System for distributing metadata embedded in video

1. A method of a reception apparatus for extracting metadata, the method comprising:

processing, by circuitry of the reception apparatus, content that includes the metadata embedded therein, the metadata being embedded as a watermark in a video frame of the content; and

detecting, by the circuitry, symbol values of the watermark embedded in the video frame based on luminance values in pixels of the video frame of the content and based on at least one predetermined luminance value threshold, wherein

at least one of the luminance values in the pixels of the video frame corresponding to symbol values of the watermark is less than a value corresponding to black, a maximum luminance value in the pixels of the video frame corresponding to symbol values of the watermark is less than a value corresponding to white, and

each of the symbol values has one of N possible values that are detected based on (N−1) predetermined luminance value thresholds that delineate ranges of luminance values detected as each of the N possible values, where N is an integer greater than 1.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the same watermark is embedded in a plurality of consecutive video frames of the content.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting a predetermined fixed pattern of symbol values based on luminance values in pixels of the video frame of the content, wherein

the step of detecting detects the symbol values when the predetermined fixed pattern is detected to extract the metadata.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining further comprises:

averaging, for each subset of the pixels making up one of the symbol values, the luminance values; and

detecting the symbol values based on the averaged luminance values.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the symbol values has one of two possible values and the predetermined luminance value threshold delineates ranges of luminance values detected as each of the two possible values.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the symbol values has one of four possible values and the at least one predetermined luminance value threshold includes three luminance value thresholds delineating ranges of luminance values detected as each of the four possible values.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the same watermark is encoded entirely within luminance values of at least one of line 1 and line 2 of the video frame of the content and the watermark is not encoded in any other lines of the video frame.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform a method of a reception apparatus for extracting metadata, the method comprising:

processing content that includes the metadata embedded therein, the metadata being embedded as a watermark in a video frame of the content; and

detecting symbol values of the watermark embedded in the video frame based on luminance values in pixels of the video frame of the content and based on at least one predetermined luminance value threshold, wherein

at least one of the luminance values in the pixels of the video frame corresponding to symbol values of the watermark is less than a value corresponding to black, a maximum luminance value in the pixels of the video frame corresponding to symbol values of the watermark is less than a value corresponding to white, and

each of the symbol values has one of N possible values that are detected based on (N−1) predetermined luminance value thresholds that delineate ranges of luminance values detected as each of the N possible values, where N is an integer greater than 1.

9. A reception apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

a processing unit that, according to instructions loaded from the memory,

processes content that includes metadata embedded therein, the metadata being embedded as a watermark in a video frame of the content; and

detects symbol values of the watermark embedded in the video frame based on luminance values in pixels of the video frame of the content and based on at least one predetermined luminance value threshold, wherein

at least one of the luminance values in the pixels of the video frame corresponding to symbol values of the watermark is less than a value corresponding to black, a maximum luminance value in the pixels of the video frame corresponding to symbol values of the watermark is less than a value corresponding to white, and

each of the symbol values has one of N possible values that are detected based on (N−1) predetermined luminance value thresholds that delineate ranges of luminance values detected as each of the N possible values, where N is an integer greater than 1.

10. The reception apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the same watermark is embedded in a plurality of consecutive video frames of the content.

11. The reception apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the processing unit:

detects a predetermined fixed pattern of symbol values based on luminance values in pixels of the video frame of the content; and

detects the symbol values when the predetermined fixed pattern is detected to extract the metadata.

12. The reception apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the processing unit:

averages, for each subset of the pixels making up one of the symbol values, the luminance values; and

detects the symbol values based on the averaged luminance values.

13. The reception apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein each of the symbol values has one of two possible values and the predetermined luminance value threshold delineates ranges of luminance values detected as each of the two possible values.

14. The reception apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein each of the symbol values has one of four possible values and the at least one predetermined luminance value threshold includes three luminance value thresholds delineating ranges of luminance values detected as each of the four possible values.

15. The reception apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the same watermark is entirely encoded within luminance values of at least line 1 and line 2 of the video frame of the content and the watermark is not encoded in any other lines of the video frame.

16. An information providing apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

a processing unit that, according to instructions loaded from the memory,

receives or retrieves content to be provided to a reception apparatus,

embeds metadata in a video frame of the content, the metadata being embedded as a watermark in a video frame of the content, and

provides the content to the reception apparatus, wherein

the metadata is extracted by the reception apparatus based on luminance values in pixels of the video frame of the content and based on at least one predetermined luminance value threshold, wherein

at least one of the luminance values in the pixels of the video frame corresponding to symbol values of the watermark is less than a value corresponding to black, a maximum luminance value in the pixels of the video frame corresponding to symbol values of the watermark is less than a value corresponding to white, and

each of the symbol values has one of N possible values that are detected based on (N−1) predetermined luminance value thresholds that delineate ranges of luminance values detected as each of the N possible values, where N is an integer greater than 1.

17. The information providing apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the same watermark is embedded in a plurality of consecutive video frames of the content.

18. The information providing apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein each of the symbol values has one of two possible values and the predetermined luminance value threshold delineates ranges of luminance values detected as each of the two possible values.

19. The information providing apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein each of the symbol values has one of four possible values and the at least one predetermined luminance value threshold includes three luminance value thresholds delineating ranges of luminance values detected as each of the four possible values.