Kaltura has two different mechanisms for enforcing access control without requiring cross-dependency that are effective for all connected devices:

• Scheduling - Used for enforcing access control on the entry-level across all connected devices. This mechanism is based on a single start/end window. It is recommended to use the scheduling mechanism if and when it meets your business requirements. Scheduling is easier to setup via the API and can be self-served by non-technical users, either through the KMC or through MediaSpace.

• Advanced Access Control - Used for more fine-grain control on the flavor level, Advanced Access control allows both multiple-scheduling windows and multiple rules beyond scheduling. For example (“Don’t serve the HD flavor in Canada”, “Playback on iPads is not allowed 8 hours after TV air date”). This mechanism is more complex. Additional information is available in the article Kaltura Media Access Control Model.

Both Scheduling and Advanced Access-Control are fully enforced on the server-side and by mobile applications when they retrieve content via Kaltura APIs. For more information on how to retrieve content per platform/protocol see How to Retrieve the Download or Streaming URL using API Calls?

Note: It is recommended to always use these methods and not, for example, store returned m3u8 urls, as m3u8 urls are only temporary.

When using the scheduling mechanism, setting the scheduling window on an entry, either via KMC, or via API, will have the access control logic enforced cross-device.

To provide a better UX than just a black screen when accessing content outside its scheduling window, for example, display a message as “This video cannot be played at this time” or “Video can only be accessed between X – Y, try again in T hours”, you should also use the baseEntry.getContextData API method. This method allows retrieving the scheduling window and presenting a message dialog to the end user when isScheduledNow is returned false.