| Previous | Next |
| NS_E_DRM_REOPEN_CONTENT | NS_E_DRM_INVALID_SECURESTORE_PASSWORD |
NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE
What this HRESULT isolates
The symbolic result NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE narrows 0xC00D2750 to trusted playback path and output restrictions. In practical terms, certain driver functionality is required to play this media file. Contact windows update to see whether updated drivers are available for your hardware; the producing layer is the protected playback path that authenticates application and driver components and enforces license requirements for audio, digital outputs, burning and other destinations.
The built-in message summarizes the user-visible outcome, while the symbolic phrase “driver digiout failure” preserves the exact WMDRM boundary for diagnosis. For this code, the proof step is to record the exact API, object state, input identity and first lower-level result associated with driver digiout failure.
Which component owns the failure
Do not flatten NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE into a generic DRM error. Output restrictions must be queried and enforced before the operation; a driver can render ordinary media yet fail the protected path. The second relevant rule is that legacy Secure Audio Path and newer protected-media mechanisms use trusted components, so an unvalidated or revoked component is not repaired by changing the content file.
Diagnostic inputs that separate the causes
Capture the first NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE occurrence before retry or teardown changes state. The smallest useful record contains:
- Code-specific proof: record the exact API, object state, input identity and first lower-level result associated with driver digiout failure.
- Protected identity: audio/video driver identity, signature and version.
- Operation state: application certificate and revocation state.
- Persistence or transport: restriction-query result before playback or burn begins.
- Security context: protected-path renewal or component-validation event.
- Correlation point: requested output and protection level.
Prefer IDs, hashes, sizes, and timestamps. Never log keys, passwords, licenses, or decrypted media.
How to prove the condition
- Start from
0xC00D2750and map it to the first WMDRM object that returned it. - Separate content/header evidence, license evidence, machine/device evidence and service/network evidence around “protected digital-output failure”.
- Before retrying
NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE, check whether another “protected digital-output failure” operation was active or whether the previous result may have committed partially. - Record the exact API, object state, input identity and first lower-level result associated with the failing operation.
- Apply the smallest supported fix: correct the producing DRM state or input and retry with a fresh operation object; avoid resetting unrelated protected state.
What a supported fix should change
The supported response to NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE is narrow: correct the producing DRM state or input and retry with a fresh operation object. After correcting NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE, reopen or recreate the object that owned “protected digital-output failure” so cached state from the failed generation is not mistaken for the repair result.
Representative case: The application reaches this path and receives this exact HRESULT before the higher-level media action can complete.
Do not merge these HRESULTs
| Result | Different boundary |
|---|---|
NS_E_DRM_APPCERT_REVOKED | The appcert revoked operation failed at its documented DRM boundary. |
NS_E_DRM_NEED_UPGRADE_MSSAP | One or more of the secure audio path components were not found or an entry point in those components was not found. |
NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_AUTH_FAILURE | Certified driver components are required to play this media file. Contact windows update to see whether updated drivers are available. |
Order the NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE event chain by timestamp; prefer the earliest specific result.
How to know the fix is real
A valid regression for NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE has two fixtures: one that deliberately produces “certain driver functionality is required to play this media file. Contact windows update to see whether updated drivers are available for your hardware” and one that applies the targeted correction. Compare callback order, selected license/KID, final rights decision and persistence state; disappearance of the “protected digital-output failure” dialog alone is not proof.
Code-specific operational note
The symbolic phrase “protected digital-output failure” is the important search and telemetry key for NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE. Keep it beside the exact value 0xC00D2750; the official message “Certain driver functionality is required to play this media file. Contact Windows Update to see whether updated drivers are available.” is useful to users, but it does not identify the producing API, object generation or protected identity on its own.
Technical references
- Output protection levels — official Windows Media DRM context for
NS_E_DRM_DRIVER_DIGIOUT_FAILURE. - Secure Audio Path model — API and state rules relevant to this boundary.
- Protected Media Path — platform documentation used to distinguish this result from adjacent results.
- DRM export and output protection
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.