Of the hundreds of digital products on display at PMA Sneak Peek, the official press event that precedes PMA 08 in Las Vegas, Nev., 13 products have been selected by a panel of digital imaging editors to receive the DIMA Innovative Digital Product Award. The annual award is one of several events sponsored by the Digital Imaging Marketing Association (DIMA), a PMA member association.

  DIMA Innovative Digital Product Awards recognize products or services utilizing new technologies and applications that make the product either distinct or the first of its kind. PMA 08 exhibitors were asked to submit entries and digital photos for their products or services by early December 2007, to allow a panel of industry press to evaluate the products and services. All entries were evaluated based on the following questions: 1. Why is this product/service considered innovative? 2.  What sets this product/service apart from its competitors? 3.  How does this product/service benefit its user?

  Companies honored for their innovative digital products, in alphabetical order by company, with product listed first, are:

  Full winner details are also listed at www.pmai.org/pma08/winners.

The members of the Digital Imaging Marketing Association (DIMA), a PMA member association, elected 2008-2009 officers today at the DIMA 2008 keynote during PMA 08 held in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev., USA.

  The officers are President Steve Olock, Dan's Camera City, Allentown, Pa.; President-Elect Chris Lydle, Chris' Camera Center and Digital Photo, Aiken, S.C.; First Vice President Phil Gresham, Fotofast, Brisbane, Australia; Second Vice President Lee Varis, Varis PhotoMedia, Los Angeles, Calif.; Immediate Past President Brian Ainsworth, Photos Ar' Nice Inc., Gainesville, Fla.; and Director-at-Large Brian Mundy, Photomation, Anaheim, Calif.

  DIMA Trustees are Jamie Bardin, EZ Prints Inc., Norcross Ga.; Michel Labadie, Les Pros de la Photo, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Glynn Lavender, Camera Action Camera House, Melbourne, Australia; Joshua Litwin, Memento Press Inc., San Francisco, Calif.; Gabrielle Mullinax, Fullerton Photographics, Fullerton, Calif.; Paul Rentz, Rush Hour Photo & Wireless, Corvallis, Ore.; and Mark Zucker, Zookbinders Inc., Deerfield, Ill. The secretary/executive director remains Ted Fox, PMA, Jackson, Mich.

Scott Brownstein of Brownstein & McCabe, moderator of a DIMA 2008 session held yesterday to answer this question, does not believe there will be no prints anytime soon; however, session speakers Terry Peterson of Peterson's Video Transfer Services and Mitch Goldstone of 30 Minute Photos Etc.,  presented two viable opportunities to replace fading print business.
  "Each year, we transfer more movies, slides and photos to video and DVD than we did the year before. Even digital images can be made into a slideshow with background music," Peterson says. DVD slideshows, he notes, are very popular special events and the market for this product is quickly growing.
  For retailers who want to pursue this opportunity, Peterson discourages skimping on equipment. "Don't cut corners and use inexpensive, consumer grade equipment. Purchase a good, industrial DVD recorder and VCR, and use a dedicated slide scanner," he advises. Free trial versions of many different slideshow software applications are available online, and he suggests retailers try several before deciding which to purchase. For those who don't want to purchase equipment themselves, there are many good outsource opportunities available.
  Goldstone spoke about providing high speed scanning services. "There are 3.5 trillion prints out there that need to be digitized. This market is so vast," he says. Using a high speed Kodak document scanner, Goldstone's store offers shoebox scanning, inviting online customers at www.scanmyphoto.com to put as many prints in a specific postage box as will fit -- scanning them all for one set price. An average order is about 1,800 prints, but some customers fit hundreds more into the box.

  Larger orders come in as well. "We can scan upwards of 6,000 pictures for $200," Goldstone says. One customer recently had 22,000 prints scanned.
  In the store, customers are given a 15-minute guarantee to have up to 1,000 pictures scanned, or their order is free. The store takes the opportunity to introduce scanning customers to its ancillary products for additional sales. 
  From a service like this, Goldstone says customers want super fast turnaround and everything done in-house.

How you - the business owner or manager - interact with your employees sets the tone on how they interact with each other and customers, says long-time educator and world-class triathlete Murray Banks. He opened the Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA) convention Wednesday at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel with his keynote address on how leaders can enhance their performance under pressure.

