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Copyright infringement has grown alongside the rapid development of the online video industry, making copyright protection a major concern of content owners.

Established DRM solutions use playback licenses to offer high-level content protection. Before a device can play a DRM-encrypted video, it must obtain a license (which includes information such as the decryption key, validity period of the key, and device information) to decrypt the video.

The strengths of established DRM solutions are as follows:

• The key can only be read by the content decryption module (CDM).
• Each license can be used for only one device.
• You can set the validity period of a license.
• Support hardware-based TEE and decoding.

Widevine and FairPlay are two mainstream DRM solutions.

Currently, VOD supports two DRM licensing schemes:

• VOD DRM: The licensing service is provided by Tencent Cloud VOD.
• Third-party DRM: The licensing service is provided by SMDC.

You can choose the scheme that fits your needs.

VOD DRM Scheme

Established DRM solutions provide high-level protection for your video content, but may be difficult to implement from scratch. VOD offers an easy-to-use DRM scheme that is built on established DRM solutions and integrates a full range of features including DRM encryption, license management, license distribution, decryption, and playback.

The encryption and decryption process is as follows:

We offer a tutorial that uses an example to show you how to quickly implement the scheme.

Third-Party DRM Scheme

If you use this scheme, VOD will offer services including transcoding, encryption, storage, and CDNs, while the third-party DRM service provider SDMC will offer certificate management and license distribution services.

The encryption and decryption process is as follows:

We offer a tutorial that uses an example to show you how to quickly implement the scheme.

Billing

The following fees may be incurred for using the DRM feature:

• Transcoding fees: Videos are transcoded during DRM encryption, which incurs transcoding fees.
• Storage fees: The videos generated after transcoding take up storage space, which incurs storage fees.
• DRM licensing fee: For a device to play a DRM-encrypted video, you must supply it with a license. This will incur DRM licensing fees. If you use the third-party DRM scheme, this fee will be charged by the third-party DRM service provider.

For the pricing details, see Daily Pay-As-You-Go.