Segment-Based Video Watermarking for Scalable Piracy Identification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems face challenges in preventing piracy of high-value online media, such as UHD/HDR videos, as forensic watermarking requires unique watermarked copies for each streaming session, which is computationally intensive and impractical for large user bases, and real-time generation does not scale well.
Innovation Solution
A segment variant based watermarking algorithm generates unique watermarked videos by embedding different watermarks in media segments, using a manifest file with encrypted addresses to reference these segments, allowing for efficient and scalable protection against piracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unique watermarked copies are generated for each streaming session, then piracy identification capability is improved, but server storage requirements and computational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The video content is divided into multiple segments, and only a subset of segments is watermarked and transmitted to each user based on their specific session. This segmentation allows the system to provide unique watermarked content to each user without storing complete unique copies for all users, significantly reducing server storage requirements while maintaining piracy identification capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A single watermarked video segment can serve multiple users across different sessions. The system uses universal watermarked segments that can be dynamically assembled into different session-specific playlists through the manifest file mechanism, allowing one watermarked segment to fulfill multiple piracy identification functions simultaneously.
2Measurement precision
If real-time generation of unique video sequences is performed, then piracy identification accuracy is improved, but processing speed and scalability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Watermarked video segments are pre-generated and stored in the library before user sessions occur. The watermarking process is performed in advance rather than in real-time during user streaming, allowing the system to maintain high piracy identification accuracy while avoiding the computational burden of real-time watermarking generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates multiple copies of watermarked video segments that can be reused across different user sessions. Instead of generating unique video sequences for each user in real-time, pre-watermarked copies are assembled and delivered through session-specific manifest files, dramatically improving processing speed and system scalability.
3Reliability
If complete unique watermarked copies are stored for all users, then forensic watermarking effectiveness is improved, but storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The video content is divided into multiple segments, and only a subset of segments is watermarked and stored for each user session. This segmentation allows the system to maintain forensic watermarking effectiveness by ensuring each user receives uniquely watermarked segments while significantly reducing the total storage space required compared to storing complete unique copies for all users.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple users share common watermarked video segments in the library, and these segments are merged into different session-specific playlists through the manifest file mechanism. This merging approach allows the system to maintain forensic watermarking effectiveness while reducing redundant storage by having multiple users share the same watermarked segments.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes generating a first media file that includes a plurality of first media file segments, generating a second media file as a copy of the first media file, the second media file includes a plurality of second media file segments, embedding a first watermark with the plurality of first media file segments, embedding at least one second watermark with the plurality of second media file segments, generating a manifest file based on a portion of the plurality of first media file segments and a portion of the plurality of second media file segments, the manifest file including a plurality of addresses each referencing a media file segment, and encrypting each of plurality of addresses.