We have covered the technicalities, working of DRM and discussed popular DRM systems like Apple FairPlay streaming, Google’s Widevine, and Microsoft PlayReady. Now it’s time to dig deeper into the concept of DRM and understand Multi-DRM. In this blog we dwell into the concept of multi-DRM, how it is essential, and how it can be beneficial to your streaming service?

Why do you need multi-DRM?

The market is flooded with a variety of consumer viewing devices with multiple operating environments and versions. It is a challenge to video service providers to support and maintain service for multiple OSs, versions, and device configurations. To overcome these challenges, many service providers are switching to a multi-DRM model using a preinstalled, natively available DRM along with their DRM systems. Multi-DRM is the most cost-effective way to ensure compliance and steady use without hampering the viewership experience

Factors to consider while adopting a multi-DRM approach

While adopting a multi-DRM approach, service providers have to consider the below factors to manage the multi-DRM adoption successfully.

Supporting diverse viewing platforms

Multi-DRM should support diverse viewing platforms. To improve the service reach as a service provider, you need to contend with some challenges. Platforms in this context are media playback devices like Chromecast, Roku or a software client like an internet browser. How do these platforms differentiate with each other? Different platforms have different content formats, application development languages like native C,C++, Java, .NET, SilverLight, Brightscript, content protection capabilities, and client-server protocols. Some platforms have more than one DRM. For instance, the DRM supports internet browsers. Each browser supports different types of DRM like Internet Explorer supports PlayReady, Chrome supports Widevine and Safari supports FairPlay. Multi-DRM supports all the browsers and hence delivers the flexibility in watching the content without any interruptions.

Mobilizing the different DRM functionality

To build a uniform user experience with security capabilities that work on different viewing platforms, it requires integration and mobilization of DRM technologies and capabilities. Some native DRMs are not designed to support VOD and linear streaming. Implementation of the multicast, home interworking, DLNA import and exports content download features becomes tough. As service providers consider these features are essential, Native DRMs should be augmented with additional security features.   Native DRMs provide all the basic mechanisms for the content decryption, encryption protection but they also require security enhancements to build the best end-to-end VOD or linear streaming system for a typical service provider.

Management of Multiple DRM license services

There is a need to integrate and operate multiple license services that make sure they all speak the same entitlement to the multiple DRM licence and maintain them over time. An effective multi-DRM headend service needs a standard cross DRM infrastructure that supports device authentication. A well-designed multi-DRM can abstract complexities and nuances of each DRM; it provides a standard set of infrastructure services across DRMs and enables the DRM license service to decouple from control pace.

Benefits of choosing Multi-DRM supporting OTT streaming platform – How Muvi helps OTT platforms?

Supports multi-format and multi-devices

Muvi supports the MPEG-DASH, MSS, and HLS streaming protocols for Widevine, PlayReady, and FairPlay Streaming. It is easy to cover the entire ecosystem from a single place. Muvi supports all the media formats and devices that are operating on all codecs.

Secure Content Storage

Muvi’s multi DRM extends the security of the content stored on your OTT platform. The video and audio content on the white-labelled OTT platform gets encrypted without compromising the overall quality of the video streaming.

Protection on offline streaming

The multi-DRM from Muvi ensures the protection of your content while downloading and offline streaming. It enables the content-specific unique keys and the license keys. It helps in protecting the offline content even after downloading it.

Disables the screen recording

The Multi DRM prevents the screen recording or taking a screenshot of the playback. If the screen was recording with the help of third-party software, it remains black even after recording it.

Watermarking along with DRM capabilities

Muvi’s multi-DRM uses cloud-based packaging services that support forensic watermarking. It is quick and easy to embed. With the insertion of invisible dynamic watermarks, you can detect and track unauthorized content distribution and prevent re-encoding, cropping, filtering, and camcording.

Using Muvi’s Multi-DRM security, you can securely build the subscriptions, video rentals, purchases, and downloads to ensure device security. Muvi also allows you to set up the license, playback, and rental duration of the video or audio content on your OTT platform. If you are looking for the best white-labelled OTT streaming platform provider, Muvi is the best choice to go with.  To understand it better, try the 14-day free trial period today.