Scene-based imperceptible-visible watermarking for HDR video content

This paper presents the High Dynamic Range - Imperceptible Visible Watermarking for HDR video content (HDR-IVW-V) based on scene detection for robust copyright protection of HDR videos using a visually imperceptible watermarking methodology. HDR-IVW-V employs scene detection to reduce both computational complexity and undesired visual attention to watermarked regions. Visual imperceptibility is achieved by finding the region of a frame with the highest hiding capacities on which the Human Visual System (HVS) cannot recognize the embedded watermark. The embedded watermark remains visually imperceptible as long as the normal color calibration parameters are held. HDR-IVW-V is evaluated on PQ-encoded HDR video content successfully attaining visual imperceptibility, robustness to tone mapping operations and image quality preservation

Statistical mechanical evaluation of spread spectrum watermarking model with image restoration

In cases in which an original image is blind, a decoding method where both the image and the messages can be estimated simultaneously is desirable. We propose a spread spectrum watermarking model with image restoration based on Bayes estimation. We therefore need to assume some prior probabilities. The probability for estimating the messages is given by the uniform distribution, and the ones for the image are given by the infinite range model and 2D Ising model. Any attacks from unauthorized users can be represented by channel models. We can obtain the estimated messages and image by maximizing the posterior probability. We analyzed the performance of the proposed method by the replica method in the case of the infinite range model. We first calculated the theoretical values of the bit error rate from obtained saddle point equations and then verified them by computer simulations. For this purpose, we assumed that the image is binary and is generated from a given prior probability. We also assume that attacks can be represented by the Gaussian channel. The computer simulation retults agreed with the theoretical values. In the case of prior probability given by the 2D Ising model, in which each pixel is statically connected with four-neighbors, we evaluated the decoding performance by computer simulations, since the replica theory could not be applied. Results using the 2D Ising model showed that the proposed method with image restoration is as effective as the infinite range model for decoding messages. We compared the performances in a case in which the image was blind and one in which it was informed. The difference between these cases was small as long as the embedding and attack rates were small. This demonstrates that the proposed method with simultaneous estimation is effective as a watermarking decoder