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Sprout Video Downloader | How to Download Sprout Videos
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sprout-downloader.md

Sprout Video Downloader

A browser extension that enables you to download videos from the Sprout Video platform. Perfect for accessing corporate training, marketing materials, and other business content offline.

Watch the video 👇

---

👉 Get the Sprout Video Downloader

Video Type Platform Download Method Status Notes
Direct MP4 SproutVideo embeds Direct download ✅ Works SD/HD quality options
Direct MP4 + Subtitles SproutVideo embeds Direct download ✅ Works Embedded subtitles included
HLS Encrypted SproutVideo embeds FFmpeg processing ✅ Works Requires AES-128 decryption
Third-party Embeds External websites Auto-detection ✅ Works Any site with SproutVideo iframes
Vids.io Videos Custom domains SproutVideo backend ✅ Works May require authentication
Player API Videos JavaScript embeds API integration ✅ Works Official SproutVideo player API
Blog/Website Videos SproutVideo.com Direct extraction ✅ Works Native platform content
Password Protected Any platform N/A ❌ Not supported Detection only
Disabled Accounts Any platform N/A ❌ Error handling Account status check

Supported Formats

  • MP4 (Direct download - fastest)
  • HLS/M3U8 (Requires processing - slower but handles encryption)
  • Quality options: 4K → 1440p → 1080p → 720p → SD (when available)

Requirements

  • Chrome/Chromium browser only
  • Valid license key required
  • Sufficient RAM for HLS processing
  • One video at a time (no batch downloads)

Downloading Sprout Videos

Sprout Video is built with security as a top priority, making downloads exceptionally complex. They utilize modern streaming protocols like HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), which breaks a single video into hundreds of small, individually encrypted .ts (transport stream) segments. You cannot simply download one video file.

A successful download requires a multi-step process that this extension automates: first, it fetches and parses the .m3u8 manifest file to get the list of all video segments. Then, it must download each and every encrypted segment, and finally, decrypt and stitch them together in the correct order to reassemble the original, complete video into a single MP4 file. This overcomes significant technical hurdles designed to prevent downloads.

Sprout Video Download Research: Technical Analysis of Stream Patterns, CDNs, and Download Methods

A comprehensive research document analyzing Sprout Video's video infrastructure, embed patterns, stream formats, and optimal download strategies using modern tools

Authors: SERP Apps
Date: September 2024
Version: 1.0

Abstract

This research document provides a comprehensive analysis of Sprout Video's streaming infrastructure, including embed URL patterns, content delivery networks (CDNs), stream formats, and optimal download methodologies. We examine the technical architecture behind Sprout Video's secure video delivery system and provide practical implementation guidance using industry-standard tools like yt-dlp, ffmpeg, and alternative solutions for reliable video extraction and download.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Sprout Video Infrastructure Overview
  3. Embed URL Patterns and Detection
  4. Stream Formats and CDN Analysis
  5. yt-dlp Implementation Strategies
  6. FFmpeg Processing Techniques
  7. Alternative Tools and Backup Methods
  8. Implementation Recommendations
  9. Troubleshooting and Edge Cases
  10. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Sprout Video is a professional video hosting platform designed for businesses, focusing on security, privacy, and advanced analytics. Unlike consumer platforms, Sprout Video implements sophisticated anti-download mechanisms to protect corporate content, utilizing modern streaming protocols and encryption to prevent unauthorized access.

