Digital video filter: can you watermark videos files?
September 7, 2011 8:38 AM Subscribe
Digital video filter: can you watermark videos files?
I need to electronically send my 1080P HD video to a client. I'd love to digitally protect it. Is there a MAC-COMPATIBLE way to add a watermark, or some other process that:
1) Allows the client to view the 1080P HD video without visual defect.
2) Somehow protects the video file from being copied or used afterwards.
I need to electronically send my 1080P HD video to a client. I'd love to digitally protect it. Is there a MAC-COMPATIBLE way to add a watermark, or some other process that:
1) Allows the client to view the 1080P HD video without visual defect.
2) Somehow protects the video file from being copied or used afterwards.
yes, do what sanka suggests
posted by supermedusa at 8:52 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by supermedusa at 8:52 AM on September 7, 2011
You can of course watermark your content with an opaque or translucent overlay, but technology that
2) Somehow protects the video file from being copied or used afterwards.
is a pipe dream for most applications. Anyone dedicated enough to copying your content will take advantage of the analog hole, in the best case, and in the worst case will have some ready-made tool to strip any DRM you might employ with no loss of content fidelity.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:55 AM on September 7, 2011
2) Somehow protects the video file from being copied or used afterwards.
is a pipe dream for most applications. Anyone dedicated enough to copying your content will take advantage of the analog hole, in the best case, and in the worst case will have some ready-made tool to strip any DRM you might employ with no loss of content fidelity.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:55 AM on September 7, 2011
Yeah, you're really going to have to choose between 1 and 2. If you mark it with an image/bug like sanka suggests, it's not really "without visual defect". If you send a pristine 1080p video file, there's not much you can do to stop the person on the other end from using it for whatever they want.
I'd split the difference and encode the video at a relatively low res (800x480 is close enough to accurate) for proofing and reserve the full-res file for after you're paid.
posted by Oktober at 8:57 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd split the difference and encode the video at a relatively low res (800x480 is close enough to accurate) for proofing and reserve the full-res file for after you're paid.
posted by Oktober at 8:57 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
Send them part of the clip in 1080, the rest of it in low res or watermarked.
posted by empath at 9:00 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by empath at 9:00 AM on September 7, 2011
We've been down similar roads with our in-house graphic design services. Send a low-res proof of a logo, customer complains it looks bad. Send a hi-res proof with a stamp across it, customer says they need to see the logo without the stamp. Send a hi-res proof without the stamp, customer takes it and you never hear from them again; logo appears on their website a week later.
So the way we handled the situation is to make sure we get paid for any work up-front before high-quality proofs are distributed. Customer pays up-front, and our agreement says "Should you accept these proofs and choose to continue the project with us, your paid deposit will be applied in full towards your remaining balance for this project." Customer likes the proofs and stays on, great, you got paid and get more work out of them. Customer was angling for a free logo? Eh, you found out they're a scumbag but have already been paid for the design work, so not a huge issue.
Not really addressing your question, but it sounds like your concern is maintaining control of this digital media, which, as others have said, is very hard. Or you're worried about getting paid once it's "out there". Just trying to point out that there are ways to have it both ways. :)
posted by xedrik at 9:04 AM on September 7, 2011
So the way we handled the situation is to make sure we get paid for any work up-front before high-quality proofs are distributed. Customer pays up-front, and our agreement says "Should you accept these proofs and choose to continue the project with us, your paid deposit will be applied in full towards your remaining balance for this project." Customer likes the proofs and stays on, great, you got paid and get more work out of them. Customer was angling for a free logo? Eh, you found out they're a scumbag but have already been paid for the design work, so not a huge issue.
Not really addressing your question, but it sounds like your concern is maintaining control of this digital media, which, as others have said, is very hard. Or you're worried about getting paid once it's "out there". Just trying to point out that there are ways to have it both ways. :)
posted by xedrik at 9:04 AM on September 7, 2011
Yeah, empath has it. Send them a short clip at 1080p that'll show encoding quality, color, etc and a full length, sub-hd version for proofing content.
posted by Oktober at 9:24 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by Oktober at 9:24 AM on September 7, 2011
A window burn of Timecode over the video along with text displaying a version name and date can "protect" the video without seeming like unnecessary data. It also allows clients to talk about specific times of the video.
01:00:54:15 Project-x_RC04_110906
The only way to protect from copying (only by making it a hassle) would be to stream the video from a service that doesn't allow downloading or stream from your own website. If this is for approvals, 1080p seems like overkill, not everyone has a machine that will play 1080p without dropping frames or choking (especially in corporate environments).
posted by jade east at 1:58 PM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
01:00:54:15 Project-x_RC04_110906
The only way to protect from copying (only by making it a hassle) would be to stream the video from a service that doesn't allow downloading or stream from your own website. If this is for approvals, 1080p seems like overkill, not everyone has a machine that will play 1080p without dropping frames or choking (especially in corporate environments).
posted by jade east at 1:58 PM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sanka at 8:49 AM on September 7, 2011