Anti-piracy measures are employed by online video streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu. Using this technology, copyright holders can track individual pieces of content, even after multiple encoding and recording modifications have been made to them.
In order to add watermarks to a video frame, there are two primary methods. As soon as a user requests playback of an item, a video watermarking process takes place on that user’s side. Meaning that the client player receives a video asset that has had each frame encoded and has been watermarked before playback begins. The downside of this method is that because the actual watermark is embedded in the client device, there is a theoretical possibility of security compromise.
The server-side watermarking is another option. User authentication and content encryption are already handled by the server’s DRM protected content. Watermarking done on the server is considered more secure by security experts because the unprotected content is not made available to the general public before the watermark is applied.
Server-side watermarking also has the advantage of not being dependent on the device being used. Device fragmentation frightens security experts. An extensive multi-DRM system has been implemented to address this issue. A server-side solution, on the other hand, takes care of the issue of forensic watermarks in a single operation. An array of devices are capable of playing back the A/B video stream mix with watermark ID in it. Piracy doesn’t affect the watermark at all, even when it’s being used in multiple recording processes at once.
There must be some compromise between the watermark’s robustness and its imperceptibility. In order to maintain a fluid and secure experience for the viewer, a delicate balancing act between these two aspects is essential. Overzealous security measures can impede the viewing experience of legitimate customers, so content providers must exercise caution. It is an indication of the success of a watermarking service that its watermarks are both imperceptible and resistant to piracy, as this addresses both security and smoothness issues.
