Patent attributes
A digitally signed manifest file includes metadata that specifies whether a policy regarding the digital signature should be enforced. The policy is then used to generate additional metadata associated with the program and ad content of the video stream. The metadata is tamper resistant so that any modification or removal of the metadata will prevent the video stream from playing. If the metadata indicates that the policy should be enforced, the digital signature of the manifest is verified by the client, and an invalid or missing signature prevents the video stream from being played back. The metadata defines which media players are allowed and/or not allowed to play back a video stream, including media players that are configured to skip or remove ads, and/or includes an encryption key identifier for verifying the digital signature. The ad content is digitally signed to prevent modification or replacement of the ad content.