Recorded On overlay and watermark information

Recorded On overlay information

The Recorded On overlay shows when recording started for a video. This overlay appears in the video frame during playback and can also be included in exported or extracted files.

For certain types of evidence, the Recorded On overlay is intentionally static and does not increment during playback. This helps avoid confusion about what the timestamp represents.

The Recorded On overlay appears the same throughout playback.

For Axon body-worn and Fleet camera videos, the Recorded On overlay:

  • Displays a static timestamp.
  • Represents the recording start time.
  • Does not represent the real clock time (device time) during capture, therefore might not match the video's start time when the camera uses pre-event buffering. The real clock time at the time of recording is best represented by the top right watermark.
  • Remains unchanged during playback.
  • Appears the same in exported and extracted files.

Watermark information

Axon camera videos also display a watermark timestamp embedded directly into the video image.

This watermark:

  • Represents the camera's reference time for the video frame.
  • Shows the date and time embedded in the video frames Continues to display throughout the video.
  • Might include video captured before recording started when a pre-event buffer is present.

Timestamp behavior differences

The Recorded On overlay and the watermark represent different moments in the video:

  • Recorded On overlay: Shows when recording started and stays static for Axon videos.
  • Watermark: Shows the camera's date and time embedded in the video image.

Because the watermark represents the time of the video content, it might show an earlier time than the Recorded On overlay when pre-event video is present. This difference is expected.

Body-worn camera video

When reviewing body-word or Fleet camera video:

  • The Recorded On time remains static during playback.
  • The watermark continues to display the camera's reference time embedded in the video.

Third-party video (CCTV and other non-Axon sources)

For third-party video, Recorded On behavior depends on your organization's settings:

  • When configured to remain fixed, the timestamp does not change during playback.
  • When configured to update, the timestamp changes as the video plays.

This supports video sources that might not include an embedded timestamp in the video image.

Exports and extracted files

When a video is exported or extracted with the Recorded On overlay:

  • The overlay is applied exactly as it appears during playback.
  • Fixed timestamps remain fixed.
  • Updating timestamps behave the same way in the exported file.