Digital Watermarking

[BrentsonAudio]

I just received an email from a client asking if it would be possible to add digital watermark copy protection (Digimarc style) to the DVD I'm authoring for them. I combed through digimarc.com and the interwebs finding all kinds of information on how it protects your media, but nothing on how to go about implementing the technology.

So my question is, is Digimarc protection added at the authoring phase or the manufacturing phase, and does anyone know what the process involves?

Thanks in advance for your assistance,

Q

[jman98]

I combed through digimarc.com and the interwebs finding all kinds of information on how it protects your media, but nothing on how to go about implementing the technology.

I can't take anyone seriously who actually would say "interwebs" in a post.

[ropdoh]

My understanding of digital watermarking is the following (maybe it is not entirely correct):

It isn't copy protection in the way that the normal DVD copy protection works. In fact, it does not actually protect against copying. What it does is allow one to trace the "source" of illegal copies. So it is a deterrent, which works along the lines of: if you let someone copy your legally acquired (DVD in this case), and we later find someone with an illegal DVD, we can trace that it was YOUR legal DVD which was illegally copied. To achieve this, You will need to author a different DVD for each client. Which seems like a hugely painful process.

The other use of a digital watermark is to check that no tampering occurs to your work. If someone edits/changes it, then they will effectively "break" the digital watermark. So, someone who wants to know that it is the original un-tampered version will be able to check that the correct digital watermark exists. This is similar to digitally signing documents/ emails to show that you are the true author/sender and that it has not been modified by someone else, claiming to be you.

[usually_quiet]

It looks to me like Digimarc's only consumer products are designed to protect digital photographs, but they license their technology to various business partners, who provide video watermarking and forensic/tracking services. You'd have contact one of the business partners or Digimarc to find out who provides the kind of service/product you need. It does not seem like you can do it yourself with a product Digimarc makes.

[SatStorm]

Maybe this could help you.
http://compression.ru/video/stego_video/index_en.html

[BrentsonAudio]

Thank you all for your assistance. You guys are all great, and this makes a lot more sense now.