What is Widevine Certification? Widevine L1 Certificate Explained

DRM Widevine Certification Explained

In this digital dance, one name takes center stage – Widevine. Think of it as the superhero shield for your digital content. Today, we’re diving into the Widevine Certification, specifically focusing on the level 1 (L1) certification. It’s like the lock and key that makes sure your streaming experience is both top-notch and secure.

In this article, we will tell you about What is Widevine? What are Widevine L1, L2, and L3 certificates, what is the quality of video available, and with that in your smartphone or laptop how can you get the certificate, all that will be explained in detail in this article. 

What is Widevine Certification?

In today’s digital age, content protection is essential for safeguarding valuable media assets from unauthorized access and distribution. Widevine, a cutting-edge digital rights management (DRM) technology developed by Google, plays a crucial role in securing premium content across various platforms.

Widevine L1 certification, the highest security level offered by Widevine, establishes a stringent set of standards for devices capable of streaming high-definition (HD) and high-dynamic-range (HDR) content.

Widevine, short for Widevine DRM (Digital Rights Management), sets the gold standard for securing digital content. Whenever you dive into popular OTT platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, or Hotstar, Widevine is the unsung hero ensuring that the videos you watch stay protected from piracy. In simple terms, it’s the digital bodyguard keeping your streaming experience safe and sound.”

Google had purchased Widevine in 2010. Now let’s talk about the 3 certificate levels we can see here L1, L2, and L3. All these certificates depend on your hardware. 

There are three levels of Widevine DRM security: L1, L2, and L3. L1 is the highest level of security and is required for streaming HD and HDR content. L2 is a lower level of security that is used for streaming SD content. L3 is the lowest level of security and is not used for streaming any premium content.

What is the Widevine L1 Certificate?

If your phone has an L1 level certificate then the complete content process that is the video you are watching is processing or its cryptographic operation that is if your NetFlix is streaming in an encrypted form and only you will be able to see it. 

All the cryptographic operations also take place in your phone’s  CPU, which is called a trusted execution environment.  So all these operations came out here. Here in L1, you see the maximum level of security and here no one can pirate the content. So you can see the 1080p-level video. 

If your phone has an L1 level certificate and you want to check it, I will give you the procedure later. If you have an L1 level certificate then the 1080 p content can be streamed on your phone.

What is the Widevine L2 Certificate?

If your device has Widevine L2 security, you’ll only be able to stream videos at 540p or lower. This is because the encryption process occurs on your device, but the actual content processing happens elsewhere. Consequently, the video quality is limited to 540p to maintain security.

What is the Widevine L3 Certificate?

“Now, let’s talk about the third security level – L3. Here’s the deal: your phone doesn’t do any content processing or cryptographic operations. Both these heavy-lifting tasks happen outside your device. The result? You get a video quality capped at 480p. That’s the lowdown on the three security levels of Widevine.”

How to check your Smartphone’s DRM Security Level?

If you want to check your phone’s security level Is it L1 or L2 or L3? It is very simple, just Download the DRM info Android Application on your smartphone and follow the below steps.

1. Download the DRM Info app: Visit the Google Play Store and download the DRM Info app.

2. Open the DRM Info app: Once the app is installed, launch it on your smartphone.

3. Locate the Widevine CDM section: Scroll down the app’s interface until you find the “Widevine CDM” section.

4. Check the security level: Under the “Widevine CDM” section, you should see the “Security Level” field. This field will indicate your device’s Widevine DRM security level, which could be L1, L2, or L3.

I have L1. That means that I can see HD content on my phone on Netflix or Amazon Prime but even in there there is a condition, even though it says L1 what happens is, that Amazon Prime or NetFlix might have their own conditions.

In that case, as well your hardware condition should be fulfilled only then even after having an L1 level certificate at times you don’t get HD content. This is one thing that you should remember.

Now let’s talk about why Widevine is so important and why you should have the certificate. 

Why Widevine is so Important?

The first thing is, if you have Widevine then you will be able to see the videos from the OTT platform you won’t be able to see them without the certificate. 

Secondly, the content processing and all that in L1 L2, and L3 as I have explained.  Using the Widevine, Netflix, Amazon Prime or any other app stops the piracy of the video. So they don’t lose any revenue.

Whoever will get a subscription-only will be able to see the content. The ones who won’t take it, won’t be able to watch it for free Although still on telegram the videos or web series are often available. That is a completely different topic.

Here piracy doesn’t happen piracy happens in a whole other way which I cannot tell you and one more thing that happens in Widevine is that the video you are watching on any OTT platform won’t be able to screen record them. You cannot record them at all.

