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Video copy detection

Video copy detection 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 copy detection rather than just read about it. In short: Video copy detection is the process of detecting illegally copied video s by analyzing them and comparing them to original content. The goal of this process is to protect a video creator's intellectual property.

Video copy detection — main illustration
Video copy detection — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Video copy detection 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 copy detection to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Video copy detection from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Video copy detection is the process of detecting illegally copied video s by analyzing them and comparing them to original content. The goal of this process is to protect a video creator's intellectual property.

History Indyk et al. produced a video copy detection theory based on the length of the film; however, it worked only for whole films without modifications. When applied to short clips of a video, Idynk et al.'s technique does not detect that the clip is a copy. Later, Oostveen et al. introduced the concept of a fingerprint, or hash function, that creates a unique signature of the video based on its contents. This fingerprint is based on the length of the video and the brightness, as determined by splitting it into a grid. The fingerprint cannot be used to recreate the original video because it describes only certain features of its respective video. Some time ago, B.Coskun et al. presented two robust algorithms based on discrete cosine transform. Hampapur and Balle created an algorithm creating a global description of a piece of video based on the video's motion, color, space, and length. To look at the color levels of the image was thought, and for this reason, Li et al. created an algorithm that examines the colors of a clip by creating a binary signature get from the histogram of every frame. This algorithm, however, returns inconsistent results in cases in which a logo is added to the video, because the insertion of the logo's color elements adds false information that can confuse the system.

Techniques

Watermarks

Watermarks are used to introduce an invisible signal into a video to ease the detection of illegal copies. This technique is widely used by photographers. Placing a watermark on a video such that it is easily seen by an audience allows the content creator to detect easily whether the image has been copied. The limitation of watermarks is that if the original image is not watermarked, then it is not possible to know whether other images are copies.

Content-based signature

In this technique, a unique signature is created for the video based on the video's content. Various video copy detection algorithms exist that use features of the video's content to assign the video a unique videohash. The fingerprint can be compared with other videohashes in a database. This type of algorithm has a significant problem: if various aspects of the videos' contents are similar, it is difficult for an algorithm to determine whether the video in question is a copy of the original or merely similar to it. In such a case (e.g., two distinct news broadcasts), the algorithm can return that the video in question is a copy, as the news broadcast often involves a similar kind of banner, and the presenter often sits in a similar position. Videos with very minimal changes in frames with respect to time are more vulnerable to hash collision.

Algorithms

The following are some algorithms and techniques proposed for video copy detection.

Global Descriptors

Global temporal descriptor In this algorithm, a global intensity is defined as the sum of all intensities of all pixels weighted along all the video. Thus, an identity for a video sample can be constructed based on the length of the video and the pixel intensities throughout. The global intensity a(t) is defined as:

a ( t ) = ∑ i = 1 N K ( i ) ( I ( i , t − 1 ) ) 2 {\displaystyle a(t)=\sum _{i=1}^{N}K(i)(I(i,t-1))^{2}}

Where k is the weighting of the image, I is the image, and N is the number of pixels in the image.

Global ordinal measurement descriptor In this algorithm, the video is divided in N blocks, sorted by gray level. Then it's possible to create a vector describing the average gray level of each block. With these average levels it is possible to create a new vector S(t), the video's signature:

S ( t ) = ( r 1 , r 2 , ⋯ , r N ) {\displaystyle S(t)=(r_{1},r_{2},\cdots ,r_{N})}

To compare two videos, the algorithm defines a D(t) representing the similarity between both.

D ( t ) = 1 T ∑ 1 = t − T 2 t + T 2 | R ( i ) − C ( i ) | {\displaystyle D(t)={\frac {1}{T}}\sum _{1=t-{\frac {T}{2}}}^{t+{\frac {T}{2}}}{\begin{vmatrix}R(i)-C(i)\end{vmatrix}}}

The value returned by D(t) helps determine whether the video in question is a copy.

Ordinal and Temporal Descriptors This technique was proposed by L.Chen and F. Stentiford. A measurement of dissimilarity is made by combining the two aforementioned algorithms, Global temporal descriptors and Global ordinal measurement descriptors, in time and space.

TMK+PDQF In 2019, Facebook open sourced TMK+PDQF, part of a suite of tools used at Facebook to detect harmful content. It generates a signature of a whole video, and can easily handle changes in format or added watermarks, but is less tolerant of cropping or clipping.

Local Descriptors

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Video copy detection: Video copy detection.
Video copy detection.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Video copy detection

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Video copy detection 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 copy detection 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 copy detection 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 copy detection

In research
Video copy detection 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 copy detection 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 copy detection is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Multimedia, Video, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Video copy detection 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 copy detection in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Video copy detection in simple terms?

Video copy detection is the process of detecting illegally copied video s by analyzing them and comparing them to original content. The goal of this process is to protect a video creator's intellectual property.

Why does Video copy detection 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 copy detection?

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 copy detection.

Tags

  • Multimedia
  • Video

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