The company historically developed technologies and products that helped protect content from being pirated. Its two core legacy products were called RipGuard and the Analog Protection System (APS).
RipGuard Macrovision introduced its RipGuard technology in February 2005. It was designed to prevent or reduce digital DVD copying by altering the format of the DVD content to disrupt the ripping software. Although the technology could be circumvented by several current DVD rippers such as
AnyDVD or DVDFab, Macrovision claimed that 95% of casual users lack the knowledge and/or determination to be able to copy a DVD with RipGuard technology.
Analog Protection System The Analog Protection System (APS), also known as Analog Copy Protection (ACP) or Macrovision, was the Macrovision Corporation's flagship product, a
copy protection system for both
VHS and
DVD. Video tapes copied from
DVDs encoded with APS become garbled and unwatchable. The process works by adding pulses to analog video signals to negatively impact the
AGC circuit of a recording device. In digital devices, changes to the analog
video signal are created by a chip that converts the digital video to analog within the device. In
DVD players, trigger bits are created during
DVD authoring to inform the APS that it should be applied to DVD players' analog outputs or analog video outputs on a
PC while playing back a protected DVD-Video disc. In
set top boxes trigger bits are incorporated into
Conditional Access Entitlement Control Messages (ECM) in the stream delivered to the STB. In VHS, alterations to the analog video signal are added in a
Macrovision-provided "processor box" used by duplicators.
As Macrovision • In 2000, Macrovision acquired Globetrotter, creators of the
FLEXlm, which was subsequently renamed
Flexnet. • In 2002, Macrovision acquired
Israeli company Midbar Technologies, developers of the
Cactus Data Shield music copy protection solution for $17 million. Additionally the same year, Macrovision acquired all the music copy protection and digital rights management (DRM) assets of TTR Technologies (formerly NASDAQ listed under the ticker TTRE). • In 2004, Macrovision acquired
InstallShield, creators of installation authoring software (later
divested to
private equity). • In 2005, Macrovision acquired the
intellectual property rights to
DVD Decrypter from its developer. • In 2005, Macrovision acquired ZeroG Software, creators of
InstallAnywhere (direct competition to InstallShield MP (MultiPlatform)), and
Trymedia Systems. • In 2006, Macrovision acquired
eMeta. • On January 1, 2007, Macrovision acquired Mediabolic, Inc. • On November 6, 2007, Macrovision announced its intention to acquire
All Media Guide. • On December 7, 2007, Macrovision announced an agreement to acquire
Gemstar-TV Guide and completed the purchase on August 5, 2008. • On December 19, 2007, Macrovision purchased
BD+ DRM technology from
Cryptography Research, Inc. • On April 15, 2009, Macrovision announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of
Muze, Inc.
As Rovi • On March 16, 2010, Rovi acquired Recommendations Service MediaUnbound. • On December 23, 2010, Rovi announced its intention to acquire
Sonic Solutions. • On March 1, 2011, Rovi acquired
SideReel. • On May 5, 2011, Rovi acquired DigiForge. • In 2012, Rovi acquired Snapstick. • In February 2012, Rovi sold
Roxio to
Corel. • On April 1, 2013, Rovi acquired Integral Reach. • On February 25, 2014, Rovi acquired
Veveo. • On November 3, 2014, Rovi acquired Fanhattan, a company that ran the Fan TV service, and owners of The Movie Database, for $12.0 million in cash. • On April 29, 2016, Rovi confirmed that it would acquire
TiVo for approximately $1.1 billion. ==See also==