Screenable has two layers of protection to screeners: encryption and dynamic watermarking.
** Piracy protection is available in the Professional Plan.
https://vimeo.com/moviediscovery/screenable-drm?share=copy
While many anti-piracy mechanisms focus on preventing download of the source file, we decided to encrypt the video file, so even if it’s downloaded, no one will be bale to playback the file.
Encryption explained
When you upload your screener to Screenable, it is divided to small segments (”chunks”). Each such segment contains a few seconds of the video. Then, a master administration file, also called manifest, arranges the playback of those chunks in the right order. The viewers, from their side, watch a complete smooth video, without noticing any stitches or bumps when moving from one chunk to another.
This is the standard method for streaming video.
Encryption involves “wrapping” of each chunk with a layer of code, which prohibits unauthorized access to the video chunk. That prohibition, however, is removed if the player has access to a decoder key. To add security, we generate a separate key for each video chunk. That way, even if one such key is intercepted, the hacker would be able to play only a few seconds of video (one chunk).
In addition, the decoding keys are stored on a separate server. And if that is not enough, those keys can be called only by our proprietary player and only in authorized sessions. A session is the time in which the screener link is available.
You, as account holders on Screenable, have full control over those sessions. You can limit access by an email address, by number of plays and by a date range. More on that in Personalized Links and Anonymous Links.
So, even if someone manages to download the video file, they will not have access to the decryption keys — which are stored separately, rotated regularly, and accessible only through authorized sessions.
Disclosure: the system is not 100% safe. No system is. But it significantly raises the bar for anyone attempting to copy or misuse your screener.
The green tag signifies an encrypted video
Watermarks (logos or text on screen) are common, but many implementations are easy to bypass.