Is the Video on Your Website Being Pirated?
This may come as a shock to many who read this: If the video on your website is delivered via progressive download, it can be saved as a digital file. By digital file, I mean exactly that - the same file you created. Yup. Anyone watching your progressively downloaded video can save the source file - all he or she needs is the right software tool, a tool that can easily be found on the web - for free!
I'm not going to provide recommendations on which tool is best to do the job. That's not the point of this entry. But I will explain why it can be done and how to prevent it.
It's probably helpful that you know that most of the video you watch on the web is delivered via progressive download. That's the kind of video that can easily be saved. YouTube is the best example. 100% progressive download. While the video is viewed, the video file is downloaded to the cache of the machine viewing the video where it remains until the cache is deleted. Here's an interesting fact: Go back to a website and watch a video previously viewed and chances are good the video is playing from the cache and not from the site. In fact, after the first viewing, videos downloaded to the cache play from the cache every time they are viewed - that is until the cache is deleted.
It seems many don't care if their videos are pirated. In fact, it's really not pirated video unless the copyright owner doesn't want their video assets copied and saved. But what if you do want to protect your videos (or at least some videos) from being pirated? Is there an alternative to progressive download?
Fortunately the answer is yes. You won't find it offered by many online video platforms, but you will find it at iPlayerHD. The alternative is "streaming video". While we all use "streaming video" when referring to video we watch on the web, the more accurate meaning of streaming video is video delivered in a manner not at all similar to progressive download. True streaming video does not download to the cache of the machine playing the video. Because it does not download, it cannot be saved. That's great news for anyone who wants to protect their digital assets. Note that anything on any computer monitor can be screened captured and there's nothing we can do about that. But a screen capture is low quality and is nothing like the digital file.
As is the case with most things in life, there is a downside to using streaming video as a delivery method. Unlike progressive download, which uses the familiar HTTP protocol, streaming video uses Adobe's RTMP protocol. The hazard there is that some larger businesses and government organizations have firewalls that prevent RTMP sources to penetrate their firewalls. In the case of a firewall, the video will never play and the screen will remain black and empty. So if you must use streaming to protect your video assets, be sure of your audience and the associated risks.
iPlayerHD is one of the few online video platforms that offers both progressive download and the streaming alternative. At iPlayerHD, every video you embed can be uniquely created as a progressive download or a streaming video. It's your choice.
That's just one more reason to try iPlayerHD free for 30 days. No credit card is required and you'll receive plenty of one-on-one personal support.
I'm not going to provide recommendations on which tool is best to do the job. That's not the point of this entry. But I will explain why it can be done and how to prevent it.
It's probably helpful that you know that most of the video you watch on the web is delivered via progressive download. That's the kind of video that can easily be saved. YouTube is the best example. 100% progressive download. While the video is viewed, the video file is downloaded to the cache of the machine viewing the video where it remains until the cache is deleted. Here's an interesting fact: Go back to a website and watch a video previously viewed and chances are good the video is playing from the cache and not from the site. In fact, after the first viewing, videos downloaded to the cache play from the cache every time they are viewed - that is until the cache is deleted.
It seems many don't care if their videos are pirated. In fact, it's really not pirated video unless the copyright owner doesn't want their video assets copied and saved. But what if you do want to protect your videos (or at least some videos) from being pirated? Is there an alternative to progressive download?
Fortunately the answer is yes. You won't find it offered by many online video platforms, but you will find it at iPlayerHD. The alternative is "streaming video". While we all use "streaming video" when referring to video we watch on the web, the more accurate meaning of streaming video is video delivered in a manner not at all similar to progressive download. True streaming video does not download to the cache of the machine playing the video. Because it does not download, it cannot be saved. That's great news for anyone who wants to protect their digital assets. Note that anything on any computer monitor can be screened captured and there's nothing we can do about that. But a screen capture is low quality and is nothing like the digital file.
As is the case with most things in life, there is a downside to using streaming video as a delivery method. Unlike progressive download, which uses the familiar HTTP protocol, streaming video uses Adobe's RTMP protocol. The hazard there is that some larger businesses and government organizations have firewalls that prevent RTMP sources to penetrate their firewalls. In the case of a firewall, the video will never play and the screen will remain black and empty. So if you must use streaming to protect your video assets, be sure of your audience and the associated risks.
iPlayerHD is one of the few online video platforms that offers both progressive download and the streaming alternative. At iPlayerHD, every video you embed can be uniquely created as a progressive download or a streaming video. It's your choice.
That's just one more reason to try iPlayerHD free for 30 days. No credit card is required and you'll receive plenty of one-on-one personal support.
posted by Wes Moore at
3:04 PM
0 Comments