  "What happens when you're constantly under pressure?" he asked. "Our personalities change under stress. Fatigue, stress and frustration can change your persona - your demeanor or attitude."

  Terri Sjodin of Sjodin Communications closed the day's events with a second keynote: "Nine Biggest Sales Presentation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them." Sjodin explained how to deliver a more effective sales presentation. Doing that includes developing verbal communication skills to achieve a greater impact with clients.

   Banks said it's the employers' job to create a business the employees want to be a part. Five points to remember so the owner and team can be at their best:

1. Who you are may be more important than what you know. It's not just being intellectually capable - how you relate to people is what makes the difference.
2. Keep balance in your life. We all need things in our life such as spirituality, exercise, family life, eating right and more. Things that fill us with joy affect how we come to work each day.
3. Have a "lava light philosophy," or realize the business is changing constantly. Get colleagues and employees to embrace this.
4. What we focus on expands, so focus on the positive, not the negative.
5. Keep your sense of humor and have fun. You're going to live to be about 80 years, but you're going to be dead a long time.

In March 2001, DIMA 2008 Opening Keynote Speaker Ze Frank filmed himself dancing in a silly way and put it online for his friends as an invitation to his birthday party. He sent it to 17 people on a Thursday, and by the following Monday, more than a million people had seen it.
  Despite incurring a $30,000 overcharge for his website, Frank became "addicted" to this sort of online traffic, and made several attempts to repeat it, with varying levels of success. In the process, Frank became an expert on user-generated content.
  "A lot of people are interested in getting into the user generated media space, and this industry is at the heart of it all. The digital image is the single largest piece of currency being traded right now as user generated content and social currency," Frank says. 
  Some business leaders may be resistant, because they feel a loss of control when the audience speaks for the product. "The truth is, they are doing it anyway," he states. It's best to become a part of some of it, and have a way to respond."

Entries in the International PRINT and OPEN Framing Competition of the Professional Picture Framers Association -- the grand finale of yearlong chapter-level competitions -- will be judged today by a panel of PPFA judges. Winners will be announced tomorrow during the PPFA 2008 General Session Luncheon and All-Member Meeting -- with the exception of the Popular Choice vote which will be announced at Friday's International Framing Competition Reception, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., when all the winners will be celebrated and awarded their presentation checks.

  Competition entries will be on display in the upper west foyer of the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, just outside the upper-level entrance to the PMA 08 Trade Show floor, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during trade show hours.

  Popular Choice voting -- open to all visitors to the framing gallery -- continues through 5:30 p.m. Friday. Drop by and enjoy the display of custom framed artwork -- and vote for your favorite.

  The OPEN Competition runs the gamut of subject, style, and framing techniques. In the PRINT Framing Competition, competitors frame a piece of art selected by PPFA chapter leaders.

Exclaim, Trenton, N.J., a platform provider and publisher of consumer wireless applications for user-generated content, announced a partnership with Athentech Technologies Inc. that brings their Perfectly Clear image-correction technology to Exclaim's Pictavision DMM (Digital Media Management) platform. Pictavision DMM is the industry's first user-generated, content exchange platform for wireless carriers and digital consumer electronics vendors that connects wireless devices with a range of consumer Web 2.0 brands, retailers, and digital home consumer devices.

  Perfectly Clear's Real Color correction differentiates it from all other image-correction technologies. Digital capture devices currently are incapable of reproducing the full spectrum of colors that the eye sees, and Perfectly Clear optimizes the exposure for every pixel in the image, ensuring photos are accurately corrected.

  Perfectly Clear will be integrated into the Pictavision DMM server platform, which will automatically detect the cameraphone model, and through a database of features for the specific phone, will automatically correct photos without users having to select and edit individual photos. A database of features will support phone models from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, LG, and Sony Ericsson.

  Customers will also be able to turn Perfectly Clear "off" and "on" or fine tune its corrections. Photos uploaded or printed from a camera phone to any of the destinations that DMM supports, including Facebook, Snapfish by HP, and Walgreens, will be automatically done in the background.

  Perfectly Clear will be available as part of the DMM platform for service providers and digital consumer electronics vendors in second quarter of 2008, and deployed as an inclusive service for customers who purchase Pictavision and Teleprints mobile applications directly from carriers in third quarter of 2008.

