Watermarking a Media Signal by Adjusting Frequency Domain Values and Adapting to the Media Signal

Abstract

A method of imperceptibly embedding a code signal in a media signal encodes auxiliary information in frequency components of the media signal. This method forms a code signal comprising a plurality of frequency components. The method embeds the code signal into the media signal by adjusting the frequency component relative to a neighboring component. The method changes selection of the plurality of frequency components corresponding to the codes signal for different instances of embedding the code signal in the media signal. The code signal may be used to encode a combination of fixed and variable message information in audio and image signals, including video. In one application, the attributes of the code signal are measured to determine broadcast signal quality. In another, the code signal robustly carries auxiliary information in distribution channels where distortion is common, such as compression, broadcast distortion, packet loss, digital to analog conversion, and ambient air transmission.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.