Digital Rights Management (DRM) provides content protection so that videos are only being played by users who are authorized to play them. DRM-protected content is playable from both our web player and mobile apps, but we suggest playing from our supported mobile or TV apps for best results.
A very small number of titles on Kanopy are DRM-protected, but you may run into an error when trying to play from an incompatible system. These errors may include:
- Unsupported system or browser
- Unsupported mobile/TV app version
- Unsupported external monitors
- Network connectivity
- Geo-blocking
- Screen resolution
The following operating systems do not support DRM content protection:
- All Linux distributions (OpenBSD, Fedora, or Ubuntu)
The following browser versions do support DRM content protection:
Supported Mac OS
| Mac OS | Safari | Firefox | Chrome | Opera |
| High Sierra (10.13.x) |
v.8 (and above) |
v.47 (and above) | v.53 (and above) | v.52 (and above) |
| Sierra (10.12.x) |
v.8 (and above) | v.47 (and above) | v.53 (and above) | v.52 (and above) |
| El Capitan (10.11.x) |
v.8 (and above) | v.47 (and above) | v.53 (and above) | v.52 (and above) |
| Yosemite (10.10.x) | v.8 (and above) | v.47 (and above) | v.53 (and above) | v.52 (and above) |
| Mavericks (10.9.x) | N/S | v.47 (and above) | v.53 (and above) | N/S |
| Mountain Lion (10.8.x) | N/S | N/S | N/S | N/S |
Airplay on Mac OS
If you are experiencing issues with playing DRM-protected content on your Mac OS, please try turning off Airplay. See also Unsupported mobile/TV app version.
Supported Windows
| Windows version |
Internet Explorer |
Edge | Firefox | Chrome | Opera |
| Windows 10 | v.11 | v.12 (and above) |
v.47 (and above) |
v.53 |
v.52 (and above) |
| Windows 8.1 | v.11 | N/S | v.47 (and above) |
v.53 (and above) |
v.52 (and above) |
| Windows 8 | N/S | N/S | v.47 (and above) |
v.53 (and above) |
v.52 (and above) |
| Windows 7 | N/S | N/S | v.47 (and above) |
v.53 (and above) |
v.52 (and above) |
| Windows Vista | N/S | N/S | v.47 (and above) |
v.53 (and above) |
v.52 (and above) |
| Windows XP | N/S | N/S | N/S | N/S | N/S |
Unsupported mobile/TV app version
To ensure that DRM-protected content is playing properly on your apps, please be sure that you are using the most recently updated version of the app. If you are using a mobile browser instead of the app the video will not play.
You can download these here:
If you are using an unsupported monitor, you may receive an error that HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) is not supported by your device. To resolve:
- If you are using a laptop plugged into an external monitor, please try unplugging your screen from your laptop or switching to an HDCP compliant cord and screen
- If you are using a desktop computer, please ensure that both your cord and monitor are HDCP compliant (HDMI, DVI)
- If you are on a Mac computer, try using Safari browser instead for better compatibility. (HDMI and thunderbolt)
Analog cords, such as VGA, are not HDCP compliant.
Your IP address may have changed during playback. Please try reloading the video or refresh the web page.
You may be trying to play a video in a country where the rights are unavailable.
Devices with a screen resolution below 720p may not support playback of DRM content. Try changing your display settings to a higher screen resolution or use a different device.
If the above suggestions do not resolve the DRM-related issues you are experiencing, please contact us at support@kanopy.com and include the type of device you are using, including model, OS, browser/Kanopy app version.