Nagra integrates watermarking with AWS Elemental transcoding

TV technology outfit Nagra has completed API integration of its NexGuard forensic watermarking technologies into AWS Elemental MediaConvert, a file-based video transcoding service with broadcast-grade features from Amazon Web Services (AWS).

According to Nagra, the API integration provides content owners, and any third-party working on premium content, with an added layer of security and traceability for pre-release and early release content workflows, and simplifies the watermarking process for file transcoding and OTT content preparation.

NexGuard forensic watermarking for pre-release, including the recently announced NexGuard ClipMark for short form content, as well as NexGuard Streaming for on-demand OTT content, is available in AWS Elemental MediaConvert, enabling automation for the watermarking process from the cloud.

Nagra says that the integration enables the use of forensic watermarking in the transcoding of pre-release content, such as full features, TV series or short clips, or in the preparation of content in the cloud, such as e-screeners or direct-to-consumer OTT streaming.

The integration enables service providers to apply a unique watermark per streaming session to combat theft of premium content in use cases such as early-release of movies in some territories, original video-on-demand content, and business-to-business online screening.

“We’re excited to extend our collaboration with AWS and give our shared customers the ability to leverage the power of AWS Elemental to easily automate the NexGuard watermarking process and ensure an extra level of security for their early-release and pre-release assets whether they are movies, TV series, original content or online screenings,” said Jean-Philippe Plantevin, Vice President Anti-Piracy at Nagra.

“For e-screeners and OTT streaming, these new capabilities can be combined with our existing integration with the Amazon CloudFront CDN ensuring robust security and traceability of premium assets in pre-release and direct-to-consumer scenarios, providing an additional safeguard against leaks and piracy.”