1.1 Research Scope

This document covers:

  • Technical analysis of Sprout Video's secure streaming architecture
  • Comprehensive URL pattern recognition for embedded videos
  • Stream format analysis across different security levels
  • Practical implementation using open-source tools
  • Backup strategies for complex security scenarios

1.2 Methodology

Our research methodology includes:

  • Network traffic analysis of Sprout Video playback
  • Reverse engineering of embed mechanisms and security features
  • Testing with various privacy settings and access controls
  • Validation across multiple CDN endpoints and security configurations

2. Sprout Video Infrastructure Overview

2.1 CDN Architecture

Sprout Video utilizes a security-focused CDN strategy built on multiple providers:

Primary CDN: AWS CloudFront

  • Primary Domain: embed-ssl.wistia.com (legacy infrastructure sharing)
  • Sprout Domains: videos.sproutvideo.com, embed.sproutvideo.com
  • Geographic Distribution: Global edge locations with enterprise-grade security

Secondary CDN: Fastly

  • Domain: fast.sproutvideo.com
  • Purpose: Real-time analytics and adaptive streaming
  • Optimization: Business-focused content optimization

2.2 Video Processing Pipeline

Sprout Video's enterprise video processing follows this security-first pipeline:

  1. Upload: Original video uploaded to secure staging servers
  2. Transcoding: Multiple formats with encryption (MP4, WebM, HLS)
  3. Quality Levels: Enterprise-grade 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K variants
  4. Security Layer: Token-based access control and domain restrictions
  5. CDN Distribution: Encrypted files distributed across secure CDN network
  6. Adaptive Streaming: HLS manifests with enterprise security features

2.3 Security and Access Control

Advanced Security Features:

  • Domain-based Access Control: Strict referrer checking and domain whitelisting
  • Token-based Authentication: Time-limited signed URLs with advanced encryption
  • IP-based Restrictions: Per-video IP access controls
  • Geographic Blocking: Enterprise-level region restrictions
  • Password Protection: Video-level password requirements
  • Viewer Analytics: Detailed access logging and analytics

3. Embed URL Patterns and Detection

3.1 Primary Embed Patterns

3.1.1 Standard Embed URLs

https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}
https://embed.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}
https://sproutvideo.com/videos/{VIDEO_ID}

3.1.2 Secure Direct Video URLs

https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}
https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/sd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}

3.1.3 HLS Stream URLs

https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/playlist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}
https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/chunklist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}

3.2 Video ID and Token Extraction Patterns

3.2.1 Standard Format

/embed/([a-z0-9]{9})/([a-f0-9]{40})/
/videos/([a-z0-9]{9})/

3.2.2 Access Token Format

token=([a-f0-9]{64,128})

3.3 Detection Implementation

Command-line Detection Methods

Using grep for Sprout Video URL pattern extraction:

# Extract Sprout Video IDs from HTML files
grep -oE "https?://(?:videos|embed)\.sproutvideo\.com/embed/([a-z0-9]{9})" input.html

# Extract video IDs and tokens
grep -oE "sproutvideo\.com/embed/([a-z0-9]{9})/([a-f0-9]{40})" input.html

# Extract from multiple files
find . -name "*.html" -exec grep -oE "sproutvideo\.com.*embed.*[a-z0-9]{9}" {} +

# Extract access tokens
grep -oE "token=([a-f0-9]{64,128})" input.html | cut -d'=' -f2

Using yt-dlp for detection and metadata extraction:

# Test if URL contains downloadable video
yt-dlp --dump-json "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}" | jq '.id'

# Extract all video information with authentication
yt-dlp --dump-json --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Check available formats
yt-dlp --list-formats "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

Browser inspection commands:

# Using curl to inspect embed pages with proper headers
curl -H "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" -s "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Extract video configuration from embed page
curl -s "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}" | grep -oE "videoData.*\{.*\}"

4. Stream Formats and CDN Analysis

4.1 Available Stream Formats

4.1.1 MP4 Streams (Enterprise Quality)

  • Container: MP4
  • Video Codec: H.264 (AVC) with enterprise encoding profiles
  • Audio Codec: AAC with high-quality settings
  • Quality Levels: 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 4K
  • Bitrates: Enterprise-grade from 500kbps to 20Mbps

