Company

Verance Milestones

2007

Verance publishes completed VCMS/AV technical specifications for media player and component manufacturers, enabling integration of the technology into Blu-ray product designs and manufacturing.
First Oscar awarded for the sound production of a motion picture released for digital cinema embedded with VCMS/AV (“The Bourne Ultimatum” 2005 Oscar winner for “Best Sound Mixing” and “Best Sound Editing”).

2006

AACS selects VCMS/AV as a component of its architecture for the protection of high definition content, including the Blu-ray format.
Verance becomes a founding member of the Digital Watermarking Alliance, an international group of industry leading companies, formed to promote the value of digital watermarking media content owners, industry opinion leaders, policy makers and consumers.

2005

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) licenses VCMS/AV to protect its theatrical, home video and television content.
First GRAMMY awarded to music embedded with VCMS/A technology (Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms – 20th Anniversary Edition,” DVD-Audio, 2005 “Best Surround Sound Album” GRAMMY Award Winner).
First theatrical motion picture and commercial DVD embedded with VCMS/AV are released.

2004

Microsoft licenses VCMS/AV for use in its Windows-based computing products.
Verance releases first VCMS/AV embedding tools, making embedding technology available for use in commercial theatrical and home video releases.

2003

Verance begins development of VCMS/AV product line, adapting its watermark technology to protect film and video content against unauthorized use.
Universal Studios licenses VCMS/AV to protect its theatrical, home video, and television content.

2002

VCMS/A is featured in first SD-Audio-capable mobile phone with music recording and playback capabilities (J-phone JSH51, manufactured by Sharp, branded and distributed in Japan by J-phone Co., Ltd., one of Japan's leading mobile operators).
VCMS/A is licensed to a growing number of consumer products and components manufacturers, including Texas Instruments Acer, ESS, LSI Logic, Matsushita, MediaTek, National Semiconductor, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Winbond Electronics, Hitachi, Cirrus Logic, and Zoran.

2001

Verance’s audio watermarking technology certified as meeting all commercial requirements for use in performing rights administration applications in STEP 2001 independent evaluation. STEP 2001 was sponsored by BIEM and CISAC—(two international associations representing over 200 performing rights administration organization in over 100 countries) and the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC).
VCMS/A becomes mandatory for all new DVD-Audio player models.

2000

VCMS/A is licensed to five major recording companies (BMG Entertainment, EMI Recorded Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and the Warner Music Group) for protection of their recorded music.
VCMS/A licensed to major computer, semiconductor and consumer electronics companies, including Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer, Microsoft, Intel, PortalPlayer, ST Microelectronics, Inc. and Zoran Corporation.
First SDMI-compliant portable music player incorporating VCMS/A is offered to consumers.
First commercial release of music embedded with VCMS/A.

1999

Verance Corporation forms from the merger of two audio watermark technology development companies – ARIS Technologies, Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.) and Solana Technology Development Corporation (San Diego, Calif.); the new company is headquartered in San Diego.
Verance’s VCMS/A technology is selected by the 4C Entity (formed by IBM, Intel, Panasonic, and Toshiba) as an industry-standard component of the DVD-Audio and SD-Audio formats.
VCMS/A is selected by the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI), a consortium of over 200 companies in the entertainment and technology industries, as an industry-standard component of the SDMI Portable Device Specifications for playing, storing and distributing digital music.