yt-dlp's days are fairly numbered as Google has a trump card they can eventually deploy: all content is gated behind DRM. IIRC the only reason YouTube content is not yet served exclusively through DRM is to maintain compatibility with older hardware like smart TVs.

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potwinkle 3 hours ago | parent [-]

All levels of Widevine are cracked, but only the software-exclusive vulnerabilities are publicly available. It's only used for valuable content though (netflix/disney+/primevideo), so it might still work out for YouTube as no one will want to waste a vulnerability on a Mr. Beast slop video.

	▲	AnthonyMouse 34 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		The reason they have different levels is that the DRM pitchmen got tired of everyone making fun of their ineffective snake oil, so they tried to make a version that was harder to break at the cost of not supporting most devices. Naturally that got broken too, and even worse, broken when it's only supported by a minority of devices and content, because the more devices and content it's used for the easier it is to break and the larger the incentive to do it. If you tried to require that for all content then it would have to be supported by all devices, including the bargain bin e-waste with derelict security, and what do you expect to happen then?