where L is the number of coefficients in an image block, and d(ri)
represents the MSE of a quantiser with u,-bit codeword representa-
tion. To determine the best bit allocation vector r, we use an algo-
rithm [4] based on the Lagrangian method.
(538/3(
Fig. 3 Reconstructed image by robust scheme when channel noise =
0.033
Simulation results: We used a JPEG2000 coder to compare the
performance of the separate coder (with RS code or BCH code)
with that of the combined coder. The ‘jet’ image, of size 512 x
-. 512, was used as our test image. The default quantisation matrix
was used in the PEG2000 coder. The transformed coefficients
were assumed to have Gaussian distributions. Fig. 1 indicates that
the performance of a PEG2000 codec decreases rapidly when the
channel coder cannot achieve error-free conditions (error rate >
0.018 for RS(207, 187) and BCH(255, 179)). When the error rate is
> 0.033 (for RS(207, 187)), the noise-induced errors lead to illegal
PEG2000 bit streams and thus the JPEG2000 decoder halts its
decoding operation.
Designed under the assumption that the channel error rate can
be any value within (0.0, O.l), the proposed image coder performs
almost equally well in this noise range. As shown in Fig. 1, it has
a higher distortion than the JPEG + RS(207,187) coder for chan-
nel error rates of < 0.018. However, it has a very graceful degra-
dation for channel error rates of > 0.018, and it clearly
outperforms the P E G coder for p > 0.021. Fig. 2 shows the
reconstructed picture of the JPEG + RS(207, 187) codec for p =
0.033. The asynchronous decoding of the VLC decoder leads to
corruptions of the reconstructed images. Since no VLC coders are
used in the proposed system, error propagation never occurs as
shown in Fig. 3.
Conclusions: In this Letter, we have proposed a robust quantiser
design within a noise range (pmin, pm,J. The proposed quantiser
can be viewed as the combination of a quantiser, a VLC coder,
and a channel coder. The simulation results show that our pro-
posed transform coder has a graceful distortion characteristic. On
the other hand, the performance of the separated coder
(PEG2000 coder and BCWRS code were used in this work)
degrades rapidly in a very noisy environment where the channel
coder can not achieve error-free conditions.
0 IEE 2000 I O January 2000
Electronics Letters Online No: 20000278
DOI: 10.1049/el:20000278
Chi-Hsi Su, Hsueh-Ming Hang and Che-Ho Wei (Department of
Electronics Engineering, National Chiao-Tung University, 1001
University Road, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic of China)
Hsueh-Ming Hang: Corresponding author
E-mail: hmhang@cc.nctu.edu.tw
312 ELECTRONICS LEl7ERS
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References
1 SHANNON, C.E.: ‘A mathematical theory of communication’, Bell
Syst. Tech. J., 1948, 27, pp. 379423 and 623456
2 CLARK, G.C. JI., and CAIN, J.B.:‘Error-correction coding for digital
communications’ (Plenum Press, New York, 1982)
3 MAXTED, J.c., and ROBINSON, J.P.: ‘Error recovery for variable length
codes’, IEEE Trans., 1985, IT-31, pp. 794-801
4 SHOHAM, Y., and GERSHO, A.: ‘Efficient bit allocation for an
arbitrary set of quantisers’, IEEE Trans., 1988, ASSP-36, pp.
1445- 1453
Wavelet based image adaptive
watermarking scheme
N. Kaewkamnerd and K.R. Rao
An image adaptive watermark casting method based on the
wavelet transform is proposed. To increase the robustness and
perceptual invisibility, the algorithm is combined with the
quantisation model based on the human visual system. The
number of factors that affect the noise sensitivity of the human
eye are taken into consideration. Experimental results
demonstrate the robustness of the algorithm to high compression
environments.
Introduction: Typically, frequency domain schemes, such as dis-
crete wavelet transform (DWT) based watermarking, have been
shown to be much more robust and have greater invisibility than
others [l - 31. To preserve the perceptual invisibility of the water-
mark, some algorithms have been designed to embed the water-
mark in the lower level subband [2]. The higher the level of
subband the watermark is embedded in, the greater the degrada-
tion in image quality (usually expressed by the peak signal-to-
noise ratio (PSNR)). However, embedding the watermark in a
high level subband makes it robust to high compression. In this
Letter, we propose a watermarking scheme based on the two-
dimensional discrete wavelet transform using the human visual
system (KVS). To make the watermark robust we embed it in the
higher level subband (but not in the scaling coefficients), even
though this may affect the perceptual invisibility of the image. By
carefully embedding the watermark, it will not cause much change
in the image fidelity. The H V S is employed to achieve this pur-
pose. To evaluate the proposed method, we have compared the
robustness of the proposed approach with that of the JPEG and
SPIHT algorithms.
watermark
original
watermark
embedding
decomposition
image
159o/ll
Fig. 1 Image adaptive watermarking system
Watermarking embedding scheme: A block diagram of the pro-
posed image adaptive perceptual watermarking scheme is shown
in Fig. 1. We fnst decompose the original image into four levels
using a quadrature mirror fdter (QMF) wavelet transform. We let
I(’,s)be the subband at a resolution level Y = 0, 1, 2, 3 with orien-
tation s E {LL, LH, HL, U } To . maximise the appropriate per-
ceptual masking, the weighting function T(x, y ) (explained in the
next paragraph) is calculated. The watermark casting process is
then performed using eqn. 1. Note that the watermark, X(x, y), is
a pseudorandom sequence, govemed by a Gaussian distribution
with zero mean and unit variance:
17th February 2000 Vol. 36 No. 4
 I(rls)(z>Y) + a ( T ( z , y )* X(Z,Y))
I("S)"(Z, y) = if I ( ~ , ~ y)) (>
z ,~ ( zy)/4
, SPIHT PSNR Watermark detector
I('>')(x,y) otherwise response
(1)
where I('J)(x, y ) is the coefficient value of the decomposition I at
level r, orientation s, and position x,y within that subband. I(',,?)*
0.05 38.99 I 3.25
is its corresponding watermarked coefficient and a is a scaling fac-
I I
I I

