Security
Your film.
Under lock.
Share the cut before release with tighter control over access, playback and downloads. Use browser review for everyday work, and the macOS Vault when the project needs additional protection.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated September 2026
The security model
Before the film is public.
Match the controls to the cut.
A private link helps control who gets in. The Vault adds a native playback path for work that needs encrypted local storage, capture restrictions and viewer watermarking.
Vaulting is set per video. When enabled, ordinary recipient web playback and master downloads are blocked; authorized review moves to the macOS app. Short-lived media URLs reduce the window for reuse. They do not prevent misuse while a valid URL is active.
Browser-based DRM exists on other platforms. Our Vault controls live in the macOS app, so every reviewer needs a compatible Mac and authorized access. Confirm those requirements before sending an unreleased cut.
Encrypt the local copy
The Vault path uses AES-256 encryption for the playback cache. Access remains tied to the authorized native workflow.
Restrict software capture
The playback window is designed to stay out of supported capture paths. Test the actual operating system, app and sharing tools used by your team.
Identify the viewing session
Visible viewer identification deters casual redistribution. A per-person forensic mark is designed to help investigate an altered copy.
Keep an access record
A tamper-evident log records access events. It supports an investigation without proving who physically watched or redistributed a file.
Included across plans
Everything included,
at a published price.
Vault access is included on every tier, including Starter. Plans change your storage and included team seats. Studio includes five seats, 1 TB ready-to-play storage and 8 TB cold archive; it is not the entry price for these controls.
THE VAULT
Share the cut before its release.
Keep sensitive footage in a dedicated review workflow. When Vault is enabled, ordinary recipient web playback and master downloads are blocked; authorized review moves to the macOS app. Test this path on the recipient’s Mac before sensitive sharing.
- ✓Protected review in the compatible macOS app
- ✓AES-256 encrypted local playback cache
- ✓Capture restrictions on supported paths
- ✓Visible viewing-session identification
- ✓Forensic mark designed to support investigation
- ✓Per-video access and short-lived media links
Included across plans. Starter: 5 GB, one film, one team seat. Paid plans add storage and seats; external viewers are not billed. Watermarks support investigation without guaranteeing attribution of a leak.
Choosing a security workflow
Published prices are a starting point.
Compare the requirements, too.
Frame.io offers enterprise DRM across supported web and native clients. MediaSilo combines production asset management with watermarking. NexGuard specializes in watermarking across distribution workflows. The Vault brings native review controls into your uncompressed.io library.
| Compare | uncompressed.io | Frame.io | MediaSilo | NAGRA NexGuard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listed security offer | Included across plans, including Starter | Enterprise security plans: contact sales | Pro: from $250/month for 10 seats ($25/user/month) | Contact sales; no list price on reviewed product page |
| Review environment | macOS Vault for protected review | Supported web, mobile, TV and integration clients | Production media-management and review platform | Specialist pre-release and distribution deployments |
| Watermarking | Visible session and per-person forensic marks | Enterprise watermarking; check account terms | Visual and forensic watermarking listed on Pro | Specialist forensic watermarking product |
| Storage and seats | Vary by plan; additional seats do not add storage | Storage/member allowances vary by plan | Pro starts with 4 TB; ten-seat minimum | Confirm deployment, service and storage requirements |
Offers reviewed September 7, 2026. Products, terms and validation differ: this table does not establish equivalent protection. MediaSilo starting price as listed; confirm currency, billing period and options. Sources: Frame.io · Frame.io DRM · MediaSilo · NAGRA NexGuard.
Forensic watermarking
A trace to investigate.
when a copy escapes.
The visible watermark identifies the viewing session. The invisible per-person mark is designed to help connect a recovered copy with its playback history.
Recovery depends on the copy: cropping, recompression, a new grade or filming a screen can weaken or remove usable evidence. A recovered identifier and access log need interpretation together. They do not establish who leaked the file on their own.
For specialist anti-piracy requirements, compare detection support, deployment options and validation with the provider. Our NexGuard comparison explains the different buying and deployment models.
