Data hiding in digital multimedia

• US 6,978,371 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yu, Hong Heather
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, THANHNGA B
• Application Number:
  US09/707,697
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 382/100, 382/284, 382/248, 382/250, 370/431, 348/463, 348/380, 380/49, 380/279, 380/202
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/16 Obfuscation or hiding, e.g. involving white box
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A method and system for hiding authentication data within a multimedia data stream provides for cross-authentication. The method includes the step of obtaining a first set of authentication data, where the first set of authentication data is based on data contained in a first media channel of the multimedia data stream. The method further includes the step of hiding the first set of authentication data in a second media channel of a multimedia data stream. When dealing with active data streams, the present invention provides for hiding a first subset of the active data stream in a visual channel of the multimedia data stream. A second subset of the active data stream is then hidden in the audio channel of the multimedia data stream. In one embodiment, the first subset includes executable content, where the second subset includes a controlled data stream.

Claims

1. A method for hiding authentication data within a multimedia data stream having a first media channel and a second media channel, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a first set of authentication data;

said first set of authentication data being based on data contained in the first media channel;

obtaining a second set of authentication data;

said second set of authentication data being based on data contained in the second media channel;

hiding the first set of authentication data in the first media channel and the second media channel; and

hiding the second authentication data in the first media channel and the second media channel,

wherein an active data stream is inserted into a high capacity region of a visual channel, while other control data are embedded into a relatively high robustness region of the visual channel, the high capacity region having higher capacity and lower robustness than the high robustness region.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

defining a first subset of authentication data;

hiding the first subset in a first region of the second media channel, the first region having a first data hiding capacity;

defining a second subset of authentication data; and

hiding the second subset in a second region of the second media channel, the second region having a second data hiding capacity.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of generating an identification mark for the first media channel based on a signature of the first media channel, the identification mark defining the first set of authentication data and enabling synchronization between the first media channel and the second media channel.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of generating an authentication value for the first media channel, the authentication value defining the first set of authentication data.

5. The method of claim 4 further including the steps of:

calculating a one way hash value for the first media channel; and

mapping the hash value onto an identification mark for the first media channel.

6. The method of claim 1 further including the step of obtaining an active data stream, the active data stream having executable content and defining the first set of authentication data.

7. The method of claim 6 further including the step of obtaining a control data stream, the control data stream further defining the first set of authentication data.

8. The method of claim 7 further including the step of using two-dimensional checksum error correction to generate the first set of authentication data.

9. The method of claim 7 further including the step of using multi-dimensional checksum error correction to generate the first set of authentication data.

10. The method of claim 1 further including the step of generating the first set of authentication data based on data contained in the second media channel.

11. The method of claim 10 further including the step of embedding the first set of authentication data in the first media channel.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the multimedia data stream has a third media channel, the method further including the step of hiding the first set of authentication data in the third media channel.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia data stream has a third data channel, the method further including the steps of:

obtaining a third set of authentication data;

said third set of authentication data being based on data contained in the third media channel;

hiding the third set of authentication data in the first media channel and the second media channel; and

hiding the first set of authentication data and the second set of authentication data in the third media channel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the multimedia data stream is a video data stream, the first data channel is a video channel, the second data channel is an audio channel, and the third data channel is a text channel, the method further comprising the step of synchronously hiding authentication data obtained from each data channel of the multimedia data stream in every other data channel of the multimedia data stream.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of synchronously hiding authentication data obtained from all data channels of the multimedia data stream in every, individual data channel of the multimedia data stream.

16. A method for hiding authentication data within a multimedia data stream having a first media channel, a second media channel, and a third media channel, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a first set of authentication data;

said first set of authentication data being based on data contained in the first media channel;

obtaining a second set of authentication data;

said second set of authentication data being based on data contained in the second media channel;

obtaining a third set of authentication data;

said third set of authentication data being based on data contained in the third media channel;

hiding the first set of authentication data in the second media channel;

hiding the second set of authentication data in the first media channel;

hiding the third set of authentication data in the first media channel and the second media channel; and

hiding the first set of authentication data and the second set of authentication data in the third media channel,

wherein an active data stream is inserted into a high capacity region of a visual channel, while other control data are embedded into a relatively high robustness region of the visual channel, the high capacity region having higher capacity and lower robustness than the high robustness region.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the multimedia data stream is a video data stream, the first data channel is a video channel, the second data channel is an audio channel, and the third data channel is a text channel, the method further comprising the step of synchronously hiding authentication data obtained from each data channel of the multimedia data stream in every other data channel of the multimedia data stream.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of synchronously hiding authentication data obtained from all data channels of the multimedia data stream in every, individual data channel of the multimedia data stream.

19. The method of claim 16, further including the steps of:

defining a first subset of authentication data;

hiding the first subset in a first region of the second media channel, the first region having a first data hiding capacity;

defining a second subset of authentication data; and

hiding the second subset in a second region of the second media channel, the second region having a second data hiding capacity.

20. The method of claim 16 further including the step of generating an identification mark for the first media channel based on a signature of the first media channel, the identification mark defining the first set of authentication data and enabling synchronization between the first media channel and the second media channel.

21. The method of claim 16 further including the step of generating an authentication value for the first media channel, the authentication value defining the first set of authentication data.

22. The method of claim 21 further including the steps of:

calculating a one way hash value for the first media channel; and

mapping the hash value onto an identification mark for the first media channel.

23. The method of claim 16 further including the step of obtaining an active data stream, the active data stream having executable content and defining the first set of authentication data.

24. The method of claim 23 further including the step of obtaining a control data stream, the control data stream further defining the first set of authentication data.

25. The method of claim 24 further including the step of using two-dimensional checksum error correction to generate the first set of authentication data.

26. The method of claim 24 further including the step of using multi-dimensional checksum error correction to generate the first set of authentication data.

27. The method of claim 16 further including the step of generating the first set of authentication data based on data contained in the second media channel.

28. The method of claim 27 further including the step of embedding the first set of authentication data in the first media channel.

29. The method of claim 16 wherein the multimedia data stream has a third media channel, the method further including the step of hiding the first set of authentication data in the third media channel.

30. A method for hiding authentication data within a multimedia data stream having a first media channel and a second media channel, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a first set of authentication data;

said first set of authentication data being based on data contained in the first media channel;

obtaining a second set of authentication data;

said second set of authentication data being based on data contained in the second media channel;

hiding the first set of authentication data in the first media channel and the second media channel;

hiding the second authentication data in the first media channel and the second media channel; and

synchronously hiding authentication data obtained from all data channels of the multimedia data stream in every, individual data channel of the multimedia data stream,

wherein an active data stream is inserted into a high capacity region of a visual channel, while other control data are embedded into a relatively high robustness region of the visual channel, the high capacity region having higher capacity and lower robustness than the high robustness region.