Civolution
Encyclopedia
Civolution is a provider of technology and services for identifying, managing and monetizing audio and video media content. The company offers a portfolio of proprietary and patented digital watermarking
and digital audio and video fingerprinting technology solutions for forensic tracking of media assets in pre-release, digital cinema
, Pay Television and online. Through its service portfolio Civolution offers broadcast and internet media intelligence and monetization solutions.
The first digital watermarking
activities started in the Philips Research labs in 1996, after several years of research and development
on the technology. The first commercialization activities started four years later.
In 2002, a dedicated business line, Philips Content Identification, was formed to further develop the technology, particularly in the domains of monitoring and forensic tracking applications using Philips audio and video digital watermarking
technology, and the recently developed audio and video digital fingerprinting technology. The same year, Philips Content Identification signed a Joint Venture agreement with corporate news and multimedia services provider Medialink, to launch Teletrax
, the world’s first global broadcast intelligence service
.
Philips Content Identification digital watermarking
technology was used for identifying the source of illegal copies of the 2003 Academy Award Screeners and by the major Hollywood Studio’s for protecting pre-release material and theatrical releases content.
In 2006, the Philips Content Identification business unit, introduced a forensic marking solution for digital cinemas. The technology allows copies of pirated content from digital theatre
to be traced back to the time, date and location where the illegal copy occurred.
A few months later a digital watermarking
solution for the PayTV environment was deployed. Designed for set-top box
integration the technology uniquely watermarks and identifies content delivered to individual PayTV subscribers and hospitality TV screens. Whenever PayTV content is accessed or distributed, a watermark
is applied into the video stream in real-time. Any pirated content can be traced back to a specific PayTV subscriber or viewer.
Philips content Identification assumed, in September 2008, full ownership of its joint venture Teletrax
and completed a spin-off from Philips
Corporate Technologies as a stand-alone company Civolution B.V. backed by Venture Capital firm Prime Technology Ventures.
On July 21 2009, Civolution announced that it had acquired Thomson Software and Technology Solution (STS) watermarking business from Thomson
. As a result of the amalgamation, Thomson became a shareholder in Civolution.
Civolution has offices in Eindhoven (The Netherlands), London
(UK), Rennes (France), New York
and Glendale (Los Angeles).
Civolution digital watermarking
technology is applied in a number of applications for pre-release, digital cinema, Pay-TV, online content delivery
, remote triggering and broadcast monitoring.
The fingerprinting solutions find applications in broadcast and internet intelligence including monitoring and monetization services.
Content identification technologies allows owners, distibutors, aggregators and publishers of video or audio content to protect their media content and deter piracy as well as measure usage and control their assets. The latest advancements in both digital watermarking and fingerprinting technologies have allowed new applications and business models for monetization of content.
Its Teletrax
service currently tracks and monitors over 1,500 television
channels worldwide through a network of monitoring stations located in Europe, Middle East, Asia, North and South America.
, an organization that was formed to promote and educate the public about the benefits of digital watermarking
technology.
Digital watermarking
Digital watermarking is the process of embedding information into a digital signal which may be used to verify its authenticity or the identity of its owners, in the same manner as paper bearing a watermark for visible identification. In digital watermarking, the signal may be audio, pictures, or...
and digital audio and video fingerprinting technology solutions for forensic tracking of media assets in pre-release, digital cinema
Digital cinema
Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector...
, Pay Television and online. Through its service portfolio Civolution offers broadcast and internet media intelligence and monetization solutions.
History and ownership
Civolution is a spin-off from Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands.The first digital watermarking
Digital watermarking
Digital watermarking is the process of embedding information into a digital signal which may be used to verify its authenticity or the identity of its owners, in the same manner as paper bearing a watermark for visible identification. In digital watermarking, the signal may be audio, pictures, or...
activities started in the Philips Research labs in 1996, after several years of research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
on the technology. The first commercialization activities started four years later.
In 2002, a dedicated business line, Philips Content Identification, was formed to further develop the technology, particularly in the domains of monitoring and forensic tracking applications using Philips audio and video digital watermarking
Digital watermarking
Digital watermarking is the process of embedding information into a digital signal which may be used to verify its authenticity or the identity of its owners, in the same manner as paper bearing a watermark for visible identification. In digital watermarking, the signal may be audio, pictures, or...
technology, and the recently developed audio and video digital fingerprinting technology. The same year, Philips Content Identification signed a Joint Venture agreement with corporate news and multimedia services provider Medialink, to launch Teletrax
Teletrax
Teletrax is a company providing broadcast intelligence services.Teletrax provides television broadcast monitoring and verification services to video providers such as entertainment studios, TV syndicators, the PR/marketing and advertising industry, news, sports and governmental organizations...