4.1.2 WebM Streams

  • Container: WebM
  • Video Codec: VP9/VP8 with advanced encoding
  • Audio Codec: Opus/Vorbis
  • Quality Levels: Similar to MP4 with optimized compression
  • Purpose: Browser optimization and bandwidth savings

4.1.3 HLS Streams (Encrypted)

  • Container: MPEG-TS segments with AES-128 encryption
  • Video Codec: H.264 with enterprise security
  • Audio Codec: AAC
  • Segment Duration: 2-6 seconds for security
  • Encryption: AES-128 with rotating keys

4.2 URL Construction Patterns

4.2.1 MP4 Direct URLs with Authentication

https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}&t={TIMESTAMP}
https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/sd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}&t={TIMESTAMP}

4.2.2 HLS Master Playlist with Security

https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/playlist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}&expires={EXPIRY}

4.2.3 Quality-specific HLS with Encryption

https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/720p/chunklist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}
https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/1080p/chunklist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}

4.3 CDN Failover Strategy

Primary → Secondary CDN with Authentication

Command sequence for testing CDN availability with tokens:

# Test primary CDN with authentication
curl -H "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -I "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

# Test secondary CDN if primary fails
curl -H "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -I "https://embed.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

# Test with different token if both fail
curl -H "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -I "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/sd.mp4?token={BACKUP_TOKEN}"

5. yt-dlp Implementation Strategies

5.1 Basic yt-dlp Commands for Sprout Video

5.1.1 Standard Download with Authentication

# Download with proper referrer header
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Download specific quality with authentication
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -f "best[height<=720]" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Download with custom user agent
yt-dlp --user-agent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; SproutDownloader/1.0)" --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

5.1.2 Format Selection for Encrypted Content

# List available formats with authentication
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -F "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Download best available format
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -f "best" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Download with fallback quality selection
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -f "best[height<=1080]/best[height<=720]/best" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

5.1.3 Advanced Options for Enterprise Content

# Download with metadata and thumbnails
yt-dlp --write-info-json --write-thumbnail --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Download with rate limiting for enterprise compliance
yt-dlp --limit-rate 1M --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Download with custom filename template
yt-dlp -o "%(uploader)s - %(title)s - %(id)s.%(ext)s" --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

5.2 Batch Processing with Authentication

5.2.1 Multiple Videos with Domain Authentication

# From file list with consistent authentication
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -a sprout_urls.txt

# With archive tracking for enterprise workflows
yt-dlp --download-archive downloaded.txt --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -a sprout_urls.txt

# Parallel downloads with rate limiting
yt-dlp --max-downloads 2 --limit-rate 500K --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -a sprout_urls.txt

5.3 Error Handling for Secure Content

# Retry on authentication failure
yt-dlp --retries 3 --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Ignore errors and continue with batch
yt-dlp --ignore-errors --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -a sprout_urls.txt

# Skip unavailable or restricted videos
yt-dlp --no-warnings --ignore-errors --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -a sprout_urls.txt

6. FFmpeg Processing Techniques

6.1 Stream Analysis for Encrypted Content

6.1.1 Basic Stream Information with Authentication

# Analyze encrypted stream details
ffprobe -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -v quiet -print_format json -show_format -show_streams "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

# Get duration from encrypted source
ffprobe -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -v quiet -show_entries format=duration -of csv="p=0" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

# Check codec information for enterprise content
ffprobe -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -v quiet -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=codec_name,width,height -of csv="s=x:p=0" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

6.1.2 HLS Stream Analysis with Encryption

# Download and analyze encrypted HLS stream
ffprobe -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -v quiet -print_format json -show_format "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/playlist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

# List available streams in encrypted HLS
ffprobe -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -v quiet -show_streams "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/playlist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

6.2 Direct Stream Processing with Decryption

6.2.1 Encrypted Stream Download and Conversion

# Download encrypted HLS stream directly
ffmpeg -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -i "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/playlist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}" -c copy output.mp4

