BARC conducts technical workshops watermark technology and embedders

The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) conducted technical workshops across the country for broadcast engineers from 18-21 March to enable deeper understanding of thewatermark technology.

This helped in understanding the deployment ofthe future watermarked system at the Broadcaster end.

The workshop was conducted by technicalexperts from BARC's technical partners, France based Medimetri. Watermarking technology inserts a mark inaudible to the human earinto programs.

This mark contains the identification of the channelwhich broadcasts the program and the regular broadcast timestamps.The meters installed in panelists' homes can retrieve thisinformation. This audio watermark is inaudible to viewers, and iscompatible with both digital and analog broadcasting.

Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC said, "Itwas a delight to see a massive and encouraging participation from 150+ Broadcast personnel at the recently concluded watermarkingtechnical workshop by BARC. This technical workshop was successfullyheld at multiple locations in India. It gave a unique opportunity forthe broadcasters to interact directly with the Technology &Service providers. The broadcasters have already started placingorders for the watermarking embedding technology required at theirplayout centres."

BARC was set up in India in 2012 withthe specific purpose of designing, commissioning, supervising andowning India's television audience measurement system.

BARC ispromoted by three apex bodies - Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF),Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and Advertising AgenciesAssociation of India (AAAI), representing the three key stakeholders- broadcasters, advertisers and advertising and media agenciesrespectively.