The library has access to a number of films via the video streaming service Kanopy.


To access films on Kanopy, please ensure that you have accessed the resource via links from library pages such as SUPrimo, Reading Lists, or the A-Z Database list; and that you have followed the authentication instructions in the record to log-in on the resource as a University of Strathclyde member.



Some users have experienced problems when trying to access films on Kanopy, with errors displaying in the browser such as "The media is encrypted and we do not have the keys to decrypt it." or "Failed to execute 'update' on 'MediaKeySession' Rejected with system code (13)".


Errors like these are likely to be connected to your browser settings for playing Digital Rights Management (DRM)-controlled content.




Chrome browser






Firefox browser


  • Go to Firefox > Settings > General, and scroll down to the 'Digital Rights Management (DRM) Content' section. and ensure that 'Play DRM-controlled content' checkbox is ticked.



  • If this check box is already ticked and you are still experiencing the problem, please follow the 'Learn More' link. This will take you to a Mozilla Support page https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-drm containing instructions on how to watch DRM-controlled content in Firefox. Scroll to the section "Disable the Google Widevine CDM without uninstalling".
  • Following these instructions, go to the 'Manage Your Plugins' settings in Firefox.
  • Try changing your settings for the 'Widevine Content Decryption Module' - i.e. change between Always Activate/Never Activate to see if this fixes the problem.



Edge browser


  • Go to Settings > 'Cookies and Site Permissions' > 'Protected content'
  • Ensure that 'Allow sites to play protected content (recommended)' is active.






Kanopy also have a support article on this topic which can be found at https://help.kanopy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004589593-DRM-protection-troubleshooting , although it was last updated in 2019 so may be somewhat out of date.



If you have tried following these instructions but are still unable to watch films on Kanopy, or if you are using a different web-browser and require support, please log a Library Enquiry via our Support Portal at https://helpdesk.strath.ac.uk/support/tickets/new#libraryenquiry .