science

Video Encoded Invisible Light

Video Encoded Invisible Light is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Video Encoded Invisible Light rather than just read about it. In short: Video Encoded Invisible Light (VEIL) is a technology for encoding low-bandwidth digital data bitstream in video signal, developed by VEIL Interactive Technologies. VEIL is compatible with multiple formats of video signals, including PAL, SECAM, and NTSC.

Key takeaways

Video Encoded Invisible Light belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Video Encoded Invisible Light to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Video Encoded Invisible Light from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Video Encoded Invisible Light (VEIL) is a technology for encoding low-bandwidth digital data bitstream in video signal, developed by VEIL Interactive Technologies. VEIL is compatible with multiple formats of video signals, including PAL, SECAM, and NTSC. The technology is based on a steganographically encoded data stream in the luminance of the videosignal. A recent application of VEIL, the VEIL Rights Assertion Mark (VRAM or V-RAM) is a copy-restriction signal that can be used to ask devices to apply DRM technology. This has been seen as analogous to the broadcast flag. It is also known as "CGMS-A plus VEIL" and "broadcast flag on steroids." There are two versions of VEIL on the market:

VEIL-I, or VEIL 1, has raw speed of 120 bits per second. It is used for unidirectional communication (TV→devices) with simple devices or toys, and to deliver coupons with TV advertising. It manipulates the luminance of the video signal in ways difficult to perceive to human eye. VEIL-II, or VEIL 2, has speed of 7200-bit/s and is one of the technologies of choice for interactive television, as it allows communication with VEIL servers through devices equipped with backchannels. VEIL-II-capable set-top boxes can communicate with other devices via WiFi, Bluetooth, or other short-range wireless technologies. VEIL 2 manipulates the average luminance of the alternate lines of the signal, where one is slightly raised and the other one is slightly lowered (or vice versa), encoding a bit in every pair of lines. The symbols (groups of 4 data bits) transmitted by VEIL-II system are encoded as "PN sequences", sequences of 16 "chips". Groups of 4 chips are encoded in pairs of lines. Each line pair is split to 4 parts, where the luminance is raised or lowered (correspondingly vice versa in the other line). In NTSC, 4-bit symbols are encoded in groups of 8 scan lines. With 224 lines per field this equals 112 bits per field, or 7200 bits per second of broadcast. VEIL-II uses scan lines 34 to 258. The PN stands for "pseudo noise" and signifies the 0.5/0.5 relative frequencies of ones and zeroes. In practice, 20 chips per line are preferred, increasing redundancy and allowing for better error detection. The PN encoding is a form of spread spectrum modulation. Stripping the VEIL signal from the video is supposed to be more difficult than tampering with the VBI, therefore VEIL-I is proposed as a DRM tool. The signal can survive recording to video, and various sorts of digital compression. The detection devices are low-cost and can be used in a range of devices, from toys to cellphones.

Use in toys The technology was developed for The Batman TV series, for transmitting data from the video on-screen to a line of Batman toys based on the series, supplying them with information about the series and unlocking their hidden capabilities. For example:

The Batwave Communicator Handheld Device, when within 10 feet in the line of sight from the TV, will show engine graphics, diagnostics, weapon systems, and enables various games stored in the device. Batwave Batman Action Figure will pop wings from its back and light up the emblem on its chest when subjected to the videosignal from the TV. Batwave Batmobile with Handheld Device will turn on various LEDs acting as its lights, play sounds, and "capture" various weapons from the show. This technology is also used in other toys, for example Toby Terrier. VEIL was used in various ad campaigns for Foster's Lager. The campaign incorporated the use of VEIL decoders inside little figures of the famous cricket players Boon and Shane Warne. The toys would make comments during the cricket matches while in front of the television.

Other uses As of December 2005, VEIL was proposed as a DRM tool to counter the analog hole, as a technological measure legally enforced by the US Digital Content Security Act. In this regard, it is a more fine-grained successor to Macrovision. VEIL acts together with CGMS-A signal in the vertical blanking interval, where it is used to encode the Rights Assertion Mark (RAM) signal. The CGMS-A can be stripped too easily from the analog signal, therefore the presence of RAM but absence of CGMS-A will tell the copy protection system to deny the copy.

References

External links VEIL Interactive Technologies U.S. patent 6,094,228 Method for transmitting data on viewable portion of a video signal, July 25, 2000 United States Patent 6,229,572 Method for transmitting data on viewable portion of a video signal, May 8, 2001 United States Patent 6,661,905 Method for transmitting data on a viewable portion of a video signal, December 9, 2003 United States Patent 6,992,726 Method and system for enhanced modulation of video signals, January 31, 2006 United States Patent Application Method and system for embedding device positional data in video signals, March 10, 2005

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Video Encoded Invisible Light

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Video Encoded Invisible Light claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Video Encoded Invisible Light before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Video Encoded Invisible Light ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Video Encoded Invisible Light

In research: Video Encoded Invisible Light appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Video Encoded Invisible Light in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Video Encoded Invisible Light is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Digital rights management systems, Digital television, High-definition television, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Video Encoded Invisible Light outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Video Encoded Invisible Light in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Video Encoded Invisible Light means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Video Encoded Invisible Light out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Video Encoded Invisible Light in simple terms?

Why does Video Encoded Invisible Light matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Video Encoded Invisible Light?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Video Encoded Invisible Light.