Microsoft PlayReady Frequently Asked Questions

Microsoft PlayReady is content access technology that is optimized to help mobile operators, content-service providers, handset manufacturers, and independent software vendors (ISVs) to create products and services for digital entertainment and commerce.

Microsoft PlayReady technology supports a wide range of audio and video formats, including Windows Media Audio (WMA), Windows Media Video (WMV), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), AAC+, enhanced AAC+, and the H.263, and H.264 video codecs. It also moves beyond audio and video to support games, images, and ringtones. In addition, it supports many business models for content, including purchased downloads, subscription, rental, preview, and pay-per-view. Because it supports domains and embedded licenses, PlayReady can also enable more seamless scenarios for consumers to enjoy protected content on multiple devices.

These features are crucial components for mobile operators, handset vendors, and content services who desire to deliver an expanding range of entertainment-focused content, services and devices—both now and in the future.

Microsoft PlayReady is a technology platform that offers components that are tailored for different parts of the ecosystem. PlayReady technology components include:

All three components of Microsoft PlayReady are available for licensing now. Information on licensing terms and an online license request tool are available on the Licensing Microsoft PlayReady page.

Availability depends on the product development cycles of device manufacturers and content services.

PlayReady means that content access technology that supports virtually any file type (and a wide range of business models you may choose to implement) is available to your company. Please see the Summary of Features page for an overview of PlayReady features.

Please see the Microsoft PlayReady License Terms page for licensing details.

Microsoft PlayReady is backward-compatible with Windows Media DRM 10 digital rights management technology (DRM) on devices. This means that devices that support PlayReady will be able to access content that is protected using Windows Media DRM 10. PlayReady also offers significant functionality not available with Windows Media DRM 10, such as the ability to protect a wide range of content types, and support for domains and embedded licenses to improve ease of use for consumers who are looking to manage and sync protected content.

Yes. Devices that support Microsoft PlayReady technology can decrypt content protected by Windows Media DRM 10.

Devices that support Microsoft PlayReady technology can decrypt content that is protected using Windows Media DRM 10.

Microsoft PlayReady enables content services and device manufacturers to make more content available to consumers. It also makes that content more portable and even easier for consumers to enjoy than it is today. PlayReady’s support for domains and embedded licenses makes it simple for consumers to transfer and play their content on any of their devices that are part of the domain.

Microsoft PlayReady protects content by encrypting data files. There is no need to hide files, make them inaccessible, or put special protection in place when files are transmitted from system to system. In other words, operating system requirements and high-security, file-transport mechanisms are not needed. However, copying a file and giving it to a friend will not enable that friend to use the file if it’s protected by PlayReady. To use an encrypted file, users need a license. This license is the primary way to exercise control over content (the encrypted file). A license is granted to a single client (such as a media player) or a domain (such as a home network). The license will not function on other clients or other domains.

Each license contains rights and restrictions that define exactly how the content may be used and under what conditions. For example, a music file license may enable a "right to play" but restrict the "right to export (burn) to CD." The license might be valid for the period between October 1, 2008, and November 1, 2008. There may be multiple licenses for a single file. A user will be able to access and use his or her content so long as one of the licenses grants the right, and the restrictions do not prevent access.

For more information on how PlayReady protects digital content, please see the white paper.

PlayReady individualizes the critical components of each run-time client for the PC. Individualization binds the runtime client to the computer where the client was initially installed. Consumers are given different executable files and different certified license keys. This significantly reduces the danger of global breaks. If a specific PlayReady client becomes compromised, it can be barred from acquiring licenses for new digital media files; to acquire licenses to new digital media files, a new client would need to be installed.

Yes. Renewability refers to the updating of content access technology components to enhance security. PlayReady can be upgraded by a variety of triggers as Microsoft releases improved versions. These releases may be regular improvements in the overall security of the technology, or they may be reactions to security threats. Content owners can also refuse to service requests from less secure clients unless the client upgrades or renews certain components. PlayReady also includes support for domain renewability, which allows domain certificates to be upgraded without invalidating previously acquired content.

Microsoft has released the PlayReady PC Software Development Kit, which enables application developers to include support for decrypting PlayReady-protected content in their Windows-based applications.

The PlayReady PC Software Development Kit runs on the Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP SP3 operating systems. The PlayReady Server Software Development Kit runs on the Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems (only the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 is supported).

Certain end-to-end scenarios may require protected content to be exported from one content-protection system to another in order to play or copy the same content on multiple platforms and devices. For example, a consumer may use a PC to acquire subscription content that is protected with PlayReady and may then want to stream that content to a playback device on a network that only supports DTCP-IP. To play the content protected with PlayReady on that device, the protected content must be exported to DTCP-IP.

To enable this scenario, the PlayReady Server SDK provides an extensible method for adding permitted exports to a license. The PlayReady Compliance Rules contain a list of content-protection formats that are permitted for export and their associated rights mappings with PlayReady, along with methods that developers can call to export the content from PlayReady.

The client sending content may only export the content to those content-protection systems specified in the license. As is the case with Windows Media DRM, the final decision about the systems that systems-specific content may flow to will be made on a case-by-case basis by the content service provider.