tor. Finally, we obtain the watermarked image by performing the 0.5 44.60 37.34
inverse DWT. 1.o I 47.33 I 78.62

Results: We evaluated the proposed watermarking scheme by test-

VkuaZ masking: To adapt the watermarking sequence to the local
ing with several 512 x 512 still images. To analyse the effect of the
properties of the image, we follow [2] and use the quantisation
watermark on the image, we separately embedded the watermark
model based on the HVS [6] in the watermarking system. The fol-
sequence and considered the results at each level of DWT resolu-
lowing equations are used to calculate the weighting function, T(r,
tion (levels 1 - 3). Based on the results of the Lena test image, the
s, x,Y): PSNRs of the watermarked image (embedded in levels 1, 2 and 3)
T ( T , s, 5 , Y)
= are 40.06, 45.27 and 50.01 dB, respectively. Surprisingly, the degra-
dation of the watermarked image embedded in level three is better
frequency(r, s)* luminance(r,z, y) * tezture(r,z, y)0.034
than that for the other levels. To c o n f i i the performance of the
(2) proposed algorithm, we compared our data with those obtained
where using the algorithm proposed in 151. We used the (embedded in
level 3 only) watermarked image with the same PSNR (47dB). As
(1.00 if r = 0 ) shown in Fig. 2, the response of the watermark detector in our
& ifs=HH}*{O.32 ifr=1} case is higher than that in [5] when the JPEG quality factor is
frequency(r, s) = >lo%. Embedding the watermark in the higher level subband
1 otherwise 0.16 if r = 2
using the proposed algorithm, especially in level 3, results in good
performance compared with that obtained using JPEG compres-
sion. We have found that the proposed watermark can survive
even when quality factor is as low as 5%. In Table 1, we show the
luminance(r,z, y) = detector response of the watermark (in the Lena image) in the
wavelet based codec environment, SPIHT [T. The proposed algo-
rithm is more robust compared with the SPIHT compression for a
bit rate above 0.1 bitlpixel.