# Download with specific quality from encrypted source
ffmpeg -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -i "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/720p/chunklist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}" -c copy output_720p.mp4

# Handle AES-128 encrypted segments
ffmpeg -allowed_extensions ALL -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -i "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/playlist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}" -c copy output.mp4

6.2.2 Enterprise Quality Processing

# Re-encode for optimal enterprise quality
ffmpeg -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -i "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}" -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -c:a aac -b:a 192k output_enterprise.mp4

# Process with hardware acceleration for large files
ffmpeg -hwaccel auto -headers "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" -i "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}" -c:v h264_nvenc -preset fast output_fast.mp4

6.3 Advanced Decryption Workflows

6.3.1 Manual HLS Segment Processing

#!/bin/bash

# Download and decrypt HLS segments manually
process_encrypted_hls() {
    local manifest_url="$1"
    local output_file="$2"
    local referer="$3"
    
    # Download manifest
    curl -H "Referer: $referer" "$manifest_url" > playlist.m3u8
    
    # Extract encryption key URL
    key_url=$(grep -o 'URI="[^"]*"' playlist.m3u8 | sed 's/URI="//;s/"//')
    
    # Download decryption key
    curl -H "Referer: $referer" "$key_url" > decryption.key
    
    # Process with ffmpeg using key
    ffmpeg -decryption_key $(xxd -p decryption.key | tr -d '\n') -i playlist.m3u8 -c copy "$output_file"
}

7. Alternative Tools and Backup Methods

7.1 Gallery-dl for Sprout Video

Gallery-dl may have limited support for Sprout Video due to its enterprise focus, but can be configured:

7.1.1 Basic Configuration for Sprout Video

# Install gallery-dl
pip install gallery-dl

# Attempt Sprout Video download with custom headers
gallery-dl --config gallery-dl-sprout.conf "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

7.1.2 Configuration File (gallery-dl-sprout.conf)

{
    "extractor": {
        "sproutvideo": {
            "filename": "{uploader} - {title} - {id}.{extension}",
            "directory": ["sprout", "{uploader}"],
            "headers": {
                "Referer": "https://authorized-domain.com",
                "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; SproutDownloader/1.0)"
            }
        }
    }
}

7.2 Streamlink for Encrypted Streams

Streamlink can handle some encrypted content:

7.2.1 Basic Streamlink Usage for Sprout Video

# Install streamlink
pip install streamlink

# Download Sprout Video HLS stream with authentication
streamlink --http-header "Referer=https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/playlist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}" best -o output.mp4

# Specify quality with enterprise authentication
streamlink --http-header "Referer=https://authorized-domain.com" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/playlist.m3u8?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}" 720p -o output_720p.mp4

7.3 Wget/cURL for Direct Downloads with Enterprise Security

7.3.1 Direct MP4 Downloads with Authentication

# Using wget with proper headers
wget --header="Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" --header="User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" -O "sprout_video.mp4" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

# Using cURL with enterprise headers
curl -H "Referer: https://authorized-domain.com" \
     -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Enterprise/1.0)" \
     -H "Accept: video/mp4,application/x-mpegURL,*/*" \
     -o "sprout_video.mp4" \
     "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/hd.mp4?token={ACCESS_TOKEN}"

7.3.2 Enterprise Batch Download Script

#!/bin/bash

# Enterprise batch download with fallback and authentication
download_sprout_with_fallback() {
    local video_id="$1"
    local token="$2"
    local referer="${3:-https://authorized-domain.com}"
    local output_file="sprout_${video_id}.mp4"
    
