Scaling independent technique for watermarking images with recorder shut-off

• US 8,014,524 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marking Object Virtualization Intelligence, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rovi Solutions Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ryan, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pyzocha, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fields, Courtney D
• Application Number:
  US12/815,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20100246882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201
• US Class Current: 380/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0064 Geometric transfor invariant watermarking, e.g. affine transform invariant
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• 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

Abstract

A robust technique to prevent illicit copying of video information notwithstanding the use of image scaling. A watermark is embedded into the video signal (e.g., DVD'"'"'s content or other video sources) at different scales (i.e., sizes). The watermark is maintained at each scale for a predetermined time duration that is sufficient to allow the detector circuit in a DVD-recorder, DVHS recorder, DVCR, or any other digital format recorder to detect, extract, and process information contained in the watermark. At the end of the predetermined time duration, the watermark is changed to a different scale preferably on a pseudo-random basis to ensure that each one of all the scales in a predetermined scaling range is achieved a predetermined number of times. Thereby the recorder shuts off a number of times during play of the content, each time the detector circuit senses the watermark.

Claims

1. A method to prevent illicit copying of video information comprising:

a) embedding a watermark, with a watermark embedder, having a first scale selected from a range of scales in the video information for a first time period;

b) during or at the end of the first time period, embedding a watermark, with the watermark embedder, having another scale selected from the range of scales in the video information for a second time period; and

c) repeating step (b) using a different scale until each of the scales is used a predetermined number of times;

whereby the watermark is restored to a position and size detectable by a typical watermark detector at least the predetermined number of times.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating steps (a) to (c) throughout part or all of the duration of the video information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the watermark having the first scale is embedded throughout approximately ¼

of the duration of the video information and the watermarks having other scales are embedded throughout the remaining duration of the video information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the scales is pseudo-randomly selected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the scales is randomly selected.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the range of scales is ±

20 percent relative to the first scale.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of scales corresponds to the range of the scales and watermark detection resolution of the watermark detector.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first time period corresponds to the time required by the watermark detector to detect, extract, and process the watermark.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of the video information is a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of the video information is broadcast, the Internet or cable.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time period is substantially the same length as the second time period.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time period is different in length from the second time period.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein in the second time period the video information is not scaled by the another scale.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the watermark detector is of the type in a digital recorder and each detection of the watermark interrupts recording.

15. A method to provide watermarked video, comprising:

a) providing a video stream;

b) providing a watermark;

c) in a first time period, embedding the watermark, with a watermark embedder, having a first scale in the video stream;

d) in a second subsequent time period, embedding the watermark, with the watermark embedder, having another second scale in the video stream without scaling the video stream by the second scale;

e) in a third subsequent time period, embedding the watermark, with the watermark embedder, having another third scale in the video stream without scaling the video stream by the third scale; and

f) repeating steps (c), (d), and (e) a predetermined number of times;

whereby upon playback of the video stream with the embedded watermarks, a scaling of the video stream results in at least one of the embedded watermarks being restored to a predetermined size and location in the video stream;

whereby at the predetermined size and location the watermark is detectable by a typical watermark detector at least the predetermined number of times.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising in subsequent time periods embedding the watermark in the video stream.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the watermark having the first scale is embedded in approximately ¼

of the duration of the video stream and the watermarks having the other scales are embedded in a remaining duration of the video stream.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the scales is pseudo-randomly selected.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the scales is randomly selected.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the range of the second and third scales is ±

20 percent relative to the first scale.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising predetermining the total number of scales.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein a duration of each time period corresponds to the time required by the watermark detector to detect, extract, and process the watermark.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the source of the video stream is a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD).

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the source of the video stream is broadcast or cable-delivered video signals.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the first time period is substantially the same length as the second time period.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the first time period is different in length from a subsequent one of the time periods.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the watermark detector is of the type in a digital recorder, and each detection of the watermark interrupts recording.

28. A method of embedding a plurality of watermarks in a video signal, comprising:

a) embedding a watermark, with a watermark embedder, having a first scale selected from a range of scales in the video signal for a first time period;

b) during or at the end of the first time period, embedding a watermark, with the watermark embedder, having another scale selected from the range of scales in the video signal for a second time period;

c) repeating step (b) using a different scale until a predetermined number of scales is reached; and

d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) a predetermined number of times.