> Now I don't get it: how do the pirates who "webrip" those have access to the quality stream The front-end players (sometimes) have a UI element that allows y

> Now I don't get it: how do the pirates who "webrip" those have access to the quality stream The front-end players (sometimes) have a UI element that allows you to explicitly set which bitrate is streamed. Otherwise, the player is beholden to what the connection speed deems appropriate. Regardless, if the original file was transcoded to include 1080p, 4k stream, they exist even if your player is downgrading based on a poor connection. This can feel like a loss of control, because it is. "But it's for our the user's own good." When using tools like ffmpeg or similar, you can simply target the highest bitrate available. If you ever try to download a ".m3u8" file you'll see it's more or less a manifest that lists all available bitrates.