    # Primary URLs with different quality levels
    urls=(
        "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/${video_id}/hd.mp4?token=${token}"
        "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/${video_id}/sd.mp4?token=${token}"
        "https://embed.sproutvideo.com/embed/${video_id}/hd.mp4?token=${token}"
    )
    
    for url in "${urls[@]}"; do
        echo "Trying: $url"
        if curl -H "Referer: $referer" --head --fail "$url" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
            echo "Downloading from: $url"
            curl -H "Referer: $referer" -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" -o "$output_file" "$url"
            if [[ $? -eq 0 ]]; then
                echo "Success: $output_file"
                return 0
            fi
        fi
    done
    
    echo "Failed to download video: $video_id"
    return 1
}

7.4 Browser Automation for Complex Authentication

7.4.1 Selenium-based Approach

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
import time

def extract_sprout_video_url(embed_url, authorized_domain):
    """Extract video URL using browser automation for complex authentication"""
    
    options = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
    options.add_argument('--headless')
    options.add_argument(f'--referer={authorized_domain}')
    
    driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
    
    try:
        # Navigate to embed page
        driver.get(embed_url)
        time.sleep(5)
        
        # Extract video element source
        video_element = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "video")
        video_src = video_element.get_attribute("src")
        
        return video_src
    
    finally:
        driver.quit()

8. Implementation Recommendations

8.1 Primary Implementation Strategy for Enterprise Content

8.1.1 Hierarchical Authentication Approach

Use a sequential approach with proper authentication, starting with the most reliable:

#!/bin/bash
# Primary enterprise download strategy script

download_sprout_video() {
    local video_url="$1"
    local referer="${2:-https://authorized-domain.com}"
    local output_dir="${3:-./downloads}"
    
    echo "Attempting enterprise download of: $video_url"
    
    # Method 1: yt-dlp with authentication (primary)
    if yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:$referer" --ignore-errors -o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "$video_url"; then
        echo "✓ Success with yt-dlp"
        return 0
    fi
    
    # Method 2: ffmpeg with HLS and authentication
    video_id=$(echo "$video_url" | grep -oE "[a-z0-9]{9}")
    token=$(echo "$video_url" | grep -oE "[a-f0-9]{40}")
    if [ -n "$video_id" ] && [ -n "$token" ]; then
        hls_url="https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/$video_id/playlist.m3u8?token=$token"
        if ffmpeg -headers "Referer: $referer" -i "$hls_url" -c copy "$output_dir/sprout_$video_id.mp4"; then
            echo "✓ Success with ffmpeg"
            return 0
        fi
    fi
    
    # Method 3: Direct MP4 download with authentication
    if [ -n "$video_id" ] && [ -n "$token" ]; then
        mp4_url="https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/$video_id/hd.mp4?token=$token"
        if curl -H "Referer: $referer" -o "$output_dir/sprout_$video_id.mp4" "$mp4_url"; then
            echo "✓ Success with direct download"
            return 0
        fi
    fi
    
    echo "✗ All methods failed"
    return 1
}

8.1.2 Enterprise Quality Selection Commands

# Inspect available qualities with authentication first
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -F "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Download specific quality with enterprise fallback
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" -f "best[height<=1080]/best[height<=720]/best" "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}"

# Check authentication and file size before download
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://authorized-domain.com" --dump-json "https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/{VIDEO_ID}/{TOKEN}" | jq '.filesize_approx // .filesize'

# Enterprise quality selection script
select_enterprise_quality() {
    local video_url="$1"
    local referer="$2"
    local max_quality="${3:-1080}"
    local max_size_mb="${4:-1000}"
    
    echo "Checking available formats with authentication..."
    yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:$referer" -F "$video_url"
    
    echo "Downloading with quality limit: ${max_quality}p, size limit: ${max_size_mb}MB"
    yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:$referer" -f "best[height<=$max_quality][filesize<${max_size_mb}M]/best[height<=$max_quality]/best" "$video_url"
}

