Digital Video Scrambling for Gradual Degradation of Image Quality Based on Region of Interest

We propose a digital video scrambling method for multi-level degrading of subjective image quality. Video scrambling methods are used to intentionally degrade image quality to control access for pay-per-view and other video delivery services. Furthermore, digital video scrambling methods that can be used to control the scrambling level have been studied in recent years. However, these conventional methods do not necessarily help in achieving multi-level degradation of subjective image quality. To satisfy this requirement, we introduce the concept of region of interest (ROI). We propose a digital video scrambling method for scrambling partial areas within the ROI and multi-level degrading of subjective image quality using simple scrambling level control while maintaining coding efficiency. Subjective assessment results showed the advantage of the proposed method over conventional methods and its usefulness for various kinds of images.

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