Tag Archives: DRM

10 popular video downloaders: VdoCipher stops all

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Whole of internet is filled with people looking and asking for popular video downloaders , plugins &  tools  to grab and pirate videos from sites like youtube, vimeo, netflix, dailymotion, and many more education and media sites. Any normal video hosted is generally easily downloaded by these tools.  If you are a content owner looking to prevent piracy from these downloaders , try out VdoCipher. It is a sure shot way to save your self from all theses nuisances. We are giving below here a review of all the video downloaders and some of their key points.

List of 10 Common Video Downloaders

  1. Video Download Helper

    It is a plugin on firefox and technically the most advanced one. We have seen it to be able to download most of the content on web (HLS, HTML5, MP4 streaming) . A uniqueness about this downloader is the frequency with which it is updated to keep hacking into any slight changes in common video streaming systems. Seems, a large community is behind this plugin trying best possible means to grab streaming video content.

  2.  Internet Download Manager (IDM)

    Another popular software to be installed on computer. Uniqueness is its beautiful UI to manage , pause, continue & categorize downloads. Also, it seems to provide the highest speed for downloads.

  3.  RTMP Dump

    A downloader (installable version) to download videos streamed through RTMP protocol, other wise not an easy to download protocol.

  4.  KeepViD

    A site which asks for the video url and detects and downloads video file on its own.

  5. Savevid

    Similar to Keepvid

  6.  ssyoutube

    A site specially made to download youtube videos.

  7.  Audials

    A software with high end technology. Like download helper, the detection of any video streaming technology and is grabbing is quite easy and advanced here. It can crack through some moderate level hacks implemented.

  8.  9. 10. VIDEO DOWNLOAD CAPTURE , CLIPGRAB, VIDEO GRABBER

    The last 3 are again a set of commonly found video downloaders & software, which can download videos from many common sites.

How to Prevent website videos from being downloaded ?

All the above mentioned tools are based on detecting the video url, and fetching it from server to download content. What if, there is no url to the video file, even more if the content being streamed is not a video but an encrypted file ? We do exactly the same at VdoCipher and help increase revenues for our e-learning and media customers by preventing video piracy.

VdoCipher restricts video downloaders

Common downloaders, VdoCipher stops them all

Check out a free 5 GB full version free trial at www.vdocipher.com

The many limits of HTML5 & Why Flash is not going anytime soon?

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Famously or infamously, Steve Jobs showed his disregard for Flash in 2010, it has been 5 years and Flash has been running since. Flash was never a major player for mobiles ever nor it is expected to change in near future. It is expected to stay a lot longer on desktops because of the various functionalities which It handles at ease and has made a legacy since start.

I will point out key technical details, statistics and live examples to describe the limitations of HTML 5 for video related purposes and the efficiency of flash in handling the same.

Firstly, for budding entrepreneurs looking to start a video streaming business soon , check these famous sites out and try their video playback on computer – Nbcnews , bbc , starsports, Lynda, foxnews, udemy, dailymotion . Yes , the video plays on a flash player. A large number of media and e-learning sites rely on flash to provide a customized player which can deliver effective video

streaming along with security.

Pros for Flash

Flash has a long legacy for use in producing certain types of media and players. Years ago it was really the only show in town if you wanted to produce certain types of animation, interactive content or streaming video,”  quotes  James Lyne from Security institute SANS. Flash allows developers to play with pixels and bits which allows for lot of customization and innovative interfaces & technologies to come up.

Flash has a much more mature 2D API and now 3D API. HTML5 Canvas is still primitive, and SVG does not mix and match with HTML as well as it could.

