Abstract
New methods of securing the distribution of audio content have been widely deployed in the last twenty years. Their impact on perceptive quality has, however, only been seldomly the subject of recent extensive research. We review digital speech watermarking state of the art and provide subjective testing of watermarked speech samples. Latest speech watermarking techniques are listed, with their specifics and potential for further development. Their current and possible applications are evaluated. Open-source software designed to embed watermarking patterns in audio files is used to produce a set of samples that satisfies the requirements of modern speech-quality subjective assessments. The patchwork algorithm that is coded in the application is mainly considered in this analysis. Different watermark robustness levels are used, which allow determining the threshold of detection to human listeners. The subjective listening tests are conducted following ITU-T P.800 Recommendation, which precisely defines the conditions and requirements for subjective testing. Further analysis tries to determine the effects of noise and various disturbances on watermarked speech’s perceived quality. A threshold of intelligibility is estimated to allow further openings on speech compression techniques with watermarking. The impact of language or social background is evaluated through an additional experiment involving two groups of listeners. Results show significant robustness of the watermarking implementation, retaining both a reasonable net subjective audio quality and security attributes, despite mild levels of distortion and noise. Extended experiments with Chinese listeners open the door to formulate a hypothesis on perception variations with geographical and social backgrounds.
Highlights
New methods of securing the distribution of audio content have been widely deployed in the last twenty years
In order to determine these two limits, selected speech samples will be gradually watermarked with increased robustness, leading in progressive speech quality degradation
The votes are based on a MOS (Mean Opinion Score) scale, as described by ITU-T Recommendation P.800
Summary
New methods of securing the distribution of audio content have been widely deployed in the last twenty years Their impact on perceptive quality has, only been seldomly the subject of recent extensive research. Results show significant robustness of the watermarking implementation, retaining both a reasonable net subjective audio quality and security attributes, despite mild levels of distortion and noise. Thanks to a simple key exchange process, it may be used to trust non-encrypted transmissions, such as telephone or radio transmission; this principle may include emitter identification, using a dedicated watermarking pattern decoded in the receiver An extension of this principle in encrypted, compressed audio transmissions is of significant interest in modern cybersecurity. In telecommunication transmission quality tests, the ITU-T P800 Recommendation is widely used It states conditions for subjective audio quality assessment; Scientific Reports | (2021) 11:20185. The subjects must be seated in an anechoic or semi-anechoic listening environment, with specific guidelines for sample creation and playback
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
