Using forensic watermarking, a unique and imperceptible identifying code is inserted into a media asset, whether a movie, video or any other type of content. The companies said that by adding a unique identity disseminated throughout a piece of media, that content, along with its owner, becomes immediately identifiable. Digital watermarks are used to enforce contractual compliance between a content owner and the intended recipient. It provides proof of misuse and a link back to the source of a leakage. By integrating Civolution’s NexGuard with its Ultra HD-4K Cannes and Monaco SoCs, ST said its leading-edge set-top box chipsets can offer a deterrent against digital-content piracy.

ST’s Cannes and Monaco SoCs already support Conditional Access (CA) and Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems to enable the efficient delivery of next-generation 4K TV (broadcast and Internet) services. The addition of Civolution’s NexGuard raises the bar to meet the MovieLabs guidelines, which require platforms distributing and playing 4K content to support encryption methods, a secure media pipeline, a hardware root of trust to protect studio content, as well as forensic watermarking to securely mark video on the server or client side to facilitate the detection and location of breaches.

Philippe Notton, Group Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Product Division, STMicroelectronics, said the adoption of ST’s Cannes and Monaco SoCs globally is due to the inherent ARM multi-core processor-based design, which incorporates 2D/3D graphics performance and an integrated hardware-based Faroudja multimedia subsystem with an HEVC-capable video decoder.

“Adding Civolution’s NexGuard forensic watermarking to the Cannes/Monaco security toolbox for UltraHD-4K premium content complements the chips’ existing industry-leading security capabilities and raises the bar in content-rights protection,” he said.