It’s true that browser technology with both html5, video and webgl are improving, but the problem is currently  getting standards and similar implementations across all platforms and browsers.  Given that there is still a significant portion of the globe on Win XP, IE 6 – 8, it is expected that it will be many years before browser penetration will equal the capabilities of the current Flash Player. (See image below)

A Mozilla spokesperson told Business Insider the company will continue supporting the updated version of Flash.[1]

A Microsoft spokesperson was more direct, telling Business Insider the firm plans to continue supporting Flash for the foreseeable future. “We are working with Adobe to include a version of Flash optimised for Microsoft Edge. This optimised Flash component will be shipped as part of Windows 10 and will be serviced through Windows Update as Flash currently does in Windows 8 and 8.1,” said the spokesperson. [1]

Limitations of HTML5 video DRM

Full-fledged HTML5 DRM applications,, require an external software library called a Content Decryption Module (CDM). To date the browser and mobile OS vendors have chosen only to support their own proprietary CDMs (like Adobe Access in the case of Firefox, Widevine for Chrome), which are not interoperable. The table below summarizes which CDM each browser and OS supports.[2]

In name of HTML5 , now there are four CDMs with EME (Encrypted Media Extension). Isn’t this worse kind of fragmentation possible. For using HTML5 video playback with DRM on all browsers and devices, you can’t use keys from a single DRM provider. Choosing a single DRM will make the viewer to install plugins on most of the browsers or devices. And what if a new player tries to come in DRM market on HTML5 , will it be able to make its CDM acceptable on any of the browser ?

With Flash on desktops for all browsers and native sdk for mobiles , VdoCipher in a single go provides DRM across all platforms with the easiest use case of integration.

Way ahead

The major concern with Flash is the security. Adobe continuously fixes security concerns for flash and makes it better with each version. As mentioned in the interviews by Business insider, all browsers have agreed to support flash for still long next time. As so many sites, applications and games are made on flash, it can be expected to last  atleast for 3 years.

HTML5 needs to be more developed and support made easy for it to be accepted as a full fledged solution particularly for DRM purposes.

So currently, one needs to cater to 4 CDM requirements for HTML5 video DRM , pay them separately, integrate in your existing solutions to provide viewer a decent experience. Else, the viewer will have to install a certain plugin for his/her particular browser. One option here is the flash based DRM. Other case can be, for some of the enterprises it might be a lucrative solution to provide their own branded player for all platforms. Lets say for ABC company, providing a player named ABC for all platforms. This player can be built using native technologies.

Visit www.vdocipher.com , for complete solution with secure video streaming for businesses.

References

  1. http://www.businessinsider.in/Why-Adobe-Flash-wont-die-even-though-we-all-want-it-to/articleshow/48087987.cms
  2. http://www.jwplayer.com/blog/premium-html5-video/
  3. http://www.adobe.com/in/products/flashplatformruntimes/statistics.html
  4. http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/articles/recent-updates.html

 

Add images and text to video with dynamic watermarking

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Below is a sample video with dynamic watermark features.

The stream is encrypted for highest security. For playing it on mobile, ask for an app or app sdk. This video is displayed using our WordPress plugin annotation features. It can be customized for movement , color, size , transparency. For a watermark on your own video, get a free full version trial at www.vdocipher.com

All you need to give is a JSON string describing how and what you need to overlay on your protected videos. Videos streamed on VdoCipher are protected from unauthorized downloads. Watermarking user information further cuts down on the chances of sharing a recorded video.

How to get started?

I am assuming you have uploaded your video to your VdoCipher account and are ready to embed the video either using WordPress plugin or implementing the API yourself. In both the cases, you need to pass an “annotation code” or a “json string” to tell us what and how to annotate.  Let’s see how to create this annotation json and add text to video. (A json string is a form of representing structured data in a way machine can understand.)

Here is a sample:

[
{'type':'image', 'url':'https://example.com/url/to/image.jpg','alpha':'0.8', 'x':'100','y':'200'}, 
{'type':'rtext', 'text':'moving text', 'alpha':'0.8', 'color':'0xFF0000','size':'12','interval':'5000'},
{'type':'text', 'text':'static text', 'alpha':'0.5' , 'x':'10', 'y':'100', 'color':'0xFF0000', 'size':'12'}
]

The above code adds a moving text, static text and a static image for your video.

