Protect your videos with media-grade DRM

Same encryption Netflix and Disney+ rely on, with watermarks and access rules that turn it into a full protection stack.

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Hi, I'm Dima. In this video, we'll cover one of the Kinescope video protection features – DRM encryption. It's the maximum level of file protection. The video can't be downloaded, the stream can't be captured, and the screen can't be recorded. But it also comes with a few limits to keep in mind first. In this video, we'll go through it all. Let's go! Unlike a password, which controls who watches the video, DRM controls what can be done with the file. It's stored encrypted. To play it, the players request a temporary key from the license server, a new one each session.

Decryption is handled by the device's built-in DRM modules, Widevine in Chrome and Android, Fairplay in Safari and iOS. Before you turn it on, check three requirements. First, your site needs an SSL certificate. DRM only works over HTTPS. Second, if the video is already embedded, make sure the embed code includes encrypted media in the allow attribute. Without it, encrypted videos won't play. And third, the video you want to protect must be in a separate Kinescope project. DRM encryption is enabled only at the project level. Now, let's turn on DRM in your Kinescope account.

In the catalog, click the three dots next to the project name. In the context menu, select Project Settings. Click Turn on encryption. Read the conditions carefully, so the feature works correctly. If all looks good, confirm the action. Once confirmed, encryption starts automatically for every video in the project. It usually takes less than a day, and your videos stay available to watch throughout. Once it's on, keep three important things in mind. First, you can't turn encryption off yourself. That's only possible through a request to technical support. Second, after that, in the dashboard you can only download the original video.

Renditions and the other qualities won't be available via direct links. Third, for maximum protection, DRM doesn't work in Firefox ESR, UC Browser and Firefox on Android, or Chrome Incognito mode on Android. All said, DRM encryption is on, your files are fully protected. That's it! For more ways to protect content with access controls and watermarks over the player, see this collection and our knowledge base. Thanks for watching! See you on Kinescope! See you in the future!

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Encrypted by project

DRM is a per-project setting: switch it on, and every video uploaded to that project gets encrypted on the way in. Widevine and FairPlay protect every resolution at the file level, so any download attempt returns ciphertext.
Protected from extractors

Each playback fetches a per-session license key from our DRM server, and without it the stream is unplayable. Downloaders like SaveFrom or VLC get nothing, and screen recording is blocked at the OS level.
Traced if it ever leaks

Dynamic watermarks burn the viewer's name, email, or ID into every frame. Static watermarks add your logo or fixed text on top. A leaked screen recording traces back to the exact viewer who shared it.
Works almost everywhere

Plays on Udemy, Moodle, Webflow, Canvas, and any platform that accepts an embed code. Widevine and FairPlay cover around 99% of consumer devices, with the few exceptions covered in the full compatibility list.
Kinescope DRM encryption switched on per project
Kinescope protection against browser extensions and downloaders
Kinescope dynamic watermark identifying the source of a leak
Kinescope DRM playback across browsers and devices
Encrypted by project

DRM is a per-project setting: switch it on, and every video uploaded to that project gets encrypted on the way in. Widevine and FairPlay protect every resolution at the file level, so any download attempt returns ciphertext.

Kinescope DRM encryption switched on per project
Protected from extractors

Each playback fetches a per-session license key from our DRM server, and without it the stream is unplayable. Downloaders like SaveFrom or VLC get nothing, and screen recording is blocked at the OS level.

Kinescope protection against browser extensions and downloaders
Traced if it ever leaks

Dynamic watermarks burn the viewer's name, email, or ID into every frame. Static watermarks add your logo or fixed text on top. A leaked screen recording traces back to the exact viewer who shared it.

Kinescope dynamic watermark identifying the source of a leak
Works almost everywhere

Plays on Udemy, Moodle, Webflow, Canvas, and any platform that accepts an embed code. Widevine and FairPlay cover around 99% of consumer devices, with the few exceptions covered in the full compatibility list.

Kinescope DRM playback across browsers and devices

Match playback access to your own rules

DRM stops downloads and screen recording, but it doesn't know which viewers are allowed to play. Kinescope works with your auth backend: when a viewer presses play, we pass their identifier to your server, and your rules decide whether the key gets released. The access decision stays in your system, where it always was.

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Go beyond DRM with more access rules

Stack more access controls on top of DRM, in any combination that fits the scenario.

Lock the perimeter

Control which sites can host the player.

  • Domain restrictions for embedded playback.
  • Wildcard subdomain support (*.yourcompany.com).
  • Block embedding entirely for direct-link-only delivery.
  • Private-link override to bypass restrictions for one-off sharing.

Hand out the keys

Pick how each viewer identifies themselves before the player loads.

  • Auto-generated per viewer links.
  • Password set per video.
  • One-time codes with session limits and expiry.
  • Access by approved email domains.
  • SSO (SAML) on the Mega plan.

DRM pricing across platforms

Most platforms put multi-DRM behind an enterprise contract or a metered add-on. Kinescope includes Widevine and FairPlay on every paid plan from €10/month — no upsell, no custom quote.