Set the right expectation
Access controls
Every video gets
its own gate.
Most projects do not need the vault. They still get a door: visibility, password, expiry and downloads are set per video, on every plan, including Free.
Client review runs on the same controls. The review room treats the share link as the auth, so timecoded comments, drawings on the frame and per-version approvals work for web clients with no account to create. When a project is sensitive enough to go dark, the vault switch is per video too; one library holds both kinds of work.
Password, per video
Any video can require a password before its share page opens. Set it on the work that needs it and leave the rest alone; the setting travels with the video, not the plan.
Expiring access
Give access a shelf life. When the window closes, the link stops working on its own, and nobody has to remember to revoke it after the approval lands.
Unlisted or public
Three visibility states per video: public, unlisted, or locked. A portfolio piece and an unreleased campaign do not need the same door.
Download switches
Original-file downloads are owner-switched per video. Keep them off during review, turn them on for delivery day, and the link your client already has serves both.
Dailies to delivery
Secure from the camera
to the graded master.
Keep access decisions with the project as it moves from dailies to approval. Choose when a reviewer can watch, when access ends and when original-file delivery is appropriate.
Camera ingest depends on the camera, firmware and network workflow. Test a short take through upload, authorization and playback before the shoot. A proxy available for early review and a fully downloaded original serve different stages of that work.
The macOS app supports R3D, BRAW, N-RAW and ProRes on compatible Macs. Playback depends on the codec, hardware, storage and file availability; test a short clip on the recipient’s Mac. For browser review, use a supported H.264, HEVC or AV1 export.
AES-256
Encrypted at rest
Encrypted local cache in the macOS Vault path.
Native
Camera files in the macOS app
Supported R3D, BRAW, N-RAW and ProRes files on compatible Macs.
2
Watermark layers
Visible identification and an invisible mark designed to support investigation.
Free
The vault, on every plan
Studio is $219 a month with 5 seats and 1 TB hot + 8 TB cold pooled; extra seats $15 a month.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can someone screen-record a vaulted video?
The macOS Vault is designed to exclude its playback window from supported software capture paths. Check the recipient’s macOS version and capture tools before sensitive use. A camera can still film a screen; visible and forensic watermarks add deterrence and investigative context, not a guarantee against leaks.
Is the footage encrypted?
The macOS Vault playback path uses AES-256 encryption for its local cache. Vaulted files require authorized native playback through time-limited media URLs. An issued URL can remain usable until it expires. Authorized original-file downloads are a separate path and should be controlled accordingly.
What access history can I review?
Sign-ins, opens, plays and approvals are written to a tamper-evident log. This gives your team an access history for investigation; it does not by itself prove a person watched every frame or establish legal admissibility.
What happens if a screener does leak?
Per-person watermarking is designed to help investigate a leaked copy. Recovery depends on what happened to the footage; severe crops, recompression and camera recordings can weaken a mark. It is not a guarantee that every leak can be traced or prevented.
Can clients review without installing anything?
For ordinary work, yes: compatible exports play in supported browsers, and the review room works for web clients with no account. Vaulted masters are deliberately native-app-only, because these Vault controls are implemented in the native playback path. The vault is per-video, so you choose which work needs that trade.
Can I send dailies straight from set?
The macOS app supports camera ingest through supported network workflows. Compatibility depends on the camera, firmware and connection. Test the camera-to-review path before a shoot, and confirm which proxy or original is available to each reviewer.
Put the next master in the vault
The vault is included on every plan, including the free 5 GB Starter plan. Test a short clip in the macOS app and confirm the controls meet your review requirements before sharing sensitive work.
Sources
- 1.Frame.io pricing (Enterprise security is quoted; reviewed September 7, 2026)
- 2.Frame.io DRM (Enterprise Prime; supported web and native clients, May 7, 2026)
- 3.MediaSilo pricing (Pro includes visual and forensic watermarking; $25/user, minimum ten seats)
- 4.NAGRA NexGuard (Specialist watermarking product and contact-sales buying path)