Hiding and detecting messages in media signals

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions comprising:

• instructions to receive an encoded media signal, wherein the encoded media signal includes a plurality of intervals, wherein a plural-bit auxiliary signal is steganographically encoded in at least some of the intervals, and wherein the encoding results in subtle changes to at least some portions of the media signal to thereby represent the plural-bit auxiliary signal;
• and
• instructions to decode the received encoded media signal to extract the plural-bit auxiliary signal therefrom, wherein the decoding analyzes a plurality of intervals of the media signal, and wherein greater or lesser confidence in the extracted plural-bit auxiliary signal is obtained by processing more or less intervals of the encoded media signal, respectively.

A method comprising:

• obtaining an encoded media signal, wherein the encoded media signal includes a plurality of intervals, wherein plural-bit data is steganographically encoded in at least some of the intervals, and wherein the steganographic encoding results in subtle changes to at least some portions of the media signal to thereby represent the plural-bit data;
• and
• using a processor of a computing device, decoding the obtained encoded media signal to extract the plural-bit data therefrom, wherein the decoding analyzes a plurality of intervals of the media signal, and wherein greater or lesser confidence in the extracted plural-bit data is obtained by processing more or less intervals of the encoded media signal, respectively.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions comprising:

• instructions to decode an excerpt of a steganographically encoded media signal to extract plural-bit auxiliary data therefrom, wherein the steganographic encoding results in subtle changes to at least some portions of the media signal to thereby represent the plural-bit auxiliary data;
• and
• instructions to establish the excerpt to encompass more or less of the steganographically encoded media signal, so that the plural-bit auxiliary data is extracted with a greater or lesser confidence, respectively.

An apparatus comprising:

• an input configured to receive a media signal that is steganographically encoded with plural-bit auxiliary data, wherein the steganographic encoding results in subtle changes to at least some portions of the media signal to thereby represent the plural-bit auxiliary data;
• and
• a processor configured to decode the plural-bit auxiliary data from an excerpt of the received media signal, wherein the processor establishes the excerpt to encompass more or less of the steganographically encoded media signal, so as to yield extracted plural-bit auxiliary data of a greater or lesser confidence, respectively.

An apparatus comprising:

• a memory configured to store an encoded media signal, wherein the encoded media signal includes a plurality of intervals, wherein a plural-bit auxiliary signal is steganographically encoded in at least some of the intervals, and wherein the encoding results in subtle changes to at least some portions of the media signal to thereby represent the plural-bit auxiliary signal;
• and
• a processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to decoded the received encoded media signal to extract the plural-bit auxiliary signal therefrom, wherein the decoding analyzes a plurality of intervals of the media signal, and wherein greater or lesser confidence in the extracted plural-bit auxiliary signal is obtained by processing more or less intervals of the encoded media signal, respectively.

A method comprising:

• decoding, with a processor of a computing device, an excerpt of a steganographically encoded media signal to extract plural-bit auxiliary data therefrom, wherein the steganographic encoding results in subtle changes to at least some portions of the media signal to thereby represent the plural-bit auxiliary data;
• and
• establishing the excerpt to encompass more or less of the steganographically encoded media signal, so that the plural-bit auxiliary data is extracted with a greater or lesser confidence, respectively.