tezture(r,z, y) = Conclusions: An algorithm for image adaptive watermarking using

the quantisation step of individual DWT coefficients has been pro-
3-r HH,HL,LH 1 1
posed. The visual model takes into account the background lumi-
16-k (I"+',"(i +~ +
/ 2 ~ , y/2k))2
j nance, frequency sensitivity, and multiresolution structure. This
k=l s i=oj=o algorithm allows us to place a watermark in a higher level sub-
+ 163-rvar(13~LL({1,2}
+x/Z3-', {1,2} +~ / 2 ~ - ~ ) ) band with an appropriate energy resulting in a watermarked
image that has greater invisibility but is still robust. We have also
(5) shown that the proposed algorithm is more robust than the JPEG
and SPIHT compression schemes.
Watermark detection: To detect the watermark, we evaluate the
watermark detector response using the similarity, sim(X, X'), of 0 IEE 2000 16 November 1999
two watermark sequences: Electronics Letters Online No: 20000269
sim(X, X l ) = x" . X/IIX'112 DOI: IO. 1049/el:20000269
(6)
N. Kaewkamnerd and K.R. Rao (Department of Electrical
where Xis the original watermark and watermark X' is a sequence Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Box 19016 Arlington, T X
extracted from the suspected image. A normalisation term, [lX'llz, 76019, USA)
is calculated as the square root of the summation of X'. As E-mail: krrao@exchange.uta.edu
described in [4], sim(X, X') is distributed according to the normal
distribution with zero mean unit variance N(0, 1). If the value of
sim(X, X') is greater than 6 (which means six standard deviations), References
the probability of incorrect watermark detection is very small.
PoDILCHUK, C.I.,and ZENG, w.: 'Image adaptive watermarking using
i visual models', IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun., 1998, 16, pp. 525-538
$ 80 BARNI, M., BARTOLINI, F., CAPPELLINI, v., LIPPI, A., and PIVIA, A.: 'A
70
DWT based technique for spatio frequency masking of digital
signatures'. Proc. IS&T/SPIE, Conf. on Security and
?! 60 Watermarking of Multimedia Contents, January 1999, Vol. 3657,
8
2.- 50 pp. 31-39
40 ZHU, w., XIONG, z., and ZHANG, Y.Q.: 'Multiresolution watermarking

2
Y
30
for images and video: A unified approach', IEEE Trans. Circuits
Syst. Video Technol., 1998, 9, pp. 545-550
k 20
c COX, J., et a/.: 'Secure spread spectrum watermarking for
10 multimedia', IEEE Trans. Image Process., 1997, 6, pp. 1673-1687
n XIA, x.G., BONCELET, c.G., and ARCE, G.R.: 'A multiresolution
0 10 20 30 40 watermark for digital images'. IEEE ICIP, July 1997, Vol. 1, pp.
JPEG quality factor
548-55 1
LEWIS, AS., and KNOWLES, G.: 'Image compression using the 2-D

Fig. 2 Comparison between proposed algorithm and algorithm in [SI

wavelet transform', IEEE Trans. Image Process., 1992, 1, pp. 244-
250
proposed algorithm (47dB) SAID, A., and PEARLMAN, w.: 'A new fast and efficient image codec
_ _ - _ algorithm based on [5] (47dB) based on set partitioning in hierarchical trees', IEEE Trans.
. . ..... .... proposed algorithm (50dB) Circuits Syst. Video Technol., 1996, 6, pp. 243-250

ELECTRONICS LETTERS 77th February 2000 Vol. 36 No. 4 313

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