Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for maintaining concealment for a scrambled signal when frequency pre-emphasis is used to defeat the scrambling. The pre-emphasis may be synthesized with high pass or peaking circuitry. More commonly however the pre-emphasis is available in television sets with a fine tuning control. By adjusting the fine tuning control to cause purposely mistuning off center, a peaking effect is generated which is used to counter the scrambled signal. The application discloses one embodiment which uses de-emphasis to counter the peaking effect. In another embodiment, signals added in the vicinity of the horizontal blanking interval causes the peaking effect to enhance these added signals over stable edges of the video signal. Since these added signals are position modulated for example, the television's sync circuits and horizontal oscillator circuits will cause scan circuits to generate position modulation.

Abstract: In the known color stripe process for preventing recording of video signals, the color burst present on each line of active video is modified so that any subsequent video tape recording of the video signal shows variations in the color fidelity that appear as undesirable bands or stripes of color error. This color stripe process is improved by a combination of modifying the phase of the color burst on only part of the color burst. Additional improvements were obtained by incorporating techniques of widening the normal color burst envelope towards the trailing edge of horizontal sync and towards the beginning of active video. These techniques are useful in improving the performance of the color stripe process in both the NTSC and PAL color systems. However, additional improvements are described in the PAL system whereby the phase modifications are controlled so as to avoid disturbing the so-called PAL ID pulse.

Abstract: Video signals are scrambled by position modulating or switching between two types of modified horizontal sync pulses. These modified horizontal pulses are modulated or switched at a rate that causes a non-interlaced tearing pattern when viewed by an unauthorized viewer, whereby greater concealment is achieved by the invention when compared to the prior art. The modified scrambling process also is adapted to achieve lower tuner AGC artifacts. With added fake vertical sync signals and strategic use of double or multiple horizontal sync pulses per TV line, modern TV sets using count down circuits are also affected vertically to enhance the concealment effects.

Abstract: Fingerprinting and fingerprint detection, techniques are described which, unlike typical fingerprint systems used to conceal video signals, are compatible with all conceivable forms of signal compression systems while still allowing viewing of the video signal. The fingerprint technique is based on the principle of applying very slight local spatial distortion to the pixels in a video image, and the like, by means of selected warp patterns. Thus the technique provides means for conveying, within the video signal, selected information in the form of the fingerprint which is detectable electronically but which is not noticeable to a critical viewer who is watching the video signal. That is, the resultant fingerprinted video signal will appear to be identical to the undistorted video signal.

Abstract: A method and system of providing copy protection of video analog and digital signals and the like, wherein the signals are transmitted via a digital delivery network, and may comprise, for example, pay per view (PPV) program materials protected by copyrights of respective program rights holders. The right holders authorize video service providers (3) to apply copy protection to the program material. The copy protection process is supplied to the rights holders or the service providers (3) by a copy protection process licensor. The video service providers (3) supply suitable copy protection control software via respective control and billing (tracking) centers to generate commands which activate, control and reconfigure the copy protection process being applied to the programs being transmitted.

Abstract: In the known color stripe process for preventing recording of video signals, the color burst present on each line of active video is modified so that any subsequent video tape recording of the video signal shows variations in the color fidelity that appear as undesirable bands or stripes of color error. This color stripe process is defeated first by determining the location of the video lines including the color stripe process, either by prior experimentation or by on-line detection. Then some or all of the lines including the modified color bursts are modified so as to render the overall video signal recordable. The modification is accomplished in a number of ways, including phase shifting the color stripe burst into the correct phase, replacing some of the color stripe bursts or a portion of particular color stripe bursts so that they are no longer effective, and mixing the color stripe burst with color stripe signals of the correct phase so as to eliminate most or all of the phase error present.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for disabling the effect of copy protection signals embedded in video signals, wherein the detection and modification of the copy protection signals is accomplished in the RF domain rather than in the baseband video domain as typically accomplished at the present time. To this end, various embodiments are disclosed for deriving a timing control signal from the modulated RF carrier signal, which timing control signal is indicative of the television lines which contain the copy protection signals. Several techniques in the RF domain responsive to the timing control signal are disclosed for replacing, attenuating, suppressing, pulse narrowing or otherwise modifying the modulated RF carrier signal during the interval of the copy protection signals to disable the affects thereof, to allow the making of acceptable recordings during demodulation subsequently by, for example, a record VCR.

Abstract: Video signals in today's environment exist in both the analog domain and the digital domain. In many instances it may be desirable to delete or reduce the effectiveness of a video signal containing analog copy protection signals while the signals are in the digital domain. The invention uses digital techniques for defeating the effects of the analog copy protected signal while the signal is in the digital domain. The types of copy protection signals includes pseudo sync pulses and AGC pulses. Additionally digital techniques may be used for reducing or eliminating the affects of a chroma copy protection process. A digital video copy protection eliminator allows removal of substantially all pseudo sync pulses and/or AGC pulses in the digital domain. The location of pseudo syncs and/or AGC pulses are determined, while the signal is in the digital domain.

Abstract: A video disc designed for providing security and tracking data in the rental video media market. Those new formats for video players and media allow for inclusion of security features which both allow tracking of rental of such media and prevent unauthorized rental thereof Each player includes a decision circuit which plays a particular optical disc only if a player identification number recorded on a special separate magnetic track on the optical disk is the same as the player identification stored in the player, and if a movie identification number optically read from the disc matches a movie identification number recorded on the special separate magnetic track. A corresponding apparatus is provided at the video rental store which, at the time of rental, records on a magnetic portion of the media in encrypted form the movie identification number and the number of the particular disc player for which that rental is intended.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronizing a randomized video signal to a phase-locked sampling system. The phase-locked system is part of a scrambling apparatus capable of scrambling and subsequent descrambling of video signals recorded on videotape recorders which undesirably introduce time-base errors into the luminance/chrominance phase relationship. These time-base errors are removed without use of a time-base corrector by programmable delay line memory circuitry which introduces a programmable amount of delay into the video path. The delay line includes a programmable length FIFO memory module.