This is one more thing that happens at the L1 level.  If someone starts screen recording then the screen recording will take place smoothly but with this Widevine certificate, the recording will be interrupted.  Because of all this, the Widevine certificate helps the OTT platform to stop the piracy of content. It is very important

Now let’s talk about how smartphones get the certificate.

How do Smartphones Get the Widevine Certificate?

What happens is, it is absolutely free. If there is any smartphone brand all they have to do is pass the certification, if they pass it then they will get it.

How does that take place? Firstly this is free, then Widevine has many partners. They go to the partners and then they test their phone for the certificate. The partner completes the test and then they will decide on L1, L2, and L3, as I told you before after that according to the phone, they will give the certificate.

Now, who are the partners? When you go to the website Widevine you can see the partners there, if you want to join in then you can apply there and they will give you training and then you can become a partner too.

There you can see a lot of partners so, from all of them, the phone brands go to any one of them and then they get the certification for their phone, and then according to their hardware, they get the certificate. 

Now guys at the time what happens is this Widevine certificate might not be seen on some phones in that case you won’t be able to watch the content therefrom the OTT platform If you have an L2 level then you won’t get the maximum level as well. So that has happened on a few phones.

If we talk about the past then few phones had this issue. So what you have to do is in Sony’s new phones I don’t remember well but through an update, this was available in some phones, you have to manually go to the service center and then patch the certificate and then you will get it and if you get L1 level then you can watch content in HD. 

How to Enable Widevine Certificate in Laptop?

This was one more thing that I had to tell you. Let’s now talk about how to enable such certificates in laptops. If you are using any browser like Google Chrome, Firefox, Brave Browser, or any other browser. Just go to the settings and you will see the Widevine option which has to be enabled. 

Whatever  OTT platform you go to, be it Netflix or Amazon Prime it will ask for this certificate to be installed in your browser later they will show you their content videos.

You have to enable it, go to settings, and then you have to enable it so that any OTT platform you go to and want to watch a video from your laptop then it will ask for it. If it is enabled then the website will ask for it, and when you install it you will be able to watch videos there. 

This was in a laptop or computer and the certification level depends upon your hardware as well. I have told you everything about Widevine certification. If you have any doubts then do let me know in the comment section and I will answer you back. 

For More details check out the Official Widevine Website

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How to Check Widevine L1 on a Mobile Phone?

There are two main methods to check your mobile phone’s Widevine DRM security level:

Method 1: Using the DRM Info app

1. Download and install the DRM Info app from the Google Play Store.

2. Open the DRM Info app and scroll down to the “Widevine CDM” section.

3. Under the “Widevine CDM” section, you should see the “Security Level” field. This field will indicate your device’s Widevine DRM security level, which could be L1, L2, or L3.

Method 2: Using the Netflix app

1. Open the Netflix app on your mobile phone and sign in to your account.

2. Go to the “Settings” menu.

3. Scroll down to the “Playback Specifications” section.

4. Look for the “Widevine DRM Level” field. This field will indicate your device’s Widevine DRM security level.

2. How to Check Widevine L1 on a Laptop?

There are two main methods to check your laptop’s Widevine DRM security level:

Method 1: Using the MediaInfo tool

1. Download and install the MediaInfo tool from mediainfo.net.

2. Open a web browser and go to a website that provides test videos for different Widevine DRM security levels.

3. Right-click on the test video and select “Save As.”

4. Save the test video to your computer.

5. Open the MediaInfo tool and drag and drop the saved test video onto the application window.

6. In the MediaInfo window, look for the “Protection” line under the “General” tab. The value of this line will indicate your device’s Widevine DRM security level, which could be “L1,” “L2,” or “L3.”

Method 2: Using the Netflix app

1. Open the Netflix app on your laptop and sign in to your account.

2. Go to the “Settings” menu.

3. Scroll down to the “Playback Specifications” section.

4. Look for the “Widevine DRM Level” field. This field will indicate your device’s Widevine DRM security level.

3. How to Enable Widevine L1 on a Mobile Phone?

You cannot directly enable Widevine L1 on your mobile phone. The Widevine DRM security level is determined by the hardware and software of your device. If your device does not have the necessary hardware and software to support Widevine L1, you will not be able to enable it.

4. How to Enable Widevine L1 on a Laptop?

You cannot directly enable Widevine L1 on your laptop. The Widevine DRM security level is determined by the hardware and software of your laptop. If your laptop does not have the necessary hardware and software to support Widevine L1, you will not be able to enable it.

5. How to Download a Widevine L1 Certificate?

You cannot download a Widevine L1 certificate. The Widevine DRM security level is embedded in the hardware and software of your device. There is no way to download and install a separate certificate.

Hope this article clears your doubts about DRM Widevine Certification. If you want to give any suggestions to the Tech Geek, then comment down below.