Thomson announced that a powerful deterrent to piracy is now available whereby video on demand (VoD) operators can identify content on a per transaction basis.

The combination of Thomson?s Sapphire VoD server and NexGuard?s watermarking technology now offers a robust VoD end-to-end content tracking and piracy deterrence solution.

Watermarking adds an invisible and indelible code to video sequences. What makes the NexGuard and Sapphire combination particularly powerful is that a unique code is created and watermarked each time the content is requested. As a content tracking tool, it allows forensic examination to determine the source of any illegally copied and redistributed content. The NexGuard solution, which has been adopted by studios, post production facilities and in digital cinema applications, is also implemented in set-top boxes for cable, satellite and IPTV applications.