NEC has just launched groundbreaking new technology which it says will be able to detect pirate movies online. The new technology achieved an impressive average detection rate of 96 percent with a very low false alarm rate of 5 in one million. It is capable of detecting altered video content such as camera-captured copies, analog copies, and caption overlays.

How NEC’s Technology Works
The new NEC technology sniffs out video copies by creating a fingerprint of the suspicious content. It then compares this fingerprint to the fingerprint from the original content. The signatures are created from each video frame, based on the difference in luminance on a frame that is then defined by a variety of locations, sizes, and shapes.
This advanced technology is capable of detecting video scenes as short as two seconds. The created fingerprints are around 80 bytes per frame, making them easily stored on small PCs. Tests were run on a single-core CPU with a 3GHz clock speed, which could match approximately 1,000 hours of video in one second. This allows for fast and accurate detection of pirate videos created by editing operations like analog capturing, re-encoding, and caption overlay methods that have previously been hard to detect.
Implications and Applications
The implications of this technology are vast. With the rise of digital content and the ease of sharing videos online, piracy has become a significant issue for content creators and distributors. NEC’s technology offers a robust solution to combat this problem by ensuring that pirated content can be quickly identified and removed.
For example, streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime could integrate this technology to scan their vast libraries and user uploads for pirated content. This would not only protect their intellectual property but also ensure that users are accessing legitimate content. Additionally, social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook, which often struggle with unauthorized video uploads, could benefit from this technology to maintain the integrity of their content.
Moreover, this technology could be used by law enforcement agencies to track and shut down piracy operations. By identifying the source of pirated content, authorities can take action against those responsible for distributing illegal copies.
The low false alarm rate of 5 in one million is particularly noteworthy. False alarms can be a significant issue in content detection systems, leading to unnecessary takedowns and potential legal disputes. NEC’s technology minimizes this risk, ensuring that only genuinely pirated content is flagged.
Furthermore, the ability to detect altered video content, such as camera-captured copies and analog copies, addresses a common tactic used by pirates to evade detection. By capturing a movie in a theater or converting digital content to analog formats, pirates attempt to create versions that are harder to detect. NEC’s technology effectively counters these methods, providing a comprehensive solution to video piracy.
In conclusion, NEC’s new technology represents a significant advancement in the fight against online video piracy. Its high detection rate, low false alarm rate, and ability to detect altered content make it a powerful tool for content creators, distributors, and law enforcement agencies. As digital content continues to grow, technologies like this will be essential in protecting intellectual property and ensuring that creators are fairly compensated for their work.
Via Gizmag
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