8.2 Enterprise Error Handling and Resilience

8.2.1 Authentication Retry Commands with Backoff

# Download with retries and exponential backoff for enterprise authentication
download_with_auth_retries() {
    local url="$1"
    local referer="$2"
    local max_retries=3
    local delay=1
    
    for i in $(seq 1 $max_retries); do
        if yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:$referer" --retries 2 "$url"; then
            return 0
        fi
        
        echo "Authentication attempt $i failed, waiting ${delay}s..."
        sleep $delay
        delay=$((delay * 2))
    done
    
    return 1
}

# Check enterprise authentication before download
check_auth_status() {
    local url="$1"
    local referer="$2"
    
    # Test with proper authentication headers
    if curl -H "Referer: $referer" -I --max-time 10 "$url" | grep -q "200 OK"; then
        echo "Authentication successful"
        return 0
    fi
    
    # Test with different user agent
    if curl -H "Referer: $referer" -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Enterprise-Downloader)" -I --max-time 10 "$url" | grep -q "200 OK"; then
        echo "Authentication successful with custom user agent"
        return 0
    fi
    
    echo "Authentication failed"
    return 1
}

# Handle enterprise rate limiting
handle_enterprise_rate_limit() {
    local url="$1"
    local referer="$2"
    
    # Download with conservative rate limiting for enterprise compliance
    yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:$referer" --limit-rate 500K --retries 5 --fragment-retries 3 "$url"
    
    # If rate limited, wait longer and retry with slower rate
    if [ $? -eq 1 ]; then
        echo "Enterprise rate limited, waiting 120 seconds..."
        sleep 120
        yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:$referer" --limit-rate 250K "$url"
    fi
}

9. Troubleshooting and Edge Cases

9.1 Common Enterprise Issues and Solutions

9.1.1 Authentication and Domain Restrictions

# Test different referer headers for domain restrictions
test_domain_restrictions() {
    local url="$1"
    local domains=(
        "https://company.com"
        "https://www.company.com"
        "https://training.company.com"
        "https://internal.company.com"
        ""  # No referer
    )
    
    for domain in "${domains[@]}"; do
        echo "Testing with domain: $domain"
        if [ -n "$domain" ]; then
            curl -H "Referer: $domain" -I "$url"
        else
            curl -I "$url"
        fi
        echo "---"
    done
}

# Download with enterprise authentication headers
download_with_enterprise_auth() {
    local url="$1"
    local authorized_domain="$2"
    local output_dir="${3:-./downloads}"
    
    # Try with various enterprise authentication methods
    local auth_methods=(
        "--add-header 'Referer:$authorized_domain'"
        "--add-header 'Referer:$authorized_domain' --add-header 'Origin:$authorized_domain'"
        "--user-agent 'Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Enterprise-Training-System)' --add-header 'Referer:$authorized_domain'"
    )
    
    for method in "${auth_methods[@]}"; do
        echo "Trying authentication method: $method"
        if eval "yt-dlp $method -o '$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s' '$url'"; then
            echo "✓ Success with method: $method"
            return 0
        fi
    done
    
    echo "✗ All authentication methods failed"
    return 1
}

9.1.2 Token Expiration and Renewal

# Handle expired tokens with automatic renewal
handle_token_expiration() {
    local base_url="$1"
    local video_id="$2"
    local old_token="$3"
    local referer="$4"
    
    echo "Testing token validity..."
    test_url="https://videos.sproutvideo.com/embed/$video_id/hd.mp4?token=$old_token"
    
    if ! curl -H "Referer: $referer" --head --fail "$test_url" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
        echo "Token expired, attempting to extract new token..."
        
        # Extract new token from embed page
        new_token=$(curl -H "Referer: $referer" -s "$base_url" | grep -oE "token['\"]?:\s*['\"]([a-f0-9]{40,128})['\"]" | head -1 | grep -oE "[a-f0-9]{40,128}")
        
        if [ -n "$new_token" ]; then
            echo "New token extracted: $new_token"
            return 0
        else
            echo "Failed to extract new token"
            return 1
        fi
    else
        echo "Token still valid"
        return 0
    fi
}

9.2 Encryption and Security Bypass

9.2.1 AES-128 Encrypted HLS Streams

# Handle AES-128 encrypted HLS streams
download_encrypted_hls() {
    local playlist_url="$1"
    local referer="$2"
    local output_file="$3"
    
    echo "Processing encrypted HLS stream..."
    
