Robust video watermarking algorithm for H.264/AVC based on JND model

With the purpose of copyright protection for digital video, a novel H.264/AVC watermarking algorithm based on JND model is proposed. Firstly, according to the characteristics of human visual system, a new and more accurate JND model is proposed to determine watermark embedding strength by considering the luminance masking, contrast masking and spatial frequency sensitivity function. Secondly, a new embedding strategy for H.264/AVC watermarking is proposed based on an analysis on the drift error of energy distribution. We argue that more robustness can be achieved if watermarks are embedded in middle and high components of 4x4 integer DCT since these components are more stable than dc and low components when drift error occurs. Finally, according to different characteristics of middle and high components, the watermarks are embedded using different algorithms, respectively. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed watermarking algorithm not only meets the imperceptibility and robustness requirements, but also has a high embedding capacity.