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DRM Protection

VRT MAX uses DRM (Digital Rights Management) on some content. The tool detects this and handles it appropriately.

How DRM Detection Works

The tool checks the stream URL for specific patterns:

Stream Type URL Pattern Downloadable
DRM-free ..._nodrm_... Yes
DRM-protected ..._drm_... No

Behavior

DRM-free Content

  • Videos with _nodrm_ in the URL can be downloaded successfully
  • HLS streams are extracted and processed by FFmpeg

DRM-protected Content

  • Videos with _drm_ in the URL will fail to download
  • The tool will show an error message indicating DRM protection

Examples

Downloadable Content

URL: https://vod.vrtcdn.be/.../pl-xxx_nodrm_xxx.ism/.m3u8
Result: ✅ Success

Protected Content

URL: https://vod.vrtcdn.be/.../pl-xxx_drm_xxx.ism/.m3u8
Result: ❌ Failed - DRM protected

Note

Most on-demand content on VRT MAX is DRM-free. Only some newer series may have DRM protection.