How can I make a video such that the quality degrades if someone tries to record it using screen recording software?

Question

How can I make a video such that the quality degrades if someone tries to record it using cam-studio or similar software? We create music videos which are often subjected to piracy. Although the CDs are encrypted, making it difficult for people to duplicate, anyone can record the videos using camstudio or similar software while playing it on their computer.

Answer 1

There is no way to make a video that degrades without degrading the original copy. You could post a super low bitrate version of the video, but then it would look muddy and not ideal for your purposes as well. I think your best strategy is to water mark the video, in a way that isn't overly distracting, but it placed far enough into the video that they would be forced to zoom it and lose the original perspective if they were to steal your content and try to crop out the water mark. That said, the quality definitely degrades regardless when they screen cap it, its just not enough to accomplish the effect you desire.