Digital Rights Management (DRM)
Digital Rights Management is the term given to protecting content to restrict access to media files.
The process of protecting the file with Digital Rights Management consists of the original unprotected file being packaged with an additional header file that identifies details about the license, which is required to play the file. The packaging has got to be completed by a Windows Media Service Provider such as Streaming Wizard.
When a user attempts to play the file, which has been packaged with DRM one of two things happens.
If the Windows Media Player of the person trying to play the content already has a license for the content, then they will watch the video as if it was not encrypted. If they do not have a license, then a request will be sent off to the license server to try to get the necessary license in order to play the file.
The license server will then contain a bunch of business rules, which dictate whether or not the user can have a license, whether they have to put in a username/password to get the license, whether they have to put credit card details in and pay for the license or whatever else.
When these rules have been satisfied, and the appropriate license agreed (such as paying for a one time viewing, or paying for a months subscription) then the license server will send the license to the users Windows Media Player where it will stay for the duration of the license, allowing the user to watch the stream(s) as outlined by the business rules.
Add comment August 1st, 2005