Bit-stripping methods are described for protecting digital media content against illicit recording and sharing. In one such method, a client device receives the media content and performs bit stripping on the received media content, thereby creating two datasets: stripped data and recombination data. The client device then recombines the datasets to reconstitute the media content, and it plays back the media content. Preferably, the media content on the client device is not available to recording software, and either the stripped data or the recombination data is also unavailable to such software. The client device may store one of these datasets; when future playback is desired, the client device requests the other of the datasets from a server. The bit-stripping may be performed in a client-specific way to discourage sharing of datasets.