Video hosting features, built around DRM
StreamVault hosts video for people who sell it or keep it private: course creators, membership sites, training teams and publishers. Studio DRM sits at the centre. Signed playback links, domain locks, viewer watermarks, adaptive streaming, analytics and an API sit around it.
This page covers what each part does and, because it matters more than most feature lists admit, what each part does not do. To see whether a particular device will be protected, run the DRM test. To compare prices, start with DRM video hosting pricing.
Everything You Need to Deliver & Protect
Studio DRM on every paid plan, from $12/month, with the access controls, player and analytics around it.
Studio DRM
Widevine, PlayReady and FairPlay from one upload. The stream stays encrypted and the key goes only to a trusted player, so there is no video file to download.
How the DRM works →Signed Playback Links
Each play starts from a signed, time-limited link that is issued once your access rules pass: allowed domains, password, email gate, expiry dates and view limits.
Private video hosting →Screen-Capture Deterrents
On devices with hardware DRM a screen recording comes out black. A moving viewer-ID watermark and a best-effort PrintScreen blackout cover the rest. Nothing stops a phone camera.
What each device records →Domain Whitelisting
Restrict playback to the domains you approve. When another site embeds your player it refuses to start, and the error names the blocked site.
Adaptive HLS Streaming
Upload files of up to 30 GB from the dashboard. Each one is transcoded into an adaptive HLS ladder (360p always, 720p and 1080p when the source is that sharp, and 4K for regular videos), so playback adjusts to every connection.
Global CDN Delivery
Video segments are cached and delivered from a global edge network with 300+ locations, close to your viewers.
Advanced Analytics
Views, unique viewers, watch time, completion and engagement, broken down by country, device, browser, referrer, project and video, with CSV export.
AI Auto Subtitles
Generate captions with AI and translate them into 36 languages from each video's settings. Included allowances depend on your plan.
API & Custom Player
A REST API with webhooks, and an embed player you can restyle: player skins, per-project branding and call-to-action buttons.
Read the docs →Protection, layer by layer
No single control protects a video. Each layer closes a different gap, and each has a limit worth knowing before you rely on it.
| Layer | What it does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Studio DRMWidevine, PlayReady, FairPlay | Encrypts the stream and releases the key only to a trusted player. There is no video file to download, and on devices with hardware DRM a screen recording comes out black. | Chrome on a Mac or Linux PC and Firefox decrypt in software, so a screen recorder there can still capture the picture. A phone camera pointed at the screen always works. |
| Signed playback linksper play, time-limited | Each play gets a signed, time-limited link, issued after your access rules pass. | A link is a pass to play, not a lock on the file. Only DRM stops the stream itself from being copied. |
| Domain allow-listwhere the player may be embedded | Restricts which sites can embed the player. On any other site the player refuses to start and the error names the blocked site. | It controls the page that embeds the player, not the stream. DRM is what protects the stream. |
| Viewer-ID watermarkidentity and live timestamp | Overlays the viewer's identity and a live timestamp on a badge that moves around the picture every few seconds, so a leaked recording points back to an account. | It deters and traces; it does not prevent a copy. It is most useful when viewers sign in, because that is when there is an identity to show. |
| PrintScreen blackoutbest effort | Blanks the player for two seconds when the browser sees a screenshot shortcut such as PrintScreen, Cmd+Shift+3/4/5 or Win+Shift+S. | It only reacts to shortcuts the browser can see. External recorders and phone cameras are invisible to it. |
| Access gateswho may start a video | Require sign-in, a password or an email address before the video plays, put an expiry date on a share link, and cap the total number of plays of a video. | A gate decides who may press play. It does not stop a person who is allowed in from recording, which is what the layers above are for. |
For the device-by-device picture see whether you can stop screen recording; for the difference between encrypting a stream and licensing it, see AES-128 encryption versus DRM and Widevine L1 versus L3.
Running a video library
The rest of the product is the part you touch every day.
Projects and sub-projects
Organise videos into nested projects. DRM, player skin, branding and call-to-action buttons are set per project and inherited by the sub-projects below it, and a single video can override them.
Channels
Publish a project as a public channel page in the layout you choose, optionally behind a password, an email gate or viewer sign-in.
Custom domains
Serve embeds and channel pages from your own domain instead of ours.
Bring your videos over
Paste a list of links or a spreadsheet column and the importer works out the rest. Failures stay per file and can be retried, so one dead link never costs you the other 299.
Moving from Vimeo? →API, webhooks and Zapier
A REST API with API keys, webhooks for video events and a Zapier integration. Official SDKs are not available yet.
Read the docs →Course and community platforms
The embed is an iframe, so it works in most course platforms, LMSs and page builders. If you use the domain allow-list, add the plain host name the course actually loads from.
Platform guides →What StreamVault does not do
Worth knowing before you choose, and easy to check against any video host that does not say it.
- It hosts on-demand video only. There is no live streaming.
- Protected (DRM) videos are encoded up to 1080p. 4K is available for regular videos only.
- There are no official SDKs yet. The REST API, the embed code and webhooks cover integrations.
- It cannot stop a phone camera pointed at a screen, and neither can any other DRM.
- Storage and bandwidth are set per plan, not unlimited. The pricing page has the numbers.
Questions
What is the difference between DRM and signed URLs?
A signed URL limits who can start a play and for how long, but a video without DRM is still an ordinary stream, so anyone with a working address can save it with a downloader. DRM encrypts the stream and releases the key only to a trusted player, which is why there is no file to take. StreamVault does both, and DRM is the layer that protects the video itself.
Which video quality does StreamVault deliver?
Uploads are transcoded into an adaptive HLS ladder: 360p always, 720p when the source is at least 720p on its short side, and 1080p when it is at least 1080p. Regular videos also get a 4K (2160p) level automatically, on every plan, with nothing to switch on: upload a source that is at least 2160p on its short side with enough detail to justify it, and a regular video's 4K level is added when its encode finishes (the video plays in HD until then). A project can turn 4K off in its Transcoding tab. Protected (DRM) videos are encoded up to 1080p. The player switches between levels to suit each viewer's connection; a 4K stream of a regular video runs at up to 16 Mbps and counts toward your bandwidth allowance.
Can viewers record or download protected videos?
Downloading: no, because there is no file to take. Screen recording: on devices with hardware DRM, including Safari, iPhone and iPad, Edge and most Android phones, the recording comes out black. In browsers that decrypt in software, such as Chrome on a Mac and Firefox, a recorder can still capture the picture, and a phone camera always can. The viewer watermark is there for that case.
Does StreamVault support live streaming?
No. StreamVault hosts on-demand video: you upload a file, it is transcoded, and viewers watch it from an embed or a channel page.
Does StreamVault have an API?
Yes. A REST API with API keys covers videos, projects, player settings and playback links, webhooks report video events, and there is a Zapier integration. Official JavaScript, React and Python SDKs are listed as coming soon.
Can I use StreamVault with a course platform or LMS?
Yes, through the iframe embed, which works in most course platforms, LMSs and page builders. If you use the domain allow-list, add the plain host name your course loads from, without https:// or a path. The guide for online courses and the integration pages walk through it.
How much does it cost?
Plans start at $12 a month with Studio DRM on every paid plan, and the 7-day free trial includes DRM so you can test playback on your own devices before paying. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.