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“How can we prevent video downloads?” This is a major concern for all video platforms aiming to generate revenue.

Let’s look at a scenario we recently encountered with a client. Andrew is the product manager at a major company. An e-learning video platform company based in the United States contacted us. Their platform allows individual teachers to create courses. These are pre-recorded videos that include a complete syllabus for the year.

Their courses were very popular among students. However, the number of sign-ups and views for the popular courses plummeted. An investigation revealed that some of the popular content had been leaked and shared on popular forums and social media forums.

Their videos were downloaded by some users using online tools and then shared with others. Because it was a popular course, there was high demand, and the videos continued to be shared and downloaded. This created a ripple effect where users continued to share the videos with others. This situation impacted future video views and individual course sign-ups, ultimately resulting in a significant decrease in the course’s traction on the website.

This was their biggest concern when they contacted us. They had a large number of courses, even though some had been pirated. It was crucial to protect them from further incidents.

Ultimately, we were able to resolve their issue of video piracy , and their platform is now projecting a revenue increase of approximately 120% in the coming months.

This article explores how Vdocipher helped them combat piracy and also discusses other ways to prevent video downloads.

Okay, let’s get started!

4 Simple Ways to Prevent Video Downloads

Preventing video downloads is a crucial issue for video platforms, as increased consumption of video content translates to increased revenue. After all, it’s only natural that they want to make money from their videos! So, here are five different ways to prevent video downloads.

1. Video encryption to prevent video downloads
2. Use watermarks on your videos to suppress and identify the source of leaks.
3. Protect your videos using DRM encryption technology.
4. Select a DRM service

Video encryption used

Currently, the most secure option is video encryption , in addition to streaming video files. A more advanced anti-download measure is the use of video encryption and streaming protocols. As the name suggests, video encryption encrypts the video file, preventing anyone without the video file from accessing it. Even if someone downloads the file, they will only receive a file containing meaningless data. These files cannot be accessed without the help of the encryption key.

One of the most widely used encrypted streaming protocols is HLS-E, or HLS using AES 128 encryption. HLS is widely used on desktop and mobile devices. Although developed by Apple, it is also widely used on non-Apple devices such as Android and the Chrome browser. HLS can be used for both live streaming and recorded video.

Use of video watermarking

Video watermarking is typically used to prove ownership of content and prevent misuse. By using video watermarking, you can deter the copying and unauthorized distribution of content and protect your copyright.

Platforms like Vimeo, Vdocipher, Brightcove, and YouTube Live offer advanced watermarking features. This allows you to add watermarks or logos to your videos to enhance copy protection. Watermarks can be moved and repositioned, making them harder to remove.

Video watermarking is particularly useful in the following situations:

1. Protection of online courses and educational content
2. Distribution of paid content such as movies and TV shows
3. Protection of brand promotion and marketing videos

These platforms allow you to add specific brands or messages to your videos, demonstrating to viewers that you are an official provider while preventing misuse.

However, video watermarking doesn’t effectively stop everyone from downloading videos. But what it does is deter someone from downloading and sharing a video with others.

Using video watermarks allows you to overlay user details (such as email address, IP address, name, and phone number) onto videos. This helps identify the source of piracy in the event of a video leak.

A similar incident recently occurred at Vdocipher. One of their clients, the well-known UPSC coaching firm, was facing a video leak issue. The video had been widely shared on various forums and social media. However, because the video was watermarked, the source of the leak was easily identified: it was one of the students who had screen-recorded the video and shared it with others. The organization contacted the student, warned them about the incident, and informed them that legal action would be taken if it happened again.

Use DRM encryption (Digital Rights Management).

Encrypting videos is an excellent way to prevent them from being downloaded, but this method also has its weaknesses. While the encryption itself cannot be broken, a knowledgeable user can easily find the encryption key. If this key is used, the video can be accessed, rendering the purpose of encrypting the video meaningless.

To put it more simply, it’s like locking your door with a state-of-the-art lock, but then leaving the key under the doormat. Anyone who knows where the key is can easily enter your house with almost no effort. DRM encryption is one solution that addresses this vulnerability, making it virtually impossible for unauthorized persons to access the key. This makes it impossible to download the video at all. With DRM, the encryption key is hidden behind a black box. No one can access the Widevine CDM (Content Decryption Module). Access to the key requires a DRM license request from the DRM server. This protects the video by preventing access to the encryption key without proper authentication.

Because different DRMs support different devices and browsers, if you want to prevent video downloads on those browsers, you need to make sure you include them as part of a multi-DRM setup.

Currently, there are two main options. DRM solutions are necessary to prevent video downloads on most browsers and devices.

1. Google Widevine DRM is searchable and does not need to be translated. – Supports Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on desktops/laptops (Windows, Mac, Linux). Supports Chrome, Edge, Android TV, and Chromecast on Android.
2. Apple Fairplay DRM (Digital Rights Management) – Supports Mac Safari, iOS Safari, and iOS apps.

These two DRM encryption methods are absolutely essential to prevent video downloads and protect your content from piracy.

