A video on demand system in the context of the Internet, for video rentals. A user accesses an on-line store to rent a video program or movie. The rental is for a limited time (such as 30 days) and within that thirty days, the video program or movie can only be viewed for a 24 hour time window. The time limits are enforced by the on-line store which maintains a database of each rental transaction and allows supply of the needed keys for decrypting the (encrypted) video or movie only if within the time limits.