Methods and apparatus for embedding codes in compressed audio data streams

• US 8,078,301 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Venugopal
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US11/870,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 380/269, 380/236, 380/54, 380/246, 704/E19.09, 704/E19.01, 713168-181, 382/100, 382/232, 382/280, 382/281
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0212 using orthogonal transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/035 Scalar quantisation

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for embedding codes in compressed audio data streams are disclosed. An example method to embed a code in a compressed audio data stream disclosed herein comprises obtaining a plurality of transform coefficients comprising the compressed audio data stream, wherein the plurality of transform coefficients is represented by a respective plurality of mantissas and a respective plurality of scale factors, and modifying a mantissa in the plurality of mantissas and a corresponding scale factor in the plurality of scale factors to embed the code in the compressed audio data stream.

Claims

1. A method to embed a code in a compressed audio data stream comprising:

obtaining a plurality of transform coefficients from the compressed audio data stream, wherein the plurality of transform coefficients is represented by a respective plurality of mantissas and a respective plurality of scale factors;

determining a plurality of reconstructed time domain samples corresponding to the plurality of transform coefficients;

determining a temporary watermarked transform coefficient corresponding to a first transform coefficient in the plurality of transform coefficients, the temporary watermarked transform coefficient determined for a combination of the plurality of reconstructed time domain samples with the code; and

modifying a first mantissa and a first scale factor associated with the first transform coefficient to embed the code in the compressed audio data stream by comparing the first mantissa and the first scale factor with a second mantissa and a second scale factor associated with the temporary watermarked transform coefficient to determine a modification to the first mantissa and the first scale factor for embedding the code.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the compressed audio data stream conforms to the Moving Picture Experts Group Advanced Audio Coding (MPEG-AAC) standard and the plurality of transform coefficients comprise a plurality of modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) coefficients.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of scale factors comprise a respective plurality of exponents and a respective plurality of fractional multipliers, and wherein modifying the first scale factor comprises modifying at least one of a corresponding exponent in the plurality of exponents or a corresponding fractional multiplier in the plurality of fractional multipliers.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein modifying the first scale factor comprises modifying at least one corresponding exponent in the plurality of exponents and at least one corresponding fractional multiplier in the plurality of fractional multipliers.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein modifying the first mantissa and the first scale factor comprises:

reducing the first scale factor by a unit of resolution to determine a modified scale factor; and

quantizing the temporary watermarked transform coefficient based on the modified scale factor, wherein the temporary watermarked transform coefficient is determined by transforming the plurality of reconstructed time domain samples combined with the code, and wherein the plurality of reconstructed time domain samples are determined by inverse transforming the plurality of transform coefficients.

6. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

determining a plurality of temporary watermarked transform coefficients for the combination of the plurality of reconstructed time domain samples with the code; and

comparing the plurality of temporary watermarked transform coefficients with the plurality of transform coefficients to determine modifications to the respective plurality of mantissas and scale factors for embedding the code in the compressed audio data stream.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the code corresponds to a frequency change in the audio content carried by the compressed audio data stream, and wherein the code is recoverable from a presentation of the audio content without access to the compressed audio data stream.

8. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein the frequency change in the audio content is substantially imperceptible to an observer of the presentation of the audio content.

12. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the modification to the first mantissa and the first scale factor comprises at least one of replacing the first mantissa with the second mantissa or replacing the first scale factor with the second scale factor.

13. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein modifying the first mantissa and the first scale factor comprises:

determining the second scale factor to be the first scale factor reduced by a unit of resolution;

quantizing the second mantissa based on the second scale factor;

encoding the quantized second mantissa based on a same codebook used to encode the first mantissa to determine an encoded second mantissa; and

replacing the first mantissa and the first scale factor with the encoded second mantissa and the second scale factor.

9. A method to distribute watermarked media content comprising:

storing a compressed data stream to carry the media content;

determining an imperceptible watermark to embed in the media content; and

embedding the watermark in the media content without decompressing the compressed data stream by modifying a first mantissa and a first scale factor of a first transform coefficient comprising the compressed data stream based on comparing the first mantissa and the first scale factor with a second mantissa and a second scale factor associated with a temporary watermarked transform coefficient to determine a modification to the first mantissa and the first scale factor for embedding the watermark.

10. A method to transmit data with media content comprising:

obtaining a compressed data stream corresponding to the media content;

obtaining data to transmit with the media content;

representing the transmitted data as frequency variations in audio content associated with the media content; and

modifying the compressed data stream to generate the frequency variations in the audio content without decompressing the compressed data stream by modifying a first mantissa and a first scale factor of a first transform coefficient comprising the compressed data stream based on comparing the first mantissa and the first scale factor with a second mantissa and a second scale factor associated with a temporary watermarked transform coefficient to determine a modification to the first mantissa and the first scale factor for generating the frequency variations in the audio content.

11. A method for broadcasting media content comprising:

conveying the media content in a compressed data stream;

determining a watermark to embed in the media content, wherein the watermark identifies at least one of the media content or a provider of the media content; and

embedding the watermark in the compressed data stream conveying the media content without decompressing the compressed data stream by modifying a first mantissa and a first scale factor of a first transform coefficient comprising the compressed data stream based on comparing the first mantissa and the first scale factor with a second mantissa and a second scale factor associated with a temporary watermarked transform coefficient to determine a modification to the first mantissa and the first scale factor for embedding the watermark.