VdoCipher’s DRM encryption helps prevent video downloads.

Selection of a DRM Video Hosting Solution Provider

When providing video content online, digital rights management (DRM) is essential. This is to protect the content from illegal copying and unauthorized use. Below are some popular DRM video hosting solution providers.

1. Vimeo:
Vimeo offers high-quality video streaming and strong DRM. It ensures content security and provides extensive customization options.

2. Vdocipher
: Vdocipher is a video streaming platform with strong DRM capabilities. It uses encryption technology to prevent illegal copying of content.

3. Brightcove
: Brightcove is known as an enterprise-grade video hosting solution. It offers high security standards and comprehensive features.

4. YouTube Live
: YouTube Live offers live streaming capabilities and also includes DRM functionality. It’s ideal for reaching a wide audience.

Choosing the right DRM video hosting solution provider allows you to effectively protect your content and deliver it with peace of mind.

Setting up DRM streaming can be extremely difficult. It requires developing and maintaining a complete video infrastructure, and continuous work to ensure a good user experience. In addition, to use Widevine DRM and Fairplay DRM (Digital Rights Management) , you need to go through a process. To use DRM services, you must submit a request. Furthermore, in the case of Widevine, at least two members of your team must be certified by them. All of these tasks require a significant amount of time, resources, and labor. If your team is very large and has abundant resources to spare, building your own infrastructure is an option. However, if you run a small to medium-sized business, the best option is to use a DRM solution provider .

These DRM providers take care of all your infrastructure needs and even help you with the setup. Video DRM includes everything from video encoding and encryption to different formats based on all browsers and devices. After that, you’ll need to do some work on your video player, find a video hosting server or CDN, and set up video analytics, etc.

DRM providers make it easy. You simply upload your video to their platform, and they provide an embed code. You just paste it onto a page on your website, and it’s that easy to use. That’s all there is to it—all the work required to stream your video is done.

How to prevent video downloads in WordPress?

Many websites are now based on WordPress. The recent pandemic has led to an increase in offline educators moving online. Many of them use Learning Management Systems (LMS) to deliver courses online. While these LMSs offer basic protections such as limiting concurrent users and preventing credential sharing, they cannot prevent video downloads.

The five methods above are the best ways to prevent video downloads on WordPress. Since WordPress users typically lack extensive technical knowledge, the best approach is to choose a secure video hosting solution with a WordPress plugin. Using these services, all you have to do is upload your videos to their platform and embed them on your WordPress website. They handle all the management regarding DRM, encryption, watermarking, and the player.

Vdocipher provides secure video hosting for WordPress by offering the following features:

1. DRM encrypted streaming
2. The easiest WordPress plugin to integrate
3. Custom HTML5 Player for WordPress
4. Dynamic watermark
5. AWS Servers & CDN

How to disable video downloads in HTML5

There are several ways to disable video downloads in HTML5 players . Some methods include disabling right-click, hiding the download button, and using URL signing to hide the video’s URL. While these suggestions are somewhat effective, they are not a definitive way to completely prevent video downloads in HTML5.

When searching for solutions online, most recommend hiding video controls. However, these methods can be easily overcome by knowledgeable users. By examining the HTML5 source code, it’s easy to identify, access, and download video links. The best way to prevent video downloads with HTML5 is to use a DRM solution, which makes video downloading impossible.

Why do I need to protect my videos?

Having read this far, you should now understand why preventing video downloads is important. However, I would like to reiterate just how crucial it is for any video platform to protect its videos.

For video platforms that aim to generate revenue from video content, the videos are essentially like currency. Revenue depends on the number of sign-ups to the platform and the number of video views. However, if content is made available for free, users will likely prefer to watch it for free rather than pay for it.

Our clients were facing similar problems. Without naming names, a popular CAT preparatory organization based in India had a large portion of its content pirated. Due to its popularity, their content spread widely on major social media groups and other popular forums. This negatively impacted their revenue and sign-ups. When they contacted us, their main concerns were preventing video downloads and combating all forms of piracy. After choosing our services, their revenue and viewership increased by 110%. Despite older content being publicly available, newer content remained unpirated. Those interested in their content were forced to use our services.

FAQ

How can I prevent video downloads from websites?

To prevent video downloads from websites, you can use a DRM (Digital Rights Management) system that encrypts video streams and requires a key for decryption. This makes unauthorized access and downloads difficult. Implementing protocols like HLS with AES encryption enhances security. Service providers like VdoCipher offer comprehensive DRM solutions that handle encryption and secure video hosting.

How can I prevent YouTube videos from being downloaded?

It’s impossible to completely prevent someone from downloading YouTube videos because users can use third-party tools. However, YouTube itself doesn’t provide a direct download button unless the uploader designates it for download. Utilizing YouTube’s copyright management tools and reporting unauthorized downloads can help protect your content.

How to disable the download option on YouTube

YouTube does not offer a clear option to disable downloads if the feature is enabled by the platform or if the uploader allows offline viewing. However, only YouTube Premium videos can be legally downloaded by users for offline viewing. Always manage your content settings to limit misuse.