Are they breaking Widevine? Are they circumventing it? If the end result is an analog audio signal and (a ton of) RBG on/off signals - why can’t I as a normal consumer capture it using some store bought gyzmo?
Basically, media cannot truly be DRM because: (1) it ~has to be converted into data that screens and speakers can display (2) ultimately if it’s fetching widevine encryption keys, those keys are somewhere in your device and can be retrieved
So yes, you can do it. A “capture card” is such a “gyzmo” — but often, you can just rip using software, i.e. record the decoded stream
it’s not even hard. It’s just to much work, if someone else is doing it for me I thank them with thoughts and prayers (and sometimes I donate money)
Funny enough sometimes I’ll download shows that I already paid for (like Max ot Netflix) just becaus VLC is great and my TV is not
- HDCP had flaws and keys up to version 2.1 were extracted/reversed. In addition to that there is hdfury device that legally and following HDCP licencing terms downgraded 2.2 to lower 2.x versions to provide compatibility. They got smarter and blocked downgrading in later versions. Blocking HDCP older than that would also break compatibility with devices that don’t support versions of the standard newer than late 2012. Add a capture card and you are set.
- Widevine L1 keys were extracted from a Qualcomm CPU in 2021. They are also stored in Intel CPUs in SGX which had so many flaws over the years I’d be surprised nobody grabbed keys at some point
- Both audio and video has to be decrypted and analog at some point - you can capture it if you have the hardware and willingness to e.g. grab it at a LCD display ribbon. Not as good/convenient as decrypting it, but it is an option.
I think the reason why regular store bought gizmos won’t let you decrypt it is because content can require HDCP to make sure you don’t gain access to the data. If there were a device at Best Buy that just bypassed this, I think the DMCA and rights holders would come down hard on the seller.
I’ve heard of gizmos from shadier places may be able to decrypt the data but it’s likely because they’re acting outside of the law.
