Apple HTML5 progressive streaming

Question

Is there a copy of the file saved to the ipad/ipod when using progressive http download (apple segmented) that the user could potentially copy off the device?

meaning, is this scenario considered 'safe' from a content protection pov: 1. user comes to websites with movies behind paywall 2. user selects a movie to watch online (progressively downloaded or 'pseudo-streamed') 3. segments are downloaded seamlessly by html5 video tag as part of .m3u8 4. movie plays/ends.

is there any full copy of this movie on the device that can be transferred off? anyone know apple's stance on this?

Answer 1

I'd worry less about people obtaining the files from some hidden-away cache, and more about the fact you've got an http URL which allows the file to be directly downloaded onto any device.

You can dance around this and check for user-agent strings, session cookies etc, but there's not much you can do prevent someone from figuring it out, and writing an easy way around it.

Answer 2

I believe you can segment using mediafilesegmenter in such a way that the files can only be viewed from the online location. I could be wrong about that, but if you check out the mediafilesegmenter docs, there appears to be many security options. That's where I'd look.