Copy protection does not behave the same everywhere. Whether recording is blocked depends on your operating system, your browser, and your hardware — so the only honest answer is to test the device in question. This page does exactly that. Two videos play below: the same film, at the same moment, one protected and one not.
Capture both videos in one image or recording, then look at what you got. Either result is a valid outcome of this test — what matters is knowing which one your device produces before we promise anything to your customers.
| Checking… |
| Checking… |
There are two grades of copy protection. Software protection encrypts the video but decodes it in ordinary memory, which recording tools can reach. Hardware protection decodes inside a protected part of the chip that recording tools cannot see — that is what produces a black rectangle. Which grade you get is decided by your browser and hardware, not by us.
| Device and browser | Grade normally available | Recording blocked? |
|---|---|---|
| Windows — Microsoft Edge | Hardware (PlayReady SL3000) | Usually yes |
| Windows — Chrome or Firefox | Software (Widevine L3) | No |
| Mac — Safari | Hardware (Apple FairPlay) | Usually yes |
| Mac — Chrome | Software (Widevine L3) | Often yes, via the browser |
| iPhone and iPad | Hardware (Apple FairPlay) | Usually yes |
| Android — certified devices | Hardware (Widevine L1) | Usually yes |
This is why the platform would be set to prefer the strongest protection each device can
offer, rather than assuming one behaviour everywhere.
Note on this test page: it uses Google Widevine only.
The Microsoft PlayReady path described above is stronger on Windows, but demonstrating it
needs licensing we are still arranging — so on Windows this page shows the
software-grade result, which is the honest worst case rather than the best one.