# Blocking screen capture **URL:** \ **Category:** Wowza Streaming Engine\ **Created:** [March 31, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423 "2012-03-31T12:01:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Randy\_Whiting](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dec6dc/32.png) [@Randy\_Whiting](https://community.wowza.com/u/Randy_Whiting)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/1 "2012-03-31T12:01:37Z")
Hi, We have implemented the various security features for our Wowza server and want to know if there is anyway for blocking screen capture applications such as Snag-it or Camtasia. We have a potential customer who hit us with that this week and we are looking to see if there is some approach to block the capture of the video. Their response to us was that if I can use an app like Camtasia to grab videos, what good is your security… I know the standard answers about quality, effort, nothing is truly secure, etc. But was hoping someone might have a suggestion on how to block screen capture. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Randall\_Auriemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Randall\_Auriemma](https://community.wowza.com/u/Randall_Auriemma)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/2 "2012-03-31T17:07:35Z")
"Their response to us was that if I can use an app like Camtasia to grab videos, what good is your security… " Ha! There is not really a way to prevent a user from using their computer. They could also just record it with a camcorder. Video game companies try to prevent things like this. Steam, punkbuster, etc. Name one that hasn’t been bypassed. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Lanham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Richard\_Lanham](https://community.wowza.com/u/Richard_Lanham)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/3 "2012-04-01T16:34:33Z")
Wowza supports several DRM options: [https://www.wowza.com/docs/wowza-drm](https://www.wowza.com/docs/wowza-drm) But I do not know if screen capture is prevented with any of these options. Richard ---
**Author:** ![Randall\_Auriemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Randall\_Auriemma](https://community.wowza.com/u/Randall_Auriemma)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/4 "2012-03-31T20:29:49Z")
Another option to address your client’s concerns would be to add a watermark/overlay to their content before streaming. ---
**Author:** ![Randall\_Auriemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Randall\_Auriemma](https://community.wowza.com/u/Randall_Auriemma)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 8:25am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/5 "2012-04-01T08:25:43Z")
Actually blocking screen captures probably requires hooking into the video drivers to detect if anything else hooks into the video drivers. That would require a reboot. I don’t know of any players that do this but, that’s what the video game companies do in an effort to prevent wall-hacks. The “black box” technique uses something called [Hardware Overlay](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_overlay#Screenshots). Wildvine uses the Windows Media Player browser plugin which is not compatible with Wowza. RealMedia RealPlayer and Apple’s Quick Time Player can do hardware overlays so that may be an option. Netflix uses Silverlight to do the same thing, so that may be a better option in conjunction with PlayReady DRM and Wowza, as Richard mentioned. There is also this plugin which seems popular and claims to work with flash: [http://www.artistscope.com/copysafe\_web\_protection.asp](http://www.artistscope.com/copysafe_web_protection.asp) They also make an anti-capture web browser: [http://web-reader.artistscope.com/](http://web-reader.artistscope.com/) Then there’s [HDCP](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-bandwidth_Digital_Content_Protection) which aims to prevent [this](http://www.epiphan.com/products/frame-grabbers/vga2usb/). ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Whiting](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dec6dc/32.png) [@Randy\_Whiting](https://community.wowza.com/u/Randy_Whiting)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2012, 8:09am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/6 "2012-04-01T08:09:08Z")
Absolutely true. That was our approach. We reinforced that our security helps minimize how easy it is to copy but that there arr always ways to circumvent security. Just wondering if therenwas a way to plug one additional hole since I know that other DRM solutions like Widevine can black out screen captures. Truth is I think that a competitor who doesnt have any security is trying to level the playing field. ---
**Author:** ![ganesh\_swamy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@ganesh\_swamy](https://community.wowza.com/u/ganesh_swamy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2017, 2:07am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/7 "2017-02-10T02:07:17Z")
According to me, Camtasia is a best one for computers and whereas, [BB Rec](http://tricksempire.com/bb-rec-screen-recorder-ios-iphone-ipad-no-jailbreak/) serves best for the iOS devices like iPhone and iPad. ---
**Author:** ![enrique\_benzoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/839c29/32.png) [@enrique\_benzoni](https://community.wowza.com/u/enrique_benzoni)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/8 "2017-10-24T02:16:03Z")
this guy seems to have figured it out: [https://hoven-in.appspot.com/Home/Software/video-protection-software.html](https://hoven-in.appspot.com/Home/Software/video-protection-software.html) , [https://hoven-in.appspot.com/Home/Software/video-protection-software.html](https://hoven-in.appspot.com/Home/Software/video-protection-software.html) ---
**Author:** ![Isla\_james](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d78d45/32.png) [@Isla\_james](https://community.wowza.com/u/Isla_james)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 11:09am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/9 "2018-03-04T11:09:35Z")
As per me, Camtasia is a best one for PCs and though, [BB Rec](https://www.intech-bb.com/bb-rec/) serves best for the iOS gadgets like iPhone and iPad. ---
**Author:** ![toboruduhi\_vvv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@toboruduhi\_vvv](https://community.wowza.com/u/toboruduhi_vvv)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 10:05am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/10 "2018-09-27T10:05:04Z")
[Tiscali Mail Accesso](https://tiscali-mail.com/) ---
**Author:** ![toboruduhi\_vvv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@toboruduhi\_vvv](https://community.wowza.com/u/toboruduhi_vvv)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 10:09am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/11 "2018-09-27T10:09:30Z")
As per me, Camtasia is a best one for PCs and though, BB Rec serves best for the iOS gadgets like iPhone and iP [https://tiscali-mail.com/](https://tiscali-mail.com/) ---
**Author:** ![HIS\_FOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@HIS\_FOR](https://community.wowza.com/u/HIS_FOR)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 3:30am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/12 "2018-10-01T03:30:16Z")
If anyone asks about this, I’ll talk to Camtasia right away good luck ---
**Author:** ![giriraj98542\_vvv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@giriraj98542\_vvv](https://community.wowza.com/u/giriraj98542_vvv)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 9:49am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/13 "2019-08-20T09:49:07Z")
[aol](https://aoldeutschlandd.de/) mail If anyone asks about this, I’ll talk to Camtasia right away good luck ---
**Author:** ![giriraj98542\_vvv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@giriraj98542\_vvv](https://community.wowza.com/u/giriraj98542_vvv)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2019, 9:50am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/blocking-screen-capture/38423/14 "2019-08-20T09:50:54Z")
[aol](https://aoldeutschlandd.de) lk to Camtasia right away good luck