Pre-processed information embedding system

• US 9,117,270 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verance Corporation
• Original Assignee: Verance Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Chong, Wong, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Anh
• Application Number:
  US14/293,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20140355817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 382/275, 382/173, 382/232, 382/240, 382/100, 348/594, 358/409, 380/203, 704/200, 704/201, 704/203, 704/500, 713/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00137 involving measures which result in a restriction to contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier to authorised users
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/02 by adding a second signal to make the desired signal unintelligible
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00864 Modifying the reproduction, e.g. outputting a modified copy of a scanned original details of composing or otherwise geometrically modifying originals H04N1/387
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• 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 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

Methods and devices are provided for reducing perceptible artifacts in a host content when the host contend is embedded with watermarks. In one method, a first segment of a host content that includes a first logical value is obtained. A second segment of the host content that includes a second logical embedded therein is also obtained. The second logical value is different from the first logical value, and the second segment is adjacent to the first segment of the host content. The host content at a boundary location of the first and the second segments is modified according to a transition function to suppress transitions in the host content at the boundary location caused by the different logical values embedded in the first and the second segments of the host content.

Claims

1. A method for reducing perceptible artifacts in a content embedded with watermarks, the method comprising:

obtaining a first segment of a host content that includes a first logical value embedded therein;

obtaining a second segment of the host content that includes a second logical embedded therein, the second logical value being different from the first logical value, the second segment being adjacent to the first segment of the host content; and

using a processor that is at least partially implemented in hardware to modify the host content at a boundary location of the first and the second segments in accordance with a transition function to suppress transitions in the host content at the boundary location caused by the different logical values embedded in the first and the second segments of the host content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the boundary location encompasses between 5 percent to 10 percent of the first segment or the second segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transition function is one of:

a linear ramp or an exponential decay function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transition function is an adaptive function that dynamically changes based on characteristics of the host content at the boundary location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transition function includes at least a first section and a second section, the first section for modifying the host content within the first segment and the second section for modifying the host content within the second segment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the first and the second sections suppresses the transitions in the host content at the boundary location in two steps.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modification of the host content at the boundary location comprises multiplying samples of the host content at the boundary location by the transition function.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transition function is part of a pre-processed transition stream that provides transition functions for each of a plurality of content segment boundary locations of the host content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the first segment is part of a first version of the host content having been pre-processed to include the first logical value embedded in a plurality of host content segments; and

the second segment is part of a second version of the host content having been pre-processed to include the second logical value embedded in a plurality of host content segments;

the transition stream includes at least two transition functions associated with each boundary location corresponding to a transition from the first logical value to the second logical value and from the second logical value to the first logical value; and

the first segment and the second segment are selected from the first version of the host content and the second version of the host content, respectively, in accordance with a control signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control signal corresponds to a user'"'"'s request for the host content.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the control signal corresponds to a user'"'"'s request for a pay-per-listen, a pay-per-view or a live event.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and the second versions of the host content are received at a user terminal and the first and the second segments of the host content are selected in accordance with the control signal at the user terminal.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and the second versions of the host content are received at a content distributor node from a pre-processing module and the first and second segments of the host content are selected in accordance with the control signal at the content distributor node.

14. A device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory comprising processor executable code, the processor executable code when executed by the processor causes the device to;

obtain a first segment of a host content that includes a first logical value embedded therein;

obtain a second segment of the host content that includes a second logical embedded therein, the second logical value being different from the first logical value, the second segment being adjacent to the first segment of the host content; and

modify the host content at a boundary location of the first and second segments in accordance with a transition function to suppress transitions in the host content at the boundary location caused by the different logical values embedded in the first and the second segments of the host content.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the device is one of a personal computer, a user terminal or a set-top box.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the boundary location encompasses between 5 percent to 10 percent of the first segment or the second segment.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the transition function is one of:

a linear ramp or an exponential decay function.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the transition function is an adaptive function that dynamically changes based on characteristics of the host content at the boundary location.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the transition function includes at least a first section and a second section, the first section for modifying the host content within the first segment and the second section for modifying the host content within the second segment.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein each of the first and the second sections suppresses the transitions in the host content at the boundary location in two steps.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the processor executable code when executed by the processor causes the device to modify the host content at the boundary location at least in-part by multiplying samples of the host content at the boundary location by the transition function.

22. The device of claim 14, wherein the transition function is part of a pre-processed transition stream that provides transition functions for each of a plurality of content segment boundary locations of the host content.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein:

the first segment is part of a first version of the host content having been pre-processed to include the first value embedded in a plurality of host content segments; and

the second segment is part of a second version of the host content having been pre-processed to include the second logical value embedded in a plurality of host content segments;

the transition stream includes at least two transition functions associated with each boundary location corresponding to a transition from the first logical value to the second logical value and from the second logical value to the first logical value; and

the processor executable code when executed by the processor causes the device to select the first segment and the second segment from the first version of the host content and the second version of the host content, respectively, in accordance with a control signal.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the control signal corresponds to a user'"'"'s request for the host content.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein the control signal corresponds to a user'"'"'s request for a pay-per-listen, a pay-per-view or a live event.

26. The device of claim 23, wherein the first and the second versions of the host content are received at the device, and the processor executable code when executed by the processor causes the device to select the first and the second segments of the host content in accordance with the control signal.