, the world’s first global broadcast intelligence service
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
.
Philips Content Identification digital watermarking
Digital watermarking
Digital watermarking is the process of embedding information into a digital signal which may be used to verify its authenticity or the identity of its owners, in the same manner as paper bearing a watermark for visible identification. In digital watermarking, the signal may be audio, pictures, or...
technology was used for identifying the source of illegal copies of the 2003 Academy Award Screeners and by the major Hollywood Studio’s for protecting pre-release material and theatrical releases content.
In 2006, the Philips Content Identification business unit, introduced a forensic marking solution for digital cinemas. The technology allows copies of pirated content from digital theatre
Digital theatre
Strictly, Digital theatre is a hybrid art form, gaining strength from theatre’s ability to facilitate imagination and create human connections, and digital technology’s ability extend the reach of communication and visualization...
to be traced back to the time, date and location where the illegal copy occurred.
A few months later a digital watermarking
Digital watermarking
Digital watermarking is the process of embedding information into a digital signal which may be used to verify its authenticity or the identity of its owners, in the same manner as paper bearing a watermark for visible identification. In digital watermarking, the signal may be audio, pictures, or...
solution for the PayTV environment was deployed. Designed for set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
integration the technology uniquely watermarks and identifies content delivered to individual PayTV subscribers and hospitality TV screens. Whenever PayTV content is accessed or distributed, a watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
is applied into the video stream in real-time. Any pirated content can be traced back to a specific PayTV subscriber or viewer.
Philips content Identification assumed, in September 2008, full ownership of its joint venture Teletrax
Teletrax
Teletrax is a company providing broadcast intelligence services.Teletrax provides television broadcast monitoring and verification services to video providers such as entertainment studios, TV syndicators, the PR/marketing and advertising industry, news, sports and governmental organizations...
and completed a spin-off from Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
Corporate Technologies as a stand-alone company Civolution B.V. backed by Venture Capital firm Prime Technology Ventures.
On July 21 2009, Civolution announced that it had acquired Thomson Software and Technology Solution (STS) watermarking business from Thomson
Thomson SA
Technicolor SA , formerly Thomson SA and Thomson Multimedia, is a French international provider of solutions for the creation, management, post-production, delivery and access of video, for the Communication, Media and Entertainment industries. Technicolor’s headquarters are located in Issy les...
. As a result of the amalgamation, Thomson became a shareholder in Civolution.
Civolution has offices in Eindhoven (The Netherlands), London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(UK), Rennes (France), New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Glendale (Los Angeles).
Technology
Civolution offers a suite of product and services using a proprietary and patented digital watermarking and fingerprinting technologies.Civolution digital watermarking
Digital watermarking
Digital watermarking is the process of embedding information into a digital signal which may be used to verify its authenticity or the identity of its owners, in the same manner as paper bearing a watermark for visible identification. In digital watermarking, the signal may be audio, pictures, or...
technology is applied in a number of applications for pre-release, digital cinema, Pay-TV, online content delivery
Content delivery
Content delivery describes the delivery of media content such as audio, video, computer software and video games over a delivery medium such as broadcasting or the Internet.Content delivery has two parts:...
, remote triggering and broadcast monitoring.
The fingerprinting solutions find applications in broadcast and internet intelligence including monitoring and monetization services.
Content identification technologies allows owners, distibutors, aggregators and publishers of video or audio content to protect their media content and deter piracy as well as measure usage and control their assets. The latest advancements in both digital watermarking and fingerprinting technologies have allowed new applications and business models for monetization of content.
Global operations
Civolution is headquartered in Eindhoven and has offices in Rennes (France) London (UK), New York and Hollywood.Its Teletrax
Teletrax
Teletrax is a company providing broadcast intelligence services.Teletrax provides television broadcast monitoring and verification services to video providers such as entertainment studios, TV syndicators, the PR/marketing and advertising industry, news, sports and governmental organizations...
service currently tracks and monitors over 1,500 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
channels worldwide through a network of monitoring stations located in Europe, Middle East, Asia, North and South America.
Affiliations
Civolution is among the 12 founding members of the Digital Watermarking AllianceDigital Watermarking Alliance
The Digital Watermarking Alliance is a group of like-minded companies that share a common interest in furthering the adoption of digital watermarking...
, an organization that was formed to promote and educate the public about the benefits of digital watermarking
Digital watermarking
Digital watermarking is the process of embedding information into a digital signal which may be used to verify its authenticity or the identity of its owners, in the same manner as paper bearing a watermark for visible identification. In digital watermarking, the signal may be audio, pictures, or...
technology.