Since 2004, Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y., has eliminated 27,000-plus jobs, ceased major operations and invested billions to gain a place in the modern competitive arena of electronic imaging, reports The Associated Press. The company now offers the EasyShare Gallery, a 70-million-member online service, 80,000 retail kiosks and an array of digital cameras, printers and other devices.
  The question still remains as to whether or not the imaging company will keep up in the coming years. According to the AP, 10 out of 11 analysts rate Kodak neutral or advise selling its stock. The shares closed at $18.04 on Jan. 15, a 30-year low for the company. Kodak's staff, which once peaked at 145,300 employees 20 years ago, has decreased to around 30,000. Digital businesses, which account for more than 60 percent of Kodak's revenue, net only modest profits, says the article.

  Kodak Park, a manufacturing area north of downtown Rochester that George Eastman opened in 1891, has shrunk from 1,600 acres to 700 over the last decade. In July 2007 five plants where silver halide-based products were made or stored were imploded.
  Kodak is targeting $1 billion in sales by 2010 in a $16 billion home-printer market dominated by HP Co. In May, it aims to shake up the commercial market with a 2,000-page-a-minute, highly customizable inkjet machine that delivers offset-print quality, says the AP.

Lucidiom Inc., Vienna, Va., is partnering with Centrics LLC of St. Louis, Mo., to give retailers one-stop shopping and fulfillment for photo gifts through Lucidiom's EQ Complete Imaging System, says the company. Instead of managing several different vendors in order to offer consumers a wide selection of photo merchandise, retailers now can sign up with Lucidiom's EQ Gifting to handle the order logistics. Retailers can track orders through one system, get one invoice from Lucidiom, and offer hundreds of new photo gifts to their customers, says the company. The gift management feature is included in EQ's latest retail kiosk and online solutions. Retailers pay no subscription fees for the service.

myPhotopipe.com Inc., Atlanta, Ga., a Web-based online provider of digital photo processing and related services, announced national availability of its new FolioPrints photographic prints. FolioPrints are silver-halide prints produced on Fuji Crystal Archive paper. They contain a digitally embedded border and a digitally activated caption box. FolioPrints may be ordered in 304 print sizes and finishes at www.myphotopipe.com.

  FolioPrints with Embedded Digital Effects (EDE) represent a palette of digital options buried inside the photo template.  myPhotopipe.com soft-launched FolioPrints with Embedded Digital Effects just days before Christmas. Within a week, more than 20 percent of all orders were for the new product, says the company.

The Rochester, N.Y.-based Eastman Kodak Co. entry in the "dry lab" category is the Kodak Adaptive Picture Exchange (APEX) system, which is a thermal dye-sublimation system. The company claims the APEX system can be connected to as many as 13 Kodak order stations, as well as other output devices. Kodak claims the printer has simplified user interface, which reduces staff training, plus has a modular design to allow for expansion

Nikon Inc., Melville, N.Y., introduced the new 10.2-megapixel D60 DSLR with a wealth of innovative and user-friendly features, says the company.

  "The Nikon D60 makes stepping up to digital SLR photography easy for anyone, but is also a wonderful choice for photo enthusiasts looking for remarkable performance in a compact package," said Edward Fasano, general manager for marketing, SLR System Products at Nikon, Inc. "This model, like the wildly popular Nikon D40, greatly simplifies use and builds confidence in the user."

  The D60 had a fast 0.18-second start-up time and split-second shutter response, which combine to eliminate the frustration of shooting lag. With a fast and accurate autofocus and the ability to shoot continuously at up to 3 pictures-per-second, the D60 faithfully captures pictures that other cameras often miss, says the company.

  Packaged with Nikon's new AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR image stabilization lens, the D60 camera and lens outfit delivers striking image sharpness, as well as includes a proprietary VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization technology to reduce blur caused when shooting handheld pictures, especially in low light. Nikon's advanced 3-D Color Matrix Metering II also ensures that images are exposed correctly and automatically, even in challenging lighting conditions. Additionally, Nikon's new digital image processing concept, EXPEED, delivers smooth tones and accurate color for vibrant pictures and flattering portraits.

