequency of moving watermark. You can make it very light and also change frequency so that it is not always visible, to ensure optimum viewing experience. You can optimize frequency in such a manner, that it is difficult to remove the watermark maintaining user experience.  To show a watermark at a particular position for 5 seconds and then not show it for 20 seconds, you can use the parameters of ‘interval’:5000 and ‘skip ‘: 20000. (1 second = 1000 microsecond).  Other parameters are explained in below tutorial steps below.
4. If you are using a static/fixed text watermark, then it has to be compulsorily set at the top left of the player, it can not reside on other parts.
5. Image watermark is currently not possible with VdoCipher, but you can use your company/brand name as a watermark.
6. Quick 5-minute integration using wordpress plugin or moodle plugin or API. Iframe integration can show ip address and fixed text as watermark but it can not show user id, email id etc. as watermark since it is not a backend integration.

How to Add Dynamic Watermark to your VdoCipher Videos

To generate a watermark or to add text to videos you essentially need a JSON string describing how and what you will overlay on your protected videos. In this blog, we will be detailing how to integrate dynamic or static watermarks to add text to videos.

Step 1 is to create the watermark code. Once you have created the watermark code,
Step 2 you add the watermark to the video. This is done by adding watermark code to the WordPress plugin settings (for WordPress users), or by adding it as part of OTP API call for VdoCipher API users or by adding it to Moodle plugin settings.

Step 1: Create a Watermark Code

We are assuming that you have uploaded your video to your VdoCipher account. You would need to pass a JSON string as annotation code. The JSON string would contain all the information about the watermark. A JSON string is a universal form of representing structured data in a way that machines can understand.

Here is a sample JSON string that adds a moving (dynamic) watermark and a static watermark.

[

{'type':'rtext', 'text':'moving text', 'alpha':'0.8', 'color':'0xFF0000','size':'15','interval':'5000','skip':20000},
{'type':'text', 'text':'static text', 'alpha':'0.5' , 'x':'10', 'y':'100', 'color':'0xFF0000', 'size':'15'}
]

Technically, this is an array of JSON objects, where each object describes a single annotation item.

Each of these items will be described by its parameters. Every item requires a type parameter that defines the type of watermark. The type of watermark can be either a moving text or a static text. The rest of the parameters depend on the type.

Following is a short description of how each parameter affects the display of text.

Moving text

The following code will display a dynamic watermark code, displaying name, IP and email address in a single line. The text color will be red (#ff0000), opacity is 0.8, and font size is 15. The watermark is configured to keep one position for 5 seconds (5000ms) and then hide watermark for 20 seconds (20000 ms) , and then show again at a new position for 5 seconds.

[{
'type':'rtext',
'text':'{name}, {ip}, {email}',
'alpha':'0.8',
'color':'0xFF0000',
'size':'15',
'interval':'5000',
'skip':'20000'
}]

Type of text – Moving watermark

Set type parameter as rtext for Dynamic watermark

'type':'rtext',

Set the text to be shown

'text" : 'Enter whatever text you like to be displayed',

You can add user identifiable information, such as user name, user email and user IP.

• ‘text’: ‘{name}’,
• ‘text’: ‘{email}’,
• ‘text’: ‘{ip}’,

'text':'Name: {name}, email: {email}, IP: {ip}

To display the name, email and IP separately, and not in a single line, you can simply create 3 watermark objects, as follows:

[{'type':'rtext','text':'{name}','alpha':'0.8', 'color':'0xFF0000', 'size':'15', 'interval':'5000', 'skip':'2000'},
{'type':'rtext','text':'{ip}','alpha':'0.8', 'color':'0xFF0000', 'size':'15', 'interval':'5000', 'skip':'2000'},
{'type':'rtext','text':'{email}','alpha':'0.8', 'color':'0xFF0000', 'size':'15', 'interval':'5000', 'skip':'2000'}
]

Specify text opacity

This is the opacity of the text. For full opacity keep alpha value 1.

'alpha':'0.8',

Specify text color

This is the hex value of the watermark text color. You can pick your choice of color and its corresponding hex value from the following page on W3schools.

'color':'0xFF0000',

Specify the font size

This is the font size

'size':'15',

Specify the interval over which watermark changes position

The value is the interval in milliseconds when the text changes position

'interval':'5000',

Skip feature for watermark

It is possible to have watermark skip for some time between two overlays. Here is a sample code for it –

'skip':'2000'

Time stamp for watermark. (Only for WordPress)

[[{'type':'text', 'text':'Time: {date.h:i:s A}', 'alpha':'0.30' , 'x':'12', 'y':'130', 'color':'0xFF0000', 'size':'13'}]]

Add Custom Variables as Watermark

The following blog details how you can add text to videos or custom variables as watermark to your videos: Custom Variables as Watermark

Some important things to keep in mind about Watermark

• Note that both the name and the value of these parameters should be in quotes. This rule applies to both text as well as numbers.
• Each parameter is to be separated by a comma. There should not be a comma after the last parameter for the dynamic watermark video settings.

Static text

[{
'type' : 'text',   //This defines the type of annotation item to static watermark
'text' : 'the text you like to be displayed',
'x' : '10',  //the distance from the left border of video.
'y': '50',  //the distance from the top border of video.
'alpha': '0.8', //the opacity of the rendered text, 0 is invisible, 1 is full opaque
'color':'0xFF0000',    //the color of the text specified as hexadecimal or uint
'size':'15' //Height of the text, in pixels.
}]

Step 2: Add Watermark Code to Video Request using API or plugin

If you are using our WordPress or Moodle plugin you can simply add the watermark JSON in the plugin settings page. If you are integrating VdoCipher to your custom-built site, you would need to pass the JSON object as part of the OTP request.

The HTTP POST data containing watermark JSON object has to be sent as Content-Type: application/json. The JSON Object is to be sent as value to the key annotate. The header for the OTP request should include the Authorization using API Secret Key. A sample OTP request including watermark information is as follows.

curl -X POST \
 https://dev.vdocipher.com/api/videos/1234567890/otp \
 -H 'Accept: application/json' \
 -H 'Authorization: Apisecret a1b2c3d4e5' \
 -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
 -d '{
 "annotate":"[{'\''type'\'':'\''rtext'\'', '\''text'\'':'\'' {name}'\'', '\''alpha'\'':'\''0.60'\'', '\''color'\'':'\''0xFF0000'\'','\''size'\'':'\''15'\'','\''interval'\'':'\''5000'\''}]"
}'

The sample videoID is 1234567890 and the API Secret Key is a1b2c3d4e5. This sample code only passes the annotation code as parameter.

This blog: Protect Videos on WordPress provides more details on securing videos using WordPress.

Still having problems to add text to videos or with the dynamic watermark on video code? Send us the code you are using and the output you wish to be shown to support@vdocipher.com

The post Dynamic Watermark Demo: Add User Identifier Text to Videos- User ID, Email ID, Phone No. appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.