Speeding-up the hybrid video watermarking techniques in the DWT domain

The watermarking state of the art exhibits the hybrid methods combining spread spectrum and side information principles. The present study is focussed on speeding up such an algorithm (jointly patented by SFR - Vodafone Group and Institut Telecom). The dead lock on the reference method is first identified: the embedding module accounts for 90% of the whole watermarking chain and that more than 99% of this time is spent on applying an attack procedure (required in order to grant a good robustness to this method). The main issue of the present study is to deploy Monte Carlo generators accurately representing the watermarking attacks. In this respect, two difficulties should be overcome. First, accurate statistical models for the watermarking attacks should be obtained. Secondly, efficient Monte Carlo simulators should be deployed for these models. The last part of the study was devoted to the experimental validations. The mark is inserted in the (9,7) DWT representation of video sequence. Several types of attacks have been considered (linear and non-linear filters, geometrical transformations,...). The quantitative results proved that the data payload, transparency and robustness properties have been inherited from the reference method. However, the watermarking speed was increased by a factor of 80.