Movie studios have licensed an audio watermarking technology from Verance Corporation for Blu-ray and HD DVD. The technology, called VCMS, adds a digital signal to analog audio which can be used by players to recognize content that has been recorded in a movie theatre. The technology was approved by the AACS LA in February 2006, allowing it to be used on AACS encrypted discs.

AACS is expected to release final licence agreements requiring the inclusion of VCMS/AV detector technology in HD DVD and Blu-ray players in the next few months. Verance watermarking is already used on DVD-Audio discs.

"The Verance watermark technology provides value to all participants in the marketplace by encouraging availability of a broad selection of compelling titles for consumers to experience in new ways while discouraging the use of the emerging formats as a growth platform for piracy," according to Nil Shah, chief executive officer of Verance.

However AACS+VCMS is not enough for some studios. As expected, Twentieth Century Fox has confirmed that it will begin deploying the new BD+ technology, the Blu-ray-specific DRM that was finalised last month.

Story filed 09.07.07