Technically, this is a JSON array of objects, where each object describe a single annotation item. Each of these items will be described by its parameters.
Every item requires a type parameter which defines the type of watermark. The type of watermark can be either a static text, a moving text or a static image. The rest of the parameters depends on the type. Following a short description of how each of these parameters affect the display of text and image. The text after “//” denotes a comment about the parameter value.

Static text
‘type’ : ‘text’,   //do not change, this defines the type of annotation item
‘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’:’12’,      //Height of the text, in pixels.

Moving text
‘type’: ‘rtext’,
‘text” : ‘Enter whatever text you like to be displayed’,
‘alpha’:’0.8′,
‘color’:’0xFF0000′,
‘size’:’12’,
‘interval’:’5000′    // the interval in milliseconds when the text changes position

Image
‘type’ : ‘image’,
‘url’ : ‘http://example.com/path/to/image.png’,     // the direct link of image
‘x’ : ’10’,
‘y’ : ‘100’

 

  • 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 comma. There should not be a comma after the last parameter for the dynamic watermark video settings.

Final Step

Now you need to integrate the above watermark info in your actual video. Pass this json string as a post parameter when making the OTP call with key value annotate. Note that, our current v2 API requires post data to be sent as Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded  . So, there will be two different post keys: 1) clientSecretKey 2) annotate

Only if you are writing the http requests from scratch you will need to url encode the json string when appending it to the post data. Most web frameworks have inbuilt method of generatig post data. In such cases, you should ensure that data is not doubly encoded i.e. just set the json string when calling your web framework’s addPostParam() method.

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

Secure video streaming and hosting: Advances in technology

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VdoCipher provides highest secure video streaming in the world market.

It is a full packaged video streaming, hosting, Encoding+DRM service offered in easy to use manner.

This post presents an overview on various practices adopted by VdoCipher to deliver secure video streaming for its clients. For e-learning and media companies hosting streaming videos on their sites, having a secure video player on the site is the primary requirement. For better user experience, forcing the viewer to install some plugin is also not preferable.  VdoCipher ensures that its customers can use secure video streaming without deteriorating the viewer experience.

The encryption and authentication technology is built in with the VdoCipher player.

Secure video streaming technology

Dynamic watermarking the videos with viewer detail further enhances security from screen capture. It discourages distribution of content captured using external cameras.

Encryption, authentication and  dynamic water marking are thus the tools by VdoCipher for secure video streaming.

You can also limit access to certain IP addresses and Geographical locations using the whitelisting features.

A light weight video player which allows buffer retention ensures a smooth streaming experience for the viewer. Buffer retention here means , that as the viewer seeks back and forth on the video player, the buffer remains conserved. This ensures minimal bandwidth usage and a smooth streaming experience for  viewers with slow internet speeds.

A note on secure video hosting – As already mentioned, encryption, watermarking & licensing are the key features that prevent illegal access of streaming videos. Coming to the hosting part of videos in secure fashion, VdoCipher stores videos in a proprietaryy format on its owned AWS(Amazon) + Akamai servers. These are internationally the largest server + CDN companies catering about almost all the media content in the world. The direct access to the servers for any piracy or hack attempt is impossible owing to strict hosting security standards maintained by these server companies. The fact that the one time url for the secure hosted video is a link to the raw encrypted file with no access to its decryption key, it makes even the rare access of the encrypted video useless.

Integration with secure video player

Integration of VdoCipher with any website is quick with embed codes provided through easy to use APIs. For websites built with services like wordpress and joomla , VdoCipher has ready to use plugins. Features which are supported along with secure video streaming are- video analytics, bulk upload through computer, dropbox or shared url, custom video player design, pay per use pricing and live customer support.

