

The keys get transfered via secure channels through Apple’s (or Adobe’s, Microsoft’s, …) servers. So how does your browser get the decryption key? Can’t Downie get it and use it? This generally means that the entire file is not encrypted, but just certain parts – it’s less encryption, while it still makes the file unplayable without the correct decryption key. And how exactly? The companies nowadays use an industry strandard called SAMPLE-AES encryption. Online content is often also protected, mainly paid content (Netflix, Hulu, Channel 4, NPO, …).

What does this have to do with Downie? A lot.
#DOWNIE 4 CHROME CODE#
iTunes) and using their code to decrypt the data. Yes, there are apps for that – but they require the content to come from a supported source and they usually support the source by dynamically loading parts of the player apps (e.g. This is also why you can’t really have an app claiming that it can decrypt any DRM-protected content. But the DRM protection is different from Apple’s. They use some kind of encryption to protect the content and it can then only be played in iTunes, QuickTime Player (or iOS/AppleTV device, but again, just in the official Apple apps).Īnd in a very similar manner, various other online content providers that offer apps for downloading content to later watch offline, they also encrypt the content so that it can only be viewed in their apps – the data can’t be played in other players.
#DOWNIE 4 CHROME SOFTWARE#
It’s like saying that you can drive “a vehicle” – is it a bike? car? truck? Generally speaking, DRM-protection brings encryption into the mix – it encrypts the data so that they can’t be used by software that’s not developed by the company that creates the protection.įor example, iTunes (Apple) used to encrypt audio files back in the day, resulting in awkward situations when you wanted to play the song on a non-Apple device and you couldn’t. Please note that this blog post does not take legality of breaking DRM-protection into account, it simply explains what DRM protection is and why Downie does not and will not support DRM-protected content.ĭRM protection is a fairly vague term that only describes that the content is somehow protected. Other than using the browser extension icons, you can add video downloads by dragging and dropping web page links to this download window.Recently, I’ve been asked a few times about DRM-protected content. The main window of Downie is a download window. You can find the extensions for Safari, Chrome, Chromium, Opera, Opera Beta, and Firefox by going through the “Downie -> Preferences (Command + Comma) -> Browser Extensions” menu. It’s also possible that Downie will miss the link, and you’ll have to add it manually. You can opt to download the video directly or wait for a better Internet connection. After adding the extensions, you can download any video from a site just by clicking the browser extension’s icon.ĭownie will analyze the site and put any downloadable video on the list. The first thing that you need to do after downloading and installing it is to add browser extensions. The Browser Extensionsĭownie is a Mac-only video downloader tool that is very easy to use. Among the many such tools available, Downie (US$ 19.99) is one of the best.
#DOWNIE 4 CHROME OFFLINE#
Sometimes you need to download those videos for offline viewing and need the help of a video downloader. There are thousands of videos on the Web, and you don’t always have the luxury of streaming them online.
