DRM-X 6.0Desktop Packager: step-by-step
Connect a DRM-X Packager profile, choose encoding and encryption settings, run a Windows batch and recover uploads with illustrated instructions.
Before you start#
Use the Windows x64 DRM-X 6.0 Packager Suite from Console → Package Content. Extract the whole ZIP into a writable folder. Keep DRM-X 6.0 Packager.exe, drmx-packager.exe, FFmpeg, FFprobe and Shaka Packager together; Desktop invokes the included CLI.
- Prepare a source video on a local drive and enough free space for temporary encoded renditions and protected output.
- In your DRM-X environment's Settings, obtain the Site ID, Packager Access Key and Packager KMS Token. These are packaging credentials, not a viewer DRM License Token.
- For managed upload, make sure your environment has a ready 1AICLOUD destination and sufficient storage entitlement. Customer-owned destinations must first be verified in Cloud Storage.
Use preview.6 or newer for the long-upload recovery described below. See large-video planning before a three-hour, 4K or 8K job.
1. Connect a Packager profile#
- Open
DRM-X 6.0 Packager.exe, identified by the DRM-X dove logo. - Enter a recognizable profile name, such as Production.
- Keep Server as
https://packaging.drm-x.com, unless your DRM-X administrator supplied a different server. - Enter the Site ID, Packager Access Key and Packager KMS Token from the same environment.
- Click Save profile, then Test connection. Resolve any authentication error before adding a large batch.
The KMS Token is stored in Windows Credential Manager. You can use this profile in both Desktop and the CLI with --profile "Production". A saved profile is not proof that credentials are still active; Test connection checks the server. Never put the KMS Token into the editable command or a screenshot.
2. Set packaging information#
Use Title template for the display name and Content ID template for your application's content identifier. The defaults substitute the source filename and batch number. Review the generated IDs in the file table; each new content item needs a unique ID. Your backend later uses that Content ID to authorize the published video.
3. Choose encoding settings#
| Control | A practical starting point |
|---|---|
| Source workflow | Encode one master source for an ordinary MP4/MOV/MKV video. Use pre-encoded renditions only when you already have the final tracks and understand the CLI input mapping. |
| Codec and preset | H.264 / AVC and Fast for the broadest starting compatibility. H.265 / HEVC or AV1 require player and device validation, particularly for UHD. |
| Rate control | Smart Quality VBR adapts the encoded bitrate to the source. Predictable Bitrate is useful when delivery-size planning matters more. Both still need a test clip. |
| Max FPS | Choose an appropriate cap for your audience. A 24 fps cap discards motion detail from higher-frame-rate sources; use 30 or 60 fps when needed and supported. |
| Audio and segment | AAC 128 Kbps and 6 seconds are useful starting settings. Four-second segments create about 50% more segment objects. |
| Resolution ladder | For 1080p, select SD, HD and Full HD. Add UHD for a 3840×2160 source or UHD2 for a 7680×4320 source. The CLI removes rungs larger than the source; it never upscales to create missing detail. |
Encoding a master is automatic: you do not need to encode the ladder in another application first. Desktop's detailed CLI editor remains available for multiple audio languages, subtitles and pre-encoded inputs.
4. Choose encryption and upload#
Maximum Compatibility produces complementary protected outputs for enabled DRM systems. Modern Multi-DRM uses a shared CBCS workflow where supported. Maximum Compatibility applies its H.264, 24 fps and SDR compatibility constraints. Choose Modern Multi-DRM when testing H.265 or AV1 workflows. Keep Multi-Key Protection(Shaka standard) for separate track protection, or choose Single Key Protection when one shared content key is required. Keep Audio Track Encryption enabled unless your application intentionally uses clear audio.
Select the DRM systems you will test: Widevine, FairPlay, PlayReady and WisePlay. Selecting a DRM or an 8K rung does not make every device capable of playing it. Keep upload enabled to publish to the configured storage destination; disable it to retain only local protected output.
5. Add files and run the batch#
- Click Add source files. You can select multiple sources.
- Review each title and Content ID. Remove an unwanted row with Remove selected.
- Click Choose output folder. Desktop creates a separate content folder for each item. Each destination must be empty for a new packaging run.
- After changing Steps 1–3, click Regenerate from Steps 1–3. This replaces manual edits in the parameter template, so preserve any advanced changes first.
- Review the command. Copy selected command gives the equivalent CLI command for the selected row, using your saved profile.
- Click Start batch packaging. Files run sequentially; the CLI uploads objects within the current file's package in parallel.
The phase cards report Analyze → Encode → Encrypt → Verify → Upload. Encoding and encryption can take much longer for UHD sources. At 99%, uploaded output is undergoing server verification. Wait for completion; an uploaded file count alone does not mean Published.
6. Recover an interrupted upload#
If the log says Local encryption and verification completed, but managed upload did not finish, keep the entire protected output folder. Copy the Packaging Session ID and resume command from the log. Run the CLI upload command using your saved profile; do not start a new packaging batch against that folder. Matching completed 1AICLOUD objects are reused.
Cancel current requests cooperative cancellation. Do not rename, edit or delete the protected output while it is being uploaded. If interruption occurred during encoding or encryption, use a new empty output folder for a new package; upload-only recovery requires completed local encryption.
7. Test the published video#
In the console, select the published content in Developer Tools and test with a fresh DRM License Token. Confirm playback, seeking, sound, subtitles and allowed resolutions on your target devices. Keep the source and protected output until publication and playback have been verified.