Watermarking

Watermarking is vital for the security of the movie but if the wrong airline name is used it can cause damage to the airline’s reputation and all involved, including the distributor. We would like to propose a solution that will minimize error as well as the risk of piracy.

Current Watermark

Problems Use of airline name requires zero tolerance for error. Watermark in-points are not standardized. Unique in-points for every airline is not possible due to the amount of airlines. Thousands of watermark/codec combinations possible. Management of in-point times not assigned. Procedures for future additions not defined. Rack testing for watermark presence adds up to 10 minutes per movie.

Current in-point duplications

Suggestions Place an initial visible watermark of an airline code at a uniform time across all airlines. Watermark would appear at content head within first minute. Code would be placed discreetly, with very low levels of luminance and serve to identify any watermark that appears elsewhere within the content. Serves as quick check of the watermark in the QA process.

Placement Place the watermark in one corner of the screen

Placement

Use only the airline code in one corner of the screen Placement

Opt for a low level of luminance for initial QA watermark at head of content. Luminance

Every file to have the code one minute into the movie followed by a random 15 second code somewhere in the movie This will enable the rack tester to confirm that it is the correct title without having to work with a time code Timing

Conclusions Use of airline names invites a higher chance of errors. Use of airline codes alone discourages most, if not all, potential piracy Pirates would presumably possess knowledge of watermark locations and be able to locate and quickly edit out graphics. Randomizing Watermark introduces an element of “copy fatigue,” most pirates will give up before going further. Targeted auditing of suspected content infringement preferred.

Thank you for your time