SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EMBEDDING DATA IN VIDEO

• US 20110050990A1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Farkash, Eyal
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/425.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Apparatus and method for embedding data in initial content having synchronized video and audio, the method comprising defining at least one content segment in the initial content, and altering the video and audio synchronization in the at least one segment in accordance with the data to be embedded, wherein the altered content segment is viewable on a viewing device and the synchronization alteration is imperceptible to a casual viewer. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Claims

1. A method for embedding data in initial content, the initial content comprising synchronized video and audio, the method comprising:

defining at least one content segment in the initial content; and

altering the synchronization of the video and audio in the at least one segment in accordance with the data to be embedded, such that the synchronization of the video relative to the audio is altered, thereby producing an altered content segment;

wherein when the altered content segment is viewed on a viewing device and the altered synchronization is imperceptible to a casual viewer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said altering comprises altering the video and audio synchronization by a predetermined amount of time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said defining comprises defining a plurality of content segments in the initial content and said method further comprises repeating said altering for at least an additional one of the plurality of initial content segments.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of defined content segments are contiguous.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of defined content segments are not contiguous.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the not contiguous plurality of defined content segments are separated by predetermined intervals.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein said altering comprises one of:

altering the video and audio synchronization by a first predetermined amount to embed a first data value in one of the plurality of defined content segments; and

altering the video and audio synchronization by a second predetermined amount to embed a second data value in one of the plurality of defined content segments.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first data value is a zero and the second data value is a one.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein one of the first and second predetermined amounts is zero.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the altered video and audio synchronization is reset in at least one predetermined location in the at least one altered content segment.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one predetermined location comprises at least one of the beginning or the end of a group of pictures (GOP):

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one predetermined location comprises at least one of the beginning or the end of the defined content segment.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said altering the video and audio synchronization comprises at least one of:

advancing the audio relative to the video;

advancing the video relative to the audio;

delaying the audio relative to the video; and

delaying the video relative to the audio.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial content comprises video and audio time stamps, and altering the video and audio synchronization comprises at least one of:

altering an audio time stamp; and

altering a video time stamp.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial content comprises audio frames and video frames, and said altering the video and audio synchronization comprises at least one of:

dropping an audio frame;

dropping a video frame;

substituting an audio frame with an alternative audio frame;

substituting a video frame with an alternative video frame;

adding an audio frame; and

adding a video frame.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial content comprises compressed content.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the compressed content comprises content encoded according to one of the following encoding standards:

MPEG-1;

MPEG-2;

MPEG-4;

VC-1;

H.263; and

H.264.

28. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises a watermark.

29. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises information relating to at least one of:

a content producer, a content owner, a content distributor, geographic location, a date, a time, subscription related information, geographic targeting of the content, a Consumer Premises Equipment (CPE) serial number, a CPE user Identification (ID), a smartcard serial number, a smartcard user ID, a subscriber ID, a customer ID, and subscriber information.

16-18. -18. (canceled)

21-27. -27. (canceled)

30. A method for retrieving data from subject content, the subject content comprising Content Containing Embedded Data (CCED) comprising data embedded in initial content, the method comprising:

sampling at a known location in the subject content, thereby producing a subject content sample;

sampling at a location in the initial content corresponding to the known location in the subject content, thereby producing a corresponding initial content sample, or sampling at a further location of the content sample to produce two samples comprising a sample set;

comparing the subject content sample to one of, the corresponding initial content sample and the sample from the further location of the subject content;

detecting, based at least partially on said comparing, audio and video synchronization changes in the subject content relative to the initial content, wherein the change detected is an alteration of the synchronization of the videp relative to the audio; and

assigning an embedded data value to the detected change in synchronization.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein said sampling is repeatedly performed at predetermined intervals.

32. The method according to claim 30, wherein said sampling is repeatedly performed at predetermined variable intervals.

34. The method according to claim 30, said method further comprising:

determining at least one interval between a later detected change and an earlier detected change;

disregarding at least one of the earlier detected change and the later detected change when the determined at least one interval is not equal to an expected interval.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the expected interval is predeterminedly variable.

36. The method according to claim 34, wherein the expected interval is fixed.

37. A method according to claim 30, the method further comprising:

sampling the subject content at least twice, the at least two samples comprising a sample set; and

detecting the presence of at least one sample in the sample set which is a duplicate sample of at least one other sample in the sample set, the detected presence of the at least one duplicate sample signifying an embedded data value, wherein the at least one duplicate sample and the at least one other sample form a duplicate set.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the at least one other sample is adjacent to the at least one duplicate sample.

39. The method according to either claim 37, wherein said sampling the subject content at least twice is performed at a first predetermined interval.

