A method for preprocessing multimedia content into streams with watermark information, the method comprising: receiving a source content media stream; the method characterized by: generating at least two variant preprocessed streams for each received source content media stream, where each variant preprocessed stream includes different watermark information in the same locations as the other variant preprocessed streams and where marked locations, having watermark information, are spaced apart at least a distance equal to a predetermined maximum segment size; generating a set of embed location information describing marked locations in the variant preprocessed streams; generating at least one variant output stream from each variant preprocessed stream using video compression, while encoding portions that are not marked only once for all streams rather than for each stream by utilizing the set of embed location information; partitioning each variant output stream into a set of segments, where each segment is no longer than the predetermined maximum segment size and is marked with watermark information in at most one location and some segments do not have a mark; generating a set of segment boundary information describing the boundaries of segments within the variant output streams and the boundaries are the same between variant output streams; and generating a segment selection list using the set of embed location information and the set of segment boundary information, where the segment selection list includes only one variant segment for each segment according to a watermark sequence and the digits of the watermark sequence correspond to the watermark information applied to each variant preprocessed stream. receiving a source content media stream; the method characterized by: generating at least two variant preprocessed streams for each received source content media stream, where each variant preprocessed stream includes different watermark information in the same locations as the other variant preprocessed streams and where marked locations, having watermark information, are spaced apart at least a distance equal to a predetermined maximum segment size; generating a set of embed location information describing marked locations in the variant preprocessed streams; generating at least one variant output stream from each variant preprocessed stream using video compression, while encoding portions that are not marked only once for all streams rather than for each stream by utilizing the set of embed location information; partitioning each variant output stream into a set of segments, where each segment is no longer than the predetermined maximum segment size and is marked with watermark information in at most one location and some segments do not have a mark; generating a set of segment boundary information describing the boundaries of segments within the variant output streams and the boundaries are the same between variant output streams; and generating a segment selection list using the set of embed location information and the set of segment boundary information, where the segment selection list includes only one variant segment for each segment according to a watermark sequence and the digits of the watermark sequence correspond to the watermark information applied to each variant preprocessed stream. generating at least two variant preprocessed streams for each received source content media stream, where each variant preprocessed stream includes different watermark information in the same locations as the other variant preprocessed streams and where marked locations, having watermark information, are spaced apart at least a distance equal to a predetermined maximum segment size; generating a set of embed location information describing marked locations in the variant preprocessed streams; generating at least one variant output stream from each variant preprocessed stream using video compression, while encoding portions that are not marked only once for all streams rather than for each stream by utilizing the set of embed location information; partitioning each variant output stream into a set of segments, where each segment is no longer than the predetermined maximum segment size and is marked with watermark information in at most one location and some segments do not have a mark; generating a set of segment boundary information describing the boundaries of segments within the variant output streams and the boundaries are the same between variant output streams; and generating a segment selection list using the set of embed location information and the set of segment boundary information, where the segment selection list includes only one variant segment for each segment according to a watermark sequence and the digits of the watermark sequence correspond to the watermark information applied to each variant preprocessed stream.