Encrypted Video Tiles for Independent Multi-Core Decoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital video compression techniques face challenges in protecting content from piracy and unlawful distribution, particularly in multi-core processor architectures, where encrypting entire frames can disrupt the decoding of dependent portions, leading to inefficiencies and increased processing overhead.
Innovation Solution
Implementing partial frame encryption by encrypting only specific portions of compression units, such as tiles in the HEVC standard, using a common encryption format like CENC, and managing decryption keys through DRM systems to ensure independent decodability and reduce processing overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If entire frames are encrypted to protect content from piracy, then security is improved, but decoding efficiency and processing speed deteriorate due to dependencies in multi-core processor architectures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides video frames into independently decodable compression units (tiles) and applies encryption selectively to specific tiles rather than entire frames. This segmentation allows different processor cores to decode independent tiles in parallel without being blocked by encryption dependencies, thus maintaining decoding efficiency while providing content protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different encryption treatments to different regions (tiles) of video frames based on their importance and security requirements. Critical tiles containing sensitive information are encrypted, while less critical tiles remain unencrypted or use different keying mechanisms, optimizing the balance between security and processing efficiency.
2Reliability
If encryption is applied to video content, then content protection is improved, but processing overhead and computational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting encryption operations into tile-level units rather than frame-level, the patent reduces the computational overhead per encryption operation. Each processor core handles encryption/decryption for its assigned tiles independently, distributing the processing load and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies encryption partially rather than universally - only to specific tiles that require protection rather than encrypting entire frames. This partial action approach reduces the total amount of encryption processing required while maintaining adequate content protection for critical regions.
3Productivity
If selective tile encryption is implemented, then decoding independence is improved, but system complexity increases due to key management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal key management system that handles both encrypted and unencrypted tiles through a common interface. The same decryption mechanism processes all tiles, with unencrypted tiles simply bypassing the decryption step, thereby reducing key management complexity while maintaining decoding independence across different tile types.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for partial frame encryption in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method receives a video bitstream that includes several frames, each frame including several independently encoded compression units within the frame, encrypts a portion of each of several compression units in several frames, and generates an output bitstream that includes the several independently encoded compression units including the encrypted portions of the compression units.