Adaptive Video Watermarks Through Local Pixel Modulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern digital televisions lack a vertical blanking interval (VBI) for embedding data, preventing the application of digital watermarks, necessitating alternative methods to insert additional information into video signals without visually impairing the content.
Innovation Solution
Embed data into video frames by modulating pixel values of the top one or two rows, using techniques such as adjusting color-difference and luminance components, error correction watermarks, and reversing watermark patterns to reduce perceptibility, enabling media devices to detect and decode the embedded information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If data is embedded into video frames by modulating pixel values, then additional information can be inserted into the video signal, but the watermark may become visually perceptible and distract users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds watermark data in specific local regions of video frames (such as uniform or low-activity areas) rather than distributing it throughout the entire frame. This localized approach allows data embedding while minimizing visual impact in regions that are less likely to be noticed by users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts watermark parameters such as modulation depth, contrast, and visibility based on the characteristics of the video content and the sensitivity of different display devices. By changing these parameters adaptively, the system maximizes data embedding effectiveness while keeping the watermark imperceptible to human users.
2Measurement precision
If watermark data is embedded in high-contrast regions to improve detection accuracy, then detection precision increases, but the watermark becomes more visually noticeable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent identifies and utilizes specific local regions within video frames that offer favorable conditions for watermark embedding - areas with sufficient uniformity or low activity that provide adequate detection contrast without creating visually distracting patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic analysis of video content to identify optimal embedding regions frame-by-frame or scene-by-scene. The system continuously adapts to changing video characteristics, selecting regions that maintain detection accuracy while minimizing visual impact as the video content evolves.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If adaptive watermarking is applied to different display devices, then the watermark imperceptibility improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adapts watermark parameters such as modulation depth, frequency, and contrast based on the specific characteristics of the display device being used. By adjusting these parameters to match the device's resolution, color depth, and refresh rate, the system achieves optimal imperceptibility across different devices without requiring fundamentally different embedding approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a unified adaptive watermarking framework that can operate across multiple display device types and video formats. The core embedding and detection algorithms remain consistent, while adaptive parameters are adjusted based on device capabilities, allowing a single system to serve multiple functions across diverse platforms.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for decoding watermarks in video frames. A media device may receive a video frame that includes a first predetermined region comprising a watermark and a second predetermined region having pixel values selected to reduce the perceptibility of the first predetermined region. The media device may detect the watermark in the first predetermined region of the video frame and identify one or more contiguous subsets of pixels that correspond to a first pixel value and one or more contiguous subsets of pixels that correspond to a second pixel value. The media device then assigns a first symbol to the one or more contiguous subsets of pixels that correspond to the first pixel value and second symbol the one or more contiguous subsets of pixels that correspond to the second pixel value. The media device then generates a first sequence of symbols from the assigned symbols.