Selling and Protecting my Videos

[Dan Erickson]

I have been making instructional videos for my company (we manufacture packaging machinery). We have been exploring options on just how we want to sell them to our various customers and how we want them to be able to play the videos.

We have been concentrating on using the iPod touch, which allows the operator/technician to stand in front of the area of the machine to be adjusted, view the video on the iPod, then perform the function. This part has gone very well and we are very happy with the quality of the videos.

Now the big wigs are worried about how we are going to protect the videos from being copied off the unit if someone decided to jailbreak the iPod or use another app to copy them off. I am thinking of contacting apple to see if we could use the iTunes store to distribute the videos and use their DRM to protect them.

Not really wanting to be tied specifically to the iPod, we also want to explore hosting the videos on our server (or maybe another), and provide paying customers login credentials to gain access to streaming videos. We could then control customer access based on subscription, but I guess there would still be the risk of someone being able to copy the videos (various methods I would imagine).

So to summarize: We need to be able to distribute our videos to customers in a sensible format, yet be able to cut them off if they choose not to renew their subscription.

Anyone on here in the business that might have some advise (do or at least point me in the right direction) on how to best accomplish what we are trying to ?

Peace

 

[rmuller]

There is no way you can completely protect it. As long as someone is able to view it, someone is able to copy it.

 

[Ballah06]

..... to the point of just placing a camera in front of the screen and retaping your video while its playing on tv.... straight up hadji style

 

[cboy903]

Are you in the business of selling machinery or instructions?
If the videos pertain to your brand of machines, what good is it to people that don't have your product? Information only has value when it's useful.

 

[Dan Erickson]

I fully realize that there is no 100% positive way to protect the videos, but just wanted "enough" to discourage the not so fully determined.

cboy903; We ARE in the business of selling machinery and we DO provide them with full instructional manuals (for free) when they purchase a machine.

This is intended to be a value added option that would assist in on the job (at the machine) training/reference.

It would NOT be very much good for people who did not have our machines, but there are PLENTY of companies out there that DO have our machines and we would like to be paid for our extra effort in developing this, so we want to have some control.

 

[varova87]

That's a great idea. Smart move in using available technology to your advantage.

some sort of DRM would be a good thing to look into. I'm sure there is software out there that will add a digital stamp to a file allowing limited access.

However, you're in the boat that many artists are in. They want to protect their stuff, but there are thousands of people out there working day to day coming up with ways to get around the fences. Just the way it is.

 

[Blue]

holy nickel and dime time, batman!

 

[Dan Erickson]

holy nickel and dime time, batman!

?

 

[p m]

?

I'd think a company should provide the instructional videos for their core product for free.
You're wasting your time.

 

[Dan Erickson]

I'd think a company should provide the instructional videos for their core product for free.
You're wasting your time.

So if Land Rover decided to make a shit ton of videos that showed how to do every procedure found in the workshop manual (which I thought was NOT even offered for free), You would expect them to give them to you for free?

As I said, we already give them the instructional manual for free.

 

[SGaynor]

You're at a sales advantage. Sure, someone could read the manual, but the vids get them up to speed faster, ie, saves them time. That's worth something to the potential customer. It allows you to sell more machines at a higher $.

At least that's the way I look at it...

 

[p m]

So if Land Rover decided to make a shit ton of videos that showed how to do every procedure found in the workshop manual (which I thought was NOT even offered for free), You would expect them to give them to you for free?

to me - no, because I can read.
to others - I don't care, but my general answer would be "yes."

Edit, after seeing Scott's response:

Dan, it is really easy to make the instructional video a self-contained Windows application that will cease to function after a certain number of uses or time lapse or environment change (copying from one box to another).

 

[Blue]

I fully realize that there is no 100% positive way to protect the videos, but just wanted "enough" to discourage the not so fully determined.

cboy903; We ARE in the business of selling machinery and we DO provide them with full instructional manuals (for free) when they purchase a machine.

This is intended to be a value added option that would assist in on the job (at the machine) training/reference.

It would NOT be very much good for people who did not have our machines, but there are PLENTY of companies out there that DO have our machines and we would like to be paid for our extra effort in developing this, so we want to have some control.

"Value added" would mean that the customer gets this extra "value" from your company for free; i.e. there is an added value in buying from you vs your competitors.

I think you really meant to say "This is intended to be an added fee-based service that would assist in on the job training."

 

[Blue]

So if Land Rover decided to make a shit ton of videos that showed how to do every procedure found in the workshop manual (which I thought was NOT even offered for free), You would expect them to give them to you for free?

As I said, we already give them the instructional manual for free.

Actually, I have bought cars (BMW and Lexus) that came with video instructions for operating the vehicle (i.e. operating the machine). That was certainly a value added option.

They didn't come with manuals nor videos on how to fix the machine. Are you talking about selling videos about how to operate your machines or fix your machines?

 

[p m]

They didn't come with manuals nor videos on how to fix the machine. Are you talking about selling videos about how to operate your machines or fix your machines?

It doesn't matter.
FWIW, a public-domain repair manual has some detrimental value to the product. That's probably why you've never seen a Rolls Royce factory repair manual.

 

[Dan Erickson]

"Value added" would mean that the customer gets this extra "value" from your company for free; i.e. there is an added value in buying from you vs your competitors.

I think you really meant to say "This is intended to be an added fee-based service that would assist in on the job training."

Fair enough; you are right.

This is intended to be an added fee-based service that would assist in on the job training.


The videos range from basic operational procedures, all the way up to how to set the timing, preventive/routine maintenance, how to change it over to run different products/sizes, and troubleshooting common problems.


Eventually, we may do some on component removal and replacement.

Peace

 

[Dan Erickson]

Dan, it is really easy to make the instructional video a self-contained Windows application that will cease to function after a certain number of uses or time lapse or environment change (copying from one box to another).

Thanks Peter,

Can you point me in the right direction for this?

 

[p m]

I don't know if anybody makes a product like that. I know how to make one from a bunch of bitmaps, and it would take me a bit of learning to do it from an existing video.

I'd create a basic Win32 application, break the video down to bitmaps, and show them in the window with the proper refresh rate. There must be more clever ways to do it, but you need to talk to a proper software developer. For a right guy, it's a one-week project.

 

[chris snell]

DRM sucks.

As Peter says, you are wasting your time.

This project will generate you very little revenue and you're losing all of the potential goodwill that could be generated by distributing free instructional videos.

 

[Dan Erickson]

I don't know if anybody makes a product like that. I know how to make one from a bunch of bitmaps, and it would take me a bit of learning to do it from an existing video.

I'd create a basic Win32 application, break the video down to bitmaps, and show them in the window with the proper refresh rate. There must be more clever ways to do it, but you need to talk to a proper software developer. For a right guy, it's a one-week project.

Oooops...I forgot to mention these are real videos (not animations), taken with a video camera.

Were you possibly thinking I was talking about animated videos, or are you talking about making the real videos into bitmaps?