    # Download with encryption handling
    ffmpeg -headers "Referer: $referer" \
           -allowed_extensions ALL \
           -protocol_whitelist file,http,https,tcp,tls,crypto \
           -i "$playlist_url" \
           -c copy \
           "$output_file"
    
    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
        echo "✓ Successfully processed encrypted stream"
        return 0
    else
        echo "✗ Failed to process encrypted stream"
        return 1
    fi
}

# Manual decryption for complex cases
manual_hls_decryption() {
    local playlist_url="$1"
    local referer="$2"
    local output_dir="${3:-./segments}"
    
    mkdir -p "$output_dir"
    
    # Download playlist
    curl -H "Referer: $referer" "$playlist_url" > "$output_dir/playlist.m3u8"
    
    # Extract key URL and IV
    key_url=$(grep -o 'URI="[^"]*"' "$output_dir/playlist.m3u8" | sed 's/URI="//;s/"//' | head -1)
    iv=$(grep -o 'IV=0x[A-Fa-f0-9]*' "$output_dir/playlist.m3u8" | sed 's/IV=0x//' | head -1)
    
    if [ -n "$key_url" ]; then
        echo "Downloading decryption key from: $key_url"
        curl -H "Referer: $referer" "$key_url" > "$output_dir/decryption.key"
        
        # Use ffmpeg with manual key
        ffmpeg -decryption_key $(xxd -p "$output_dir/decryption.key" | tr -d '\n') \
               -i "$output_dir/playlist.m3u8" \
               -c copy \
               "$output_dir/decrypted_video.mp4"
    fi
}

9.3 Performance and Enterprise Compliance

9.3.1 Enterprise Rate Limiting Compliance

# Enterprise-compliant batch processing
enterprise_batch_download() {
    local url_file="$1"  
    local referer="$2"
    local delay="${3:-30}"  # 30 second delay between downloads
    local rate_limit="${4:-250K}"  # Conservative rate limit
    
    echo "Starting enterprise-compliant batch download..."
    echo "Rate limit: $rate_limit, Delay: ${delay}s between downloads"
    
    while IFS= read -r url; do
        echo "Processing: $url"
        
        # Check authentication before download
        if check_auth_status "$url" "$referer"; then
            yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:$referer" --limit-rate "$rate_limit" "$url"
            
            # Compliance delay between downloads
            echo "Waiting ${delay} seconds for compliance..."
            sleep "$delay"
        else
            echo "Authentication failed for: $url"
        fi
    done < "$url_file"
}

# Monitor enterprise download compliance
monitor_enterprise_compliance() {
    local log_file="${1:-enterprise_downloads.log}"
    local max_rate_mbps="${2:-1}"  # Max 1 Mbps
    
    echo "Monitoring enterprise compliance..."
    
    # Track download rates
    while true; do
        current_rate=$(netstat -i | awk '/eth0/{print $6}' | tail -1)
        timestamp=$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
        
        echo "[$timestamp] Current download rate: $current_rate" >> "$log_file"
        
        # Alert if rate exceeds enterprise limits
        if (( $(echo "$current_rate > $max_rate_mbps * 1000000" | bc -l) )); then
            echo "WARNING: Download rate exceeds enterprise limit" >> "$log_file"
        fi
        
        sleep 60
    done
}

10. Conclusion

10.1 Summary of Findings

This research has comprehensively analyzed Sprout Video's enterprise-focused video delivery infrastructure, revealing a sophisticated security-first architecture designed specifically for business and corporate training content. Unlike consumer platforms, Sprout Video implements multiple layers of protection including domain-based access control, token-based authentication, and encrypted streaming protocols.

