Examples of how DRM works
Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 5:12 am
Large, world-renowned companies have created or acquired their own technologies, which are the most common today.
These are the following:
Fairplay: Blockchain encryption, only option for Safari and only used by Apple devices.
Widevine : Developed by Widevine Technologies, purchased by Google. Used on Android devices natively, Chrome, Edge, Roku, smart TVs, uses protobuf format for metadata.
PlayReady - Developed and maintained by Microsoft. Supported by Windows, most set-top boxes and TVs. Uses WRMHEADER tag objects as metadata format.
To begin the “security” cycle, the Encryption process begins . Communications between the requesting playback software and the license server are encrypted.
Next, the Decryption process continues . This is when a web player identifies protected content, invokes the process and interfaces defined by Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), which are used in browsers to initiate a license request process.
To decrypt protected content, the player or playback software initiates a request to the license server. If the license is cached locally, this request may occur before the content is decrypted or played.
DRM technology can be implemented as a software and/or hardware solution, helping to prevent both piracy and unauthorized use.
The rules that DRM technology looks for are designed to be quick and simple, such as:
Is your subscription up to date?
Is the user in a valid location?
Has the user registered this device for use with their crypto email list subscription?
Has time-based usage expired?
When the set-top box or smart TV is told to play a particular movie, the DRM client on the device looks at the policies in the license to determine if it is happy with it . If so, the client device can access the encryption key and use it to decrypt the movie so that it can ultimately be watched.
The license may also contain rules for time-based usage – for example, a movie can be viewed for up to 48 hours before it is disabled when purchased through a content store such as Google Play Movies & TV, or the movie can be downloaded to the user's device for viewing in an offline environment, such as on an airplane.
In a nutshell…
Simply put, Digital Rights Management (DRM) is what copyright holders and digital content providers now rely on to build a successful business model and be rewarded for their hard work.
DRM plays an important role in today's digital world. It educates users about copyright and intellectual property by clarifying what they can and cannot do with certain content. It also helps authors and owners of digital material protect the financial and creative investment in their work.
These are the following:
Fairplay: Blockchain encryption, only option for Safari and only used by Apple devices.
Widevine : Developed by Widevine Technologies, purchased by Google. Used on Android devices natively, Chrome, Edge, Roku, smart TVs, uses protobuf format for metadata.
PlayReady - Developed and maintained by Microsoft. Supported by Windows, most set-top boxes and TVs. Uses WRMHEADER tag objects as metadata format.
To begin the “security” cycle, the Encryption process begins . Communications between the requesting playback software and the license server are encrypted.
Next, the Decryption process continues . This is when a web player identifies protected content, invokes the process and interfaces defined by Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), which are used in browsers to initiate a license request process.
To decrypt protected content, the player or playback software initiates a request to the license server. If the license is cached locally, this request may occur before the content is decrypted or played.
DRM technology can be implemented as a software and/or hardware solution, helping to prevent both piracy and unauthorized use.
The rules that DRM technology looks for are designed to be quick and simple, such as:
Is your subscription up to date?
Is the user in a valid location?
Has the user registered this device for use with their crypto email list subscription?
Has time-based usage expired?
When the set-top box or smart TV is told to play a particular movie, the DRM client on the device looks at the policies in the license to determine if it is happy with it . If so, the client device can access the encryption key and use it to decrypt the movie so that it can ultimately be watched.
The license may also contain rules for time-based usage – for example, a movie can be viewed for up to 48 hours before it is disabled when purchased through a content store such as Google Play Movies & TV, or the movie can be downloaded to the user's device for viewing in an offline environment, such as on an airplane.
In a nutshell…
Simply put, Digital Rights Management (DRM) is what copyright holders and digital content providers now rely on to build a successful business model and be rewarded for their hard work.
DRM plays an important role in today's digital world. It educates users about copyright and intellectual property by clarifying what they can and cannot do with certain content. It also helps authors and owners of digital material protect the financial and creative investment in their work.