  The D60 also offers consumers comprehensive in-camera functionality, such as Active D-lighting. Through this innovative Nikon feature, the camera can, with the option selected, further optimize shadow and highlight detail as pictures are taken. The D60 offers new in-camera editing capabilities, including adjustable cross-screen star effects, color-intensifying filters as well as D-lighting, red-eye correction, Image Trim, and more. The D60's Stop-Motion Movie mode is a D-SLR first that enables users to create stop-animation movie clips from a series of as many as 100 consecutive JPEG picture files. More experienced photographers will also enjoy shooting in the lossless NEF (RAW) format, and then adjusting image parameters, such as size, format, and white balance, all within the camera.

  While many cameras now feature a dust cleaning function, the D60 takes this idea one step further, says the company. In addition to offering an Image Sensor Cleaning function that quickly and silently shakes off specks of image degrading dust, the camera also minimizes the dust that can come into contact with the sensor through a unique Airflow Control System. This design works to channel particles away from the sensor with every click of the shutter, resulting in even further reduction of dust particles and the spots they can leave on pictures.

  Ergonomically designed with intuitively placed controls, the D60 is a camera that's compact and ready to go wherever life leads. It also features a new power conserving Eye Sensor that turns the big 2.5-inch color LCD monitor on and off automatically when the user alternates between taking pictures and reviewing camera settings.

Nikon Inc., Melville, N.Y., introduces new Coolpix cameras available in colors such as plum, cool blue, and ruby red. In addition to new colorful bodies, the Coolpix line boasts innovative technologies to ensure the picture is bright, in focus and the subject is free of red-eye, says the company. Powering each Coolpix camera is EXPEED, Nikon's imaging processing engine to produce sharp photos with outstanding clarity.

  Compact and easy-to-use, the Coolpix L18 is an ideal camera for consumers looking to capture life's memories at an affordable price, says the company. The L18 has 8 megapixels, a 3x Zoom-Nikkor lens for creative compositional freedom, Anti-Shake AE for photos clarity, and a bright 3.0-inch LCD screen for sharing images. Adding to the L18's ease-of-use, the camera is equipped with an Easy Auto Mode. Users just press the button and let the camera do the work. Available nationwide starting in March at $139.95, the Coolpix L18 will be offered in Navy and Ruby Red.

  Nikon also introduces the Coolpix S210, S520, S550, and S600 to its Style Series line of compact digital cameras. The super thin, just 18mm, Coolpix S210 offers an 8-megapixel resolution, a 3x Zoom-Nikkor glass lens, Electronic Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization technology, and a quality-crafted aluminum body. The S210's slim, elegant camera design comes in colors such as plum, graphite black, cool blue, and brushed bronze.

  The slim, ergonomic Coolpix S520 boasts a streamlined profile, 8 megapixels, a 3x Zoom-Nikkor lens, Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization, and a quality-crafted aluminum body. Additionally, the S520 adds the "Food Mode" to its existing scene modes. Food Mode allows for users to capture close-up images of food at high ISO settings in restaurants or other locations where flash photography is not permitted.

  The Coolpix S550 packs high performance and advanced functions into an ultra-compact body, says the company. The S550 boasts 10 megapixels, a 5x Zoom-Nikkor lens, and Electronic Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization, and two new modes that enhance portrait photography: Smile Mode, which automatically triggers the shutter when the subject smiles, as well as Blink Warning, which displays a warning message when the subject has blinked. The Coolpix S550 will be available in plum, cool blue and graphite black.

  The 10-megapixel Coolpix S600 features a fast start-up time, advanced functions, outstanding photographic performance and a slim and stylish body, says the company. The Coolpix S600 boasts a 4x wide-angle 28-112mm Zoom-Nikkor lens, Optical Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization, and a fast start-up time. The Coolpix S600's all-metal body will be available in slate black. For capturing action shots or fast moving kids, the Coolpix S600 adds an Active Child Mode to the 14 existing scene modes that are standard in Coolpix cameras.

  The new Coolpix S-Series cameras will be available nationwide beginning in March. The S210 will retail for $179.95, the Coolpix S520 and S550 will retail for $229.95, and the Coolpix S600 will retail for $299.95.