So, how to start using this secure video streaming video with VdoCipher ?

To start with a free full version 5 GB trial of VdoCipher – you just need to signup with a mail id. No credit card , no details , no time limit, just signup and you are ready to sell videos online.

  Signup for free trial

If you have any queries, team VdoCipher is here to help you. Please send your queries and specific requirements to the contact link located here.

 

 

Looking to sell videos online : Protection from piracy

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“Information wants to be free. Information also wants to be expensive. That tension will not go away ” -Stewart Brand. This is the nature of information and content being posted on internet these days. Media publishers trying to sell videos online have often heard “ Once you have put your videos online, it is free . There can be no DRM on the internet”.  How practical is this argument and are there ways to prevent  video download on web?

I would like to have a take on the notion considering current legislation and technologies. It is true that a content which is online can be acquired by hook or crook. Quality is generally compromised in this forceful acquisition. Camera captured versions of movies in poor quality is a common example.

sell videos online, embed videos on site

Sell videos online- Map for video piracy

The first infographic is an excellent illustration of means through which paid content reaches the end viewers. It includes both legal methods as well as the path adopted by pirates. It is shocking to see how premium content is able to reach all over the world for free. The circle of warez , torrent and linkers is the primary culprit for this online piracy. As we move away from the center, the number of branches distributing the content for free increases exponentially. SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) has been proposed as a solution to the problem . Instead of trying to prevent stealing of premium content from initial release points, SOPA tries to disarm the websites which have  ability to redistribute this release. It targets subsequent circles of seeders , uploaders and downloaders which comprise the general internet users. This circle is the nerve of internet. Trying to restrict it would mean to undo the openness, which the world wide web has brought into the world.

sell videos online , prevent video download

Sell videos online -Piracy statistics

 

Another infographic discusses the numbers relating to online video market and piracy. Lets reflect upon how much a video DRM can affect this scenario. There are encryption & authentication technologies adopted by video hosting companies which are evolving over the time.
The videos hosted through these technologies can’t be downloaded on web. Their idea is to make download so difficult that users would find the effort of download to be much exhausting; and ultimately pay for the video.

 

Leakages that can be prevented by technologies and not legislation

As seen in the first picture , the loss of video content from the release groups and paying users has to be targeted. Lets consider the movie and e-learning industries which are looking to sell videos online. The paid users are the starting point of piracy. One subscriber pays for the video. He downloads it using one of the freely available downloaders. Then, he shares it among his circles or puts it online. This  allows everyone to enjoy premium quality content at no costs. Most of the CDNs and online video hosting companies with DRM  try to plug these holes.

How much effective can DRM strategies be?
Looking at the second picture, one can see that in USA 70% of the pirates are of age 18-29. The number of copy-right infringement notices given to colleges is a clear indication of how students are able to access and enjoy free content. Most of premium content is available at affordable costs, but it is so easy to get it free that no one even pays the actual amount. This has lead to a great loss to online TVs , tutorial teachers and movie sellers.   The securities based on encrypted video streaming and authentication is an effective solution to this problem . These DRM technologies prevent download from any such downloader on web. This restricts online and offline sharing of content. Another means to prevent video piracy is dynamic watermarking. Watermarking the videos with information of the subscribed user is an effective means to restrict uncontrolled distribution of videos.

What are the costs of the solutions in terms of technology , usability and money ?
There are no overhead costs of these technologies in terms of bandwidth or other network resources. The underlying innovation itself is the prized commodity. The quality of streaming can be easily maintained at par with any regular streaming. End users can access the content without installing any software on their desktops. Apps are available to ensure mobile compatibility along with security. With more and more companies coming up with innovative DRM systems customized for markets like media and e-learning , there is a hope that premium video content creators would be able to monetize to their potential.

About the author – Siddhant is Co-founder at VdoCipher , Startup helping people to sell videos online. Check out the site if you are looking to prevent download of videos embedded on your site.