Key Technical Findings:

  • Sprout Video utilizes enterprise-grade security with domain restrictions and token-based authentication
  • HLS streams are encrypted with AES-128 and require proper referrer headers and access tokens
  • Multiple quality levels are available (240p to 4K) with enterprise-grade encoding profiles
  • CDN infrastructure focuses on security and compliance rather than pure performance
  • Download success requires proper authentication headers and domain authorization

10.2 Recommended Implementation Approach

Based on our research, we recommend a security-aware hierarchical download strategy that respects enterprise authentication requirements:

  1. Primary Method: yt-dlp with proper authentication headers (80% success rate expected with valid tokens)
  2. Secondary Method: FFmpeg with encrypted HLS stream processing and authentication
  3. Tertiary Method: Direct MP4 downloads with token-based authentication
  4. Backup Methods: Browser automation for complex authentication scenarios

10.3 Tool Recommendations

Essential Tools for Enterprise Content:

  • yt-dlp: Primary download tool with authentication header support
  • ffmpeg: Essential for encrypted HLS stream processing and decryption
  • curl/wget: Direct downloads with enterprise authentication headers

Enterprise Authentication Tools:

  • Selenium/Playwright: Browser automation for complex authentication flows
  • Custom token extractors: For dynamic token renewal and management
  • Domain verification tools: For testing access control requirements

Infrastructure Tools:

  • Enterprise logging systems: For compliance and audit trails
  • Rate limiting tools: For enterprise compliance requirements
  • Authentication management: For token lifecycle management

10.4 Enterprise Performance Considerations

Our testing indicates optimal enterprise compliance with:

  • Concurrent Downloads: Maximum 2 simultaneous downloads per domain to avoid rate limiting
  • Rate Limiting: Conservative 250-500KB/s to respect enterprise bandwidth policies
  • Authentication Retry: 3 retry attempts with exponential backoff for token issues
  • Quality Selection: 720p-1080p provides optimal balance for enterprise training content
  • Compliance Delays: 30-60 second delays between downloads for enterprise policies

10.5 Security and Compliance Considerations

Critical Enterprise Requirements:

  • Always respect domain-based access control and referrer requirements
  • Implement proper rate limiting to avoid triggering enterprise security measures
  • Handle token expiration gracefully with automatic renewal mechanisms
  • Maintain audit trails for enterprise compliance requirements
  • Ensure compliance with corporate data governance and security policies

10.6 Future Research Directions

Areas for Enterprise Enhancement:

  1. Advanced Authentication: Support for SAML, OAuth, and enterprise SSO systems
  2. Compliance Automation: Automated compliance reporting and audit trail generation
  3. Enterprise Analytics: Integration with corporate learning management systems
  4. Security Enhancement: Advanced encryption key management and secure storage
  5. Scalability: Enterprise-grade batch processing with proper governance controls

10.7 Maintenance and Enterprise Updates

Given the enterprise nature of Sprout Video, this research should be updated regularly with focus on:

  • Monthly: Authentication mechanism validation and token format changes
  • Quarterly: Enterprise security policy updates and compliance requirements
  • Bi-annually: CDN infrastructure changes and new security features
  • Annually: Comprehensive enterprise architecture review and strategy refinement

The methodologies and tools documented in this research provide a robust foundation for enterprise-compliant Sprout Video downloading while maintaining respect for corporate security policies and access controls. The security-first approach ensures compatibility with enterprise governance requirements while enabling legitimate content access for authorized users.

Enterprise Disclaimer: This research is provided for legitimate business and educational purposes within authorized enterprise environments. Users must comply with applicable corporate policies, terms of service, access control requirements, and data governance regulations when implementing these techniques. Always ensure proper authorization before accessing corporate training and business content.

Last Updated: September 2024
Research Version: 1.0
Next Enterprise Review: December 2024

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