  Developed for the consumer looking for a compact digital camera with creative control, the new 8.1-megapixel P60 delivers powerful resolution and a 5x Zoom-Nikkor glass lens with Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization. A first in the Coolpix line, the P60 offers an electronic viewfinder for consumers who like to compose a photo with the camera close to their eye. The Coolpix P60 comes with a functional body design and a defined hand grip for secure finger placement and easy operation. The camera's mode dial includes two exposure modes --Programmed Auto and Manual -- to offer consumers creative control over the pictures they take. To ensure sharp and steady images when utilizing the camera's 5x zoom, the P60 boasts sophisticated Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization technology, which helps overcome the effects of camera shake. The P60 also sports an extended light sensitivity range up to ISO 2000, which helps capture stunning pictures in low light settings. The Coolpix P60 will be available nationwide in March for $229.95.

The DMC-LZ10 and DMC-LZ8 are the newest additions to Secaucus, N.J.-based Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. point-and-shoot line of digital cameras. The new LZ-Series models feature Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lenses and wide-angle shooting -- 30mm on the LZ10 and 32mm on the LZ8. Each new LZ-Series model features manual controls, AA-battery operation, a 5x optical zoom, Intelligent Auto Mode and the new Venus Engine IV.
  Both LZ models feature manual control over aperture and shutter speed. When shooting manually, users can choose from three modes: A-aperture priority, S-shutter speed priority and M-Manual. Also new to the LZ-Series is Advanced Scene Mode -- a feature that gives consumers manual control using some of the frequently-used scene modes like Portrait, Sports, Landscape and Night portrait. The LZ-Series also features Panasonic's Intelligent Auto Mode, which is comprised of five technologies designed to provide users with intuitive and automatic camera adjustments, says the company. The 10.1-megapixel LZ10 and the 8.1-megapixel LZ8 both feature Intelligent Auto Mode.
  Each camera also features new 230,000-dot high-resolution LCDs, with 2.5-inch LCD screens that detect the lighting condition and controls the brightness level. The cameras also include the High Angle mode which makes the LCD screen easier to view when held high, to shoot over a crowd or a tall object. The cameras also include newly added speakers, a Title Edit function, and a record/playback mode switch, which lets the photographer switch between recording and playback modes. The DMC-LZ10 and the DMC-LZ8 will be available in black and silver models in February for a $249.95 and $179.95, respectively.

Panasonic Consumer Electronics Corp., Secaucus, N.J., announced the launch of three new Lumix FS-Series of digital cameras, first debuting a pair of 10.1-megapixel models, the DMC-FS20 and DMC-FS5, both which feature 30mm wide-angle Leica DC lens with 4x optical zoom. The FS models, a line close to the Lumix FX-Series, are designed for amateur to professional-level photographers.
  The FS20 and FS5 feature Intelligent Auto Mode, comprised of five functions: Mega O.I.S., Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Quick auto focus. The cameras also feature the new image-processing Venus Engine IV LSI helps produce higher-quality pictures, says the company. Other features of the DMC-FS20 and the DMC-FS5 include approximately 50MB of internal memory and a 3-inch LCD for the FS20 and a 2.5-inch LCD.
  The Lumix DMC-FS20 is $299.95 and will be available in pink, black and silver models. The DMC-FS5 will be available in red, black and silver models for $249.95. Both will be available in February.

  Panasonic also introduces the 8.1-megapixel DMC-FS, which features a f/2.8 Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens, 3x optical zoom, and Intelligent Auto Mode. The camera features a 2.5-inch LCD screen that detects the lighting condition and controls the brightness level to offer clarity. Additional features of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3 include Title Edit, which allows the consumer to input text to accompany a photo; 50MB internal memory; and the ability to record WVGA motion images at 30 frames per second. The DMC-FS3 will be available in blue, pink, green, silver, and black models in February for $199.95.

Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co., Secaucus, N.J., introduced two new additions to its TZ line of Lumix digital cameras, the DMC-TZ5 and DMC-TZ4. Both cameras feature a 28mm wide-angle and10x optical zoom Leica DC lens. Panasonic expands its Intelligent Auto technologies with the inclusion of new Intelligent Exposure and Digital Red-Eye Correction. Panasonic's Advanced Intelligent Auto mode includes Intelligent Exposure, Digital Red-Eye Correction, mega optical image stabilization, Intelligent ISO, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection, and Continuous AF.
  Also new to the TZ5 and the TZ4 is the Venus Engine IV, Panasonic's new image processing LSI. The Venus Engine IV improves noise reduction, elevates the detection accuracy and corrective effects in both mega O.I.S. and Intelligent ISO. It also reduces the shutter release time lag. Both models also incorporate an Intelligent LCD, which detects the lighting condition and controls the brightness level of the LCD.
  The 9.1-megapixel TZ5 records High-Definition motion pictures, and is compatible with Panasonic VIERA Plasma HDTVs that have an integrated SD Memory Card slot. The 8.1-megapixel TZ4 joins the TZ5 in its ability to take 1920-by-1080 pixel High Definition-ready photos that fit a widescreen HDTV. Also, with the newly added HD component output capability, users can also connect the TZ models to an HDTV and watch a slide show with preloaded music. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 will be available in blue, black, and silver models for $349.95. The DMC-TZ4 will be available in black and silver for $299.95. Both models will be available in late March.

Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co., Secaucus, N.J., announced the newest addition to its Lumix FX-Series digital cameras, the DMC-FX35. The 10.1-megapixel camera features a 25mm ultra-wide lens and 4x optical zoom. The camera includes Panasonic's Advanced Intelligent Auto mode, a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens offering f/2.8 brightness and the fourth-generation Venus Engine image processor.
  Panasonic's Advanced Intelligent Auto mode expands Panasonic's system of technologies with the addition of Intelligent Exposure and Digital Red-Eye Correction. The camera's Intelligent Exposure analyzes the framed image and adjusts the brightness in areas that are too dark because of dim lighting, backlighting, or the use of the flash. Digital Red-Eye Correction helps to eliminate the red eye when taking flash shots at night. The built-in flash emits a small preliminary flash before the main flash, detects red eye digitally corrects it. Also in the camera is an advanced optical image stabilization feature. Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image. The FX35 automatically adjusts ISO and also features an Intelligent Scene Selector. Also included amongst the FX35 features is face detection for up to 15 faces in an image, and Quick Auto Focus for sharper images.
  In burst shooting mode, the DMC-FX35 can snap 2.5 shots per second at full resolution. Also, in High-Speed Burst shooting mode, it takes 6 shots-per-second, plus unlimited consecutive shooting. Consumers can view slide shows on the FX35's 2.5-inch LCD, and can also music, choosing from natural, slow, urban, or swing tunes. The Lumix FX35 incorporates an Intelligent LCD, which detects the lighting condition and controls the brightness level of the LCD in 11 steps. 

  The Lumix FX35 is capable of recording High Definition motion pictures and High Definition-ready photos that fit a wide-screen HDTV Panasonic VIERA Plasma or LCD HDTVs that have an integrated SD Memory Card slot. In addition, with the newly added HD component output capability, consumers can enjoy watching still and motion images in HD quality taken by taking the DMC-FX35 and connecting the camera via an optional component cable. The DMC-FX35 will be available in March in silver, black, and blue models for $349.95.

MultiMedia Intelligence, Scottsdale, Ariz., reports in "Beyond Traditional DRM: Moving to Digital Watermarking & Fingerprinting in Media Monetization," that applications using content identification technologies such as digital watermarking and fingerprinting are growing rapidly and could surpass $500 million worldwide by 2012. Key applications include Internet and broadcast content monitoring, metadata association, copyright control, content protection and forensics, and interactive advertising, says the company.

  Digital watermarking will also compliment digital rights management (DRM) and conditional access technologies. Companies are positioning digital watermarking for integration into set-top boxes, to increase content traceability and security. The goal of this is to convince content owners to support earlier release of high-definition (HD) video assets for video-on-demand and enable revenue for TV operators. FOX has already communicated that they will mandate watermarking for early-release HD content.

  The new MultiMedia Intelligence research also found that content owners are continuing to pressure Web properties and other network owners to police their content as a result of the explosion of user generated content and social networks, coupled with users posting copyrighted media. In addition, fingerprinting and watermarking will play a role in broadband operators' developing plans to filter peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic on their networks to restrict copyrighted material that is being illegally distributed.

  Greater processing capabilities in consumer electronics equipment now enables low cost digital watermarking in consumer electronics and mobile devices, says the company. Digital watermarks will become an enabler for tracking non-linear interactive advertising, supporting ad association, tracking and reporting, says MultiMedia.