October 26, 2004 08:01 AM US Eastern Timezone
Philips First to Announce Integrated Video
Watermarking Product 'RepliTrack'
HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Oct. 26, 2004--Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) today
announced the launch of 'RepliTrack', a turn-key video watermarking solution for
forensic tracking purposes. The product comes as ready-to-install software that
will work on PC compatible computers with Windows 2000 or later version, and
works in conjunction with existing professional recordable DVD replication
equipment. RepliTrack can be used to embed a unique watermark into a DVD disc
that will play on any DVD player. Any copy of the disc, be it a VHS tape or a
peer-to-peer file, still carries the watermark allowing the origin of illegal
copies to be traced.
With RepliTrack, replicators can create large
volumes of uniquely watermarked and labelled copies of a DVD disc at the click
of a mouse. The underlying watermark technology is an enhanced version of the
same technology that was deployed with great success last year when it resulted
in the discovery of the origin of illegally copied and distributed versions of
major motion pictures prior to their official release (see http://www.justice.gov/criminal/cybercrime/spragueArrest.htm).
The product is a direct response to the demand for
convenience from content owners and service providers. The software installs
itself automatically to work in conjunction with the replication equipment. A
graphical user interface provides control of the watermarking and replication
process. The results of the replication process are uniquely marked and labelled
copies of the input DVD.
"We are very pleased to be able to offer a
one-click solution to our customers", says Erik de Ruijter, General Manager of
the Content Identification Business Unit of Philips Research. "We have stepped
up to the challenge, fueled by last year's experience, to make watermark
embedding simple for large studios, independents and replicators alike. We now
take a major step forward, as we are dedicated to further contribute to the
controlled distribution of valuable content."
RepliTrack is directly interfacing with all Rimage
Producer II duplication equipment. Rimage Corporation (NASDAQ: RIMG) is the
world's largest and most experienced full-line manufacturer of CD/DVD
publishing, duplication and printing systems.
DVD video content watermarked using RepliTrack is
cross-compatible with other watermarking hardware and software components which
are available from Philips Research, such as the hardware embedder for baseband
material, and an MPEG software development kit.
For more information on Philips Content
Identification, see www.contentidentification.philips.com
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE:
PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's
largest, with sales of EUR 29 billion in 2003. With activities in the three
interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technology and 166,800
employees in more than 60 countries, it has market leadership positions in
medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, color television sets,
electric shavers, lighting and silicon system solutions. News from Philips is
located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
Source: Business Wire