KinescopeVimeoWistiaMux
Multi-DRM (Widevine + FairPlay)✓Includedevery paid plan✓Enterprise only✓Enterprise only✗Add-on$100/mo + $0.003/play
Plan required for DRMSuperEnterprise*Enterprise**Pay-as-you-go + add-on***
Entry price with DRM onfrom €10/moCustom-quotedCustom-quoted+$100/mo add-on

*Vimeo's paid tiers (Starter €8, Standard €19, Advanced €69) exclude DRM; it appears only on Enterprise, which is custom-quoted. Range per Vendr's 2026 B2B pricing database.

**Wistia offers DRM on its custom-quoted Enterprise tier; median $8,165/yr across 55 anonymized purchases per Vendr's 2026 database.

***Mux is video infrastructure, not a ready-made platform: DRM is a paid add-on ($100/mo + $0.003/play) on top of usage, plus the engineering time to build the surrounding platform. Per Vendr's 2026 database.

Full pricing comparison →

«Kinescope's affordable, scalable, and accessible video solution has been a game-changer, empowering us to deliver world-class education to hundreds of thousands»

Eriky Kunitake, Head of Business & Operations, Ada (500,000+ learners · moved from Mux to Kinescope)
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Need DRM but not the price that goes with it on Vimeo?

On Vimeo, the Enterprise plan you need just to turn on DRM is real. So are the storage and delivery caps below it. None of that lives in Kinescope: DRM ships in every paid plan from €10/month, alongside unlimited storage and bandwidth. For the rest, see the full breakdown.

Coming from YouTube or some other free service? You gain DRM, a full set of access restrictions, and a branded, ad-free player.

The move itself is on us — free on Super and Mega plans. We'll pull your library across (all metadata preserved) and set you up on our side. All usually done in a week or less.

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FAQ

Can’t find the answer you need? Check out our Help Center.

It's a video whose file is encrypted at every resolution, so tools like SaveFrom or VLC can't pull a usable copy — playback needs a licence key issued per session. On Kinescope, DRM is a per-project toggle that encrypts every upload automatically.
Signed URLs control who can start a stream; DRM controls what happens to the bytes once it plays. Signed links stop hotlinking, but only DRM keeps the file encrypted so it can't be downloaded or extracted. Kinescope offers both and lets you layer them.
No. Modern DRM — Widevine on Chrome and Android, FairPlay on Apple — is built natively into the browser and OS, so the viewer just clicks play and notices nothing. Kinescope runs the licence servers and key exchange for you; you only toggle DRM on.
They are the same idea from two vendors: Widevine is Google's DRM (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Android), FairPlay is Apple's (Safari, iOS, macOS). Neither covers everything on its own, which is why a serious platform implements both — together they reach around 99% of consumer devices. On Kinescope you don't choose between them: both ship on every paid plan from €10/month, and the player picks whichever the viewer's device supports.
Host them on a platform with built-in DRM instead of a public site. Kinescope encrypts every upload with Widevine and FairPlay, so course videos can't be downloaded or ripped, and dynamic watermarks trace any screen recording back to the individual student. DRM is a per-project toggle on paid plans from €10/month. For the full playbook, see how to stop videos being downloaded.
Yes. Kinescope videos embed with a standard embed code, so DRM-protected playback works inside Moodle, Canvas, Teachable, Thinkific, Udemy and any LMS that accepts an embed. The encryption and licence exchange run automatically — no plugin for you or your students.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) is encryption built into the video stream itself. Every viewer's device fetches a temporary license key from our server before playback starts, and without that key the file is unplayable data on disk.
DRM (Widevine + FairPlay) encrypts the video stream and issues a per-session license key. This blocks the most common attack vectors: direct file download, CDN link harvesting, and stream ripping tools. Combine it with dynamic watermarks and you can trace any leak back to the individual viewer who shared it.
Screen recording is hard to prevent entirely on every device, since it's a system-level action. Kinescope blocks it on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows where the OS allows it. Beyond that, dynamic watermarks tag every frame with the viewer's identity, making a leak traceable and acting as a strong deterrent. Casual sharers won't risk passing on a recording with their name on every frame.
Yes, on Widevine (Chrome, Android, and most browsers) and FairPlay (Safari, iOS, macOS), together covering 99%+ of devices viewers actually use. Some edge cases don't support DRM playback: Firefox ESR on desktop, Firefox and UC Browser on Android, and Chrome's incognito mode on Android. Viewers there get a clear in-player message instead of a black screen.
No. DRM-protected delivery is priced the same as plain delivery, and DRM itself is included on every paid plan from €10/month — along with everything else in secure video hosting.
DRM is set per project and applies to videos uploaded after you switch it on. Videos already in the project keep their previous setting until you re-upload them or move them into an encrypted project.
No. Every retention metric works the same as on plain videos: drop-off points, watch-through rates, real-time viewer counts, and traffic breakdowns by country or device.

Stop paying enterprise prices for DRM

Get full protection from €10/month. No card required.

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