40. The method according to claim 37, wherein said sampling the subject content at least twice is repeatedly performed at a second predetermined interval thus creating a plurality of sample sets.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein the second predetermined sampling interval varies.

43. The method according to claim 40, said method further comprising:

determining at least one interval between a later detected duplicate set and an earlier detected duplicate set;

disregarding at least one of the earlier and later detected duplicate sets when the determined at least one interval is not equal to an expected interval.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the expected interval is predeterminedly variable.

47. The method according to claim 43, wherein the at least one duplicate sample of at the least one other sample in the sample set comprising duplicated video signifies an embedded data value.

48. The method according to claim 47, wherein the at least one duplicate sample of at the least one other sample in the sample set comprising duplicated audio and video invalidates the embedded value.

33. (canceled)

42. (canceled)

45-46. -46. (canceled)

49. Apparatus for embedding data in initial content, the initial content comprising synchronized video and audio, the apparatus comprising:

an embedder operative to define at least one content segment in the initial content, and further operative to alter the synchronization of the video and audio in the at least one segment in accordance with the data to be embedded, such that the synchronization of the video relative to the audio is altered, thereby producing an altered content segment;

wherein the altered content segment is viewable on a viewing device and the altered synchronization is imperceptible to a casual viewer.

62. The apparatus according to claim 49, wherein the initial content comprises video and audio time stamps, and altering the video and audio synchronization comprises at least one of:

altering an audio time stamp; and

altering a video time stamp.

63. The apparatus according to claim 49, wherein the initial content comprises audio frames and video frames, and said altering the video and audio synchronization comprises at least one of:

dropping an audio frame;

dropping a video frame;

substituting an audio frame with an alternative audio frame;

substituting a video frame with an alternative video frame;

adding an audio frame; and

adding a video frame.

64. The apparatus according to claim 63, wherein said adding an audio frame comprises adding an audio frame that is a duplicate of an adjacent audio frame, and said adding a video frame comprises adding a video frame that is a duplicate of an adjacent video frame.

67. The apparatus according to claim 49, wherein the initial content comprises compressed content.

50-61. -61. (canceled)

65-66. -66. (canceled)

68-75. -75. (canceled)

76. Apparatus for retrieving data embedded in subject content, the subject content comprising Content Containing Embedded Data (CCED), the subject content further being identified as corresponding to initial content, the apparatus comprising:

a sampler operative to sample at a known location in the subject content, thereby producing a subject content sample, the sampler further operative to perform one of;

sample at a location in the initial content corresponding to the known location in the subject content, thereby producing a corresponding initial content sample; and

sample at a further location of the content sample to produce two samples comprising a sample set;

a comparator operative to compare the subject content sample to one of, the corresponding initial content sample and the sample from the further location of the subject content; and

a detector, operatively associated with said comparator, operative to detect audio and video synchronization changes in the subject content relative to the initial content, wherein said changes are changes to the synchronization of the video relative to the audio, and signify an embedded data value.

83. Apparatus according to claim 76, further comprising:

a sampler operative to sample the subject content at least twice, the at least two samples comprising a sample set; and

a detector operative to detect the presence of at least one sample in the sample set which is a duplicate sample of at least one other sample in the sample set, the detected presence of the at least one duplicate sample signifying an embedded data value, wherein the at least one duplicate sample and the at least one other sample form a duplicate set.

84. The apparatus according to claim 83, wherein the at least one other sample is adjacent to the at least one duplicate sample.

85. The apparatus according to claim 83, wherein said sampling the subject content at least twice is performed at a first predetermined interval.

86. The apparatus according to claim 83, wherein said sampler is further operative to sample the subject content at least twice repeatedly at a second predetermined interval thus creating a plurality of sample sets.

87. The apparatus according to claim 86, wherein the second predetermined sampling interval varies.

89. The apparatus according to claim 86, wherein said detector is further operative to determine at least one interval between a later detected duplicate set and an earlier detected duplicate set, and to disregard at least one of the earlier and later detected duplicate sets when the determined at least one interval is not equal to an expected interval.

90. The apparatus according to claim 89, wherein the expected interval is variable.

91. The apparatus according to claim 89, wherein the expected interval is fixed.

92. The apparatus according to claim 83, wherein said subject content comprises video and audio content, and the at least one duplicate sample of at the least one other sample in the sample set comprises at least one of:

duplicated video;

duplicated audio; and

duplicated audio and video.

93. The apparatus according to claim 92, wherein the at least one duplicate sample of at the least one other sample in the sample set comprising duplicated video signifies an embedded data value.

94. The apparatus according to claim 93, wherein the at least one duplicate sample of at the least one other sample in the sample set comprising duplicated audio and video invalidates the embedded value.

77-82. -82. (canceled)

88. (canceled)

95-98. -98. (canceled)