Improved video watermarking for MPEG encoders using motion analysis

Maintaining picture quality is an essential requirement for video watermarking, and this paper shows that watermarks are less perceptible when they are embedded where picture contents are moving. It also describes a new watermarking method that uses motion detection to preferentially allocate watermarks to macro-blocks containing motion. As well it presents the results of experimental evaluations which demonstrate that this method significantly reduces degradation in picture quality. Further it shows that, for the same picture quality after MPEG encoding and decoding, 30% more watermarks can be embedded than with the previous method. This new method would be most effective when implemented in MPEG encoders, which already have the necessary motion analysis functions; it can also be used in content-distribution systems.