Patent ID: 7965858

Claim:
An encoding data processing apparatus operable to introduce a visible watermark into a compression encoded video image represented by a compression encoded bit stream having a predetermined format, the format of the compression encoded bit stream providing image frames which are represented by macroblocks, each macroblock representing a block of pixels from the image frame, the macroblocks being formed into groups of macroblocks which are contained in fixed portions of the compression encoded bit stream, the fixed data portions being able to accommodate a predetermined fixed amount of data in the compression encoded bit stream, the encoding data processing apparatus comprising: a processor configured to parse the compression encoded bit stream to identify each of the frames of the video image, and to determine for each image frame areas of the compression encoded bit stream providing spare data capacity as a result of the fixed data portion not being completely filled with the macroblocks; to first check within the macroblocks that form the image frame whether an additional amount of data required to represent the entire visible watermark can be accommodated in a memory space formed by the spare data capacity of the image frame; and after it has been determined that the additional data for representing the entire visible watermark can be accommodated within the spare data capacity, to change selected macroblocks of the image frame to represent the visible watermark; to generate a bit pattern representing the macroblocks in the original image frame which have changed to represent the visible watermark; and to insert all the additional data into the areas providing the spare data capacity of the fixed data portions of the image frame, the additional data including the bitmap and data associated with an original form of each of the macroblocks which have changed to represent the entire visible watermark.