Widevine FAQ

[petenun]

I've seen a lot of questions regarding the use of the Widevine folder and how to use it in conjunction with Crunchy-Downloader and figured it would be better to create a post rather than replying separately to everyone.

While I am not a cryptographical expert, I do know how to write and have a fair understanding of the concepts and components involved. Will my explanation be perfect? No. In fact, I will have to intentionally be vague at times, but I will try to make it easy to understand.

Let's start with concepts.

What is Encryption?
At it's core, encryption is merely a cypher, a way to jumble data until the right key is provided. In the World War II era, they key to deciphering an encrypted message was an enigma machine or paper conversion tables. In modern times, keys take the form of both private and public key certificates that need to shake hands in order to unscramble the data.

What is Widevine?
Widevine is a specific encryption method used by many media streaming services to provide DRM (digital rights management) protection for their content. As of March 2024, Crunchyroll implemented Widevine encryption on their content. What this means is that, in order to get the content, an appropriate key needs to be used. This key is called an "L3 CDM" key (short for Level 3 Content Decryption Module), and is unique to each individual. This unique requirement is why it's fruitless to try to find a working key on the internet. You will have to create or extract it yourself.

Is it Legal?
It is important to note that decrypting encrypted content is considered illegal or at least legally questionable in some (most) countries. Even having discussions about in a public forum is not a great idea, as it can put the developer at some risk. As such, I have to intentionally be somewhat vague, and emphasize that all and any information provided is purely for educational purposes.

How do I acquire an L3 CDM key?
This is where I have to be vague. As mentioned earlier, you can't just download a key. You will need to create or extract it from a working connection. There are write-ups online and if you are interested in researching the topic for educational purposes, a good place to start would be searching for the keywords "Widevine", "android studio", and "L3 CDM". I'm sorry to say that this is not a simple point-and-click process and it may be beyond the abilities of some people, but there are resources that provide a step-by-step procedure for you to follow.

How do I get help if I get stuck?
I hate to say "You're on your own", but you're on your own. There may be places where you can have open discussions on the topic, such as Reddit, but please don't ask for help or advice from anybody on this forum. This is for the protection of the developer and other users here.

Now that I have both the client_id.bin and private_key.pem files, how do I use them?
This part is relatively easy. You just need to create a folder named "Widevine" in the root of your Crunchy-Downloader application directory, then simply copy both files to that location. The Crunchy-Downloader application will know how to use them.

Is there anything else I need?
You will still need an active subscription to Crunchyroll, as your account will need to be linked through the Crunchy-Downloader application in order to access video content.

I hope this has been somewhat helpful, or has at least pointed you in a helpful direction.

[ardentsoul22]

UFFF thank you so much I finally got the program to work and it's 10/10 I love you and never die hahaha thanks again :)

[maks5544334]

Guys, please help me turn it on.

[petenun]

I'm not unsympathetic, but as stated in the FAQ:

"How do I get help if I get stuck?
I hate to say "You're on your own", but you're on your own. There may be places where you can have open discussions on the topic, such as Reddit, but please don't ask for help or advice from anybody on this forum. This is for the protection of the developer and other users here."

There should be enough bread crumbs in the post to point you in a working direction, but you're going to have to get there on your own.

[NRouting]

Thank you very much for the tip, my friend. I had done some research on my own at first, but I ended up giving up. Then I found this post here, and after struggling a bit, I managed to create the files.

[ItzELECTR0]

I was using another crunchyroll downloader that was discontinued after the introduction of widevine to crunchy. This is a life saver as I want to save the series I enjoy most as offline media both for personal watching and video editing. Thank you for making this resource available to me and everyone else once again!

[Nisekoi-1]

[ItzELECTR0]

For the sake of this repo you might want to consider deleting this comment

[petenun]

The first rule of Widevine: You don't talk about Widevine.

[x3inspire]

Hi, i already put those file in WV folder but still getting error.

Do i still need mp4decrypt even already have WV key?

[petenun]

I think you answered your own question. If the error message says it can't find mp4decrypt.exe, then it's evident that the program is looking for the file and it needs to be present.

In general, it's usually best not to change anything that the developer states is a requirement.

[petenun]

P.S. If you're receiving an error message or having technical problems, it's best to post it under Issues, rather than under a conversation where it can get lost.

[ghost]

I am amazed that this guy got the WV content but has issues with mp4decrypt.exe...

For the love of all that is holy I just black out when it comes to aquiring whatever I need for the WV folder.

[omar3x]

[ItzELECTR0]

Put that in the issues tab, not here, brother.

[ghost]

It feels like I need to be an average programmer to get client_id.bin and private_key.pem files. Is this correct?

[ItzELECTR0]

No not really.