I receive errors when I try to play protected-content videos in Microsoft Store apps

This issue can occur because of audio or video driver issues on your PC. The following scenarios may apply:

• Your current video driver may not fully support Windows 8 or Windows RT, or the playing of DRM protected content.
• You need to install the update KB2768703 to resolve protected content playback errors in Windows.
• Your audio card may have an incorrectly configured driver.
• Your video card may not support DRM by design and may fail if attempting to play DRM protected video on primary or secondary monitors.

Note: Windows 8 and Windows RT video cards require a Microsoft WHQL-certified video driver for your hardware to playback content without restrictions.  At this time many USB video cards do not meet this requirement.  Please contact your video card manufacturer and search for and install the latest Microsoft WHQL-certified video driver for your hardware.

Step 1

To resolve this issue, install updates KB2756872 and KB2768703. To do this, follow the steps and install all "Important" updates:

1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and tap Settings(or, if you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Settings), and then tap or click Change PC Settings.
2. Tap or click Windows Update and then tap or click Check for updates now.
3. When Windows Update is done checking for updates, tap or click Install downloaded updates or Install to install the updates. You might be asked for an admin password or to verify your choice. Windows Update will tell you if the updates were successfully installed.

Step 2

Check to ensure your audio driver is properly configured.  If your audio driver is not properly configured, you may not be able to play protected video content.  To correct this, click the button in the "Fix it for me" section. If you would rather verify and update these keys yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

Fix it for me

Let me fix it myself

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

Click here to view or hide detailed information


To fix this issue, follow these steps:

This section is intended for advanced computer users. For help with advanced troubleshooting, ask your system administrator or contact Microsoft Support.



Note Use this method only if the earlier instructions do not work to resolve this problem.

1. Open the Charms bar, click Search and type regedit in the Search box.
2. In the App results, click on regedit, and then click Yes when prompted.
3. Locate, and then click the following registry subkey: 
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Audio
   
   
4. Look for the following value in the right-hand pane:
   
   DisableProtectedAudioDG
   
   
5. If the DisableProtectedAudioDG value is present, right-click on it and choose Delete
6. Exit the Registry Editor
7. Open the Command Prompt as an Administrator
   1. From the Start screen, bring up Search using the charms, and search for command prompt
   2. In the App results, right-click on Command Prompt and then click Run as Administrator on the App commands bar.
   3. Type Net stop audiosrv and hit enter
   4. Type Net start audiosrv and hit enter
   5. Exit the Command Prompt

Note: If you are unable to stop/start audiosrv from a Command Prompt, restart your machine for the change to take effect.

Step 3

If installing the Important updates does not resolve the issue you should visit your OEM and/or video card manufacturer and search for and install the latest Microsoft WHQL-certified video driver for your hardware. 

To find the name and manufacturer of your video card and update your driver, follow these steps:

1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and tap Search, (or, if you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search), type dxdiag, and then tap or click dxdiag in the list of applications.
2. Tap or click the Display tab and look for the name and manufacturer of your video card in the Device section.
3. Go to the manufacturers website and search for the latest Windows 8 video driver for your card
4. Download and install the driver.

For help locating your hardware manufacturer's website, visit Hardware and software vendor contact information.