How do Netflix and Hulu hide the screen image when trying to do a screencapture?
In: Technology
Video players (or rather, their content) used to not show up on screenshots, even without doing anything special, because the video was shown in a special, faster way. Basically, the “normal” way of showing stuff on the screen shows everything except the video, then the video card is asked to add the video in the appropriate spot later. The screenshot is taken only from the output of the “normal” path.
A similar approach, except specifically designed to keep you from capturing the video, is a part of some DRM (“Digital Rights Management”, anti-piracy) systems the platforms use.
The specific answer depends on what exactly you are asking about: The video in the browser or a separate app, and on which operating system. Some, for example, allow apps to ask the operating system to prevent screenshots, which is why e.g. you may not be able to take screenshots of your banking app on your phone.
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