Showing papers in "IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics in 2003"
TL;DR: Simulation results show that the cases which are not handled well by HE, BBHE and dualistic sub image histogram equalization (DSIHE), can be properly enhanced by MMBEBHE.
Abstract: Histogram equalization (HE) is widely used for contrast enhancement. However, it tends to change the brightness of an image and hence, not suitable for consumer electronic products, where preserving the original brightness is essential to avoid annoying artifacts. Bi-histogram equalization (BBHE) has been proposed and analyzed mathematically that it can preserve the original brightness to a certain extends. However, there are still cases that are not handled well by BBHE, as they require higher degree of preservation. This paper proposes a novel extension of BBHE referred to as minimum mean brightness error bi-histogram equalization (MMBEBHE) to provide maximum brightness preservation. BBHE separates the input image's histogram into two based on input mean before equalizing them independently. This paper proposes to perform the separation based on the threshold level, which would yield minimum absolute mean brightness error (AMBE - the absolute difference between input and output mean). An efficient recursive integer-based computation for AMBE has been formulated to facilitate real time implementation. Simulation results using sample image which represent images with very low, very high and medium mean brightness show that the cases which are not handled well by HE, BBHE and dualistic sub image histogram equalization (DSIHE), can be properly enhanced by MMBEBHE. Besides, MMBEBHE also demonstrate comparable performance with BBHE and DSIHE when come to use the sample images show in [Yeong-Taeg Kim, February 1997] and [Yu Wan et al., October 5 1999].
853Â citations
TL;DR: Simulation results show that the cases which are not handled well by HE, BBHE and dualistic sub image histogram equalization (DSIHE), have been properly enhanced by RMSHE.
Abstract: Histogram equalization (HE) is widely used for contrast enhancement. However, it tends to change the brightness of an image and hence, not suitable for consumer electronic products, where preserving the original brightness is essential to avoid annoying artifacts. Bi-histogram equalization (BBHE) has been proposed and analyzed mathematically that it can preserve the original brightness to a certain extend. However, there are still cases that are not handled well by BBHE, as they require higher degree of preservation. This paper proposes a generalization of BBHE referred to as recursive mean-separate histogram equalization (RMSHE) to provide not only better but also scalable brightness preservation. BBHE separates the input image's histogram into two based on its mean before equalizing them independently. While the separation is done only once in BBHE, this paper proposes to perform the separation recursively; separate each new histogram further based on their respective mean. It is analyzed mathematically that the output image's mean brightness will converge to the input image's mean brightness as the number of recursive mean separation increases. Besides, the recursive nature of RMSHE also allows scalable brightness preservation, which is very useful in consumer electronics. Simulation results show that the cases which are not handled well by HE, BBHE and dualistic sub image histogram equalization (DSIHE), have been properly enhanced by RMSHE.
833Â citations
TL;DR: An easy wiring system for optical communication using the existing power-line is proposed, which is emitted as visible-light from LED lighting according to the transmitted signal waveform without demodulating the signal from the power- line.
Abstract: White LED offers advantageous properties such as high brightness, reliability, lower power consumption and long lifetime. Indoor optical wireless communication systems employing white LED lighting have been proposed. This system will enable high quality of service by the high radiation power from this lighting equipment. And, this system does not cause or suffer from radio or electromagnetic interference. But, it is difficult for existing offices and households to install the communication cable to the ceiling. In this paper, an easy wiring system for optical communication using the existing power-line is proposed. This system is emitted as visible-light from LED lighting according to the transmitted signal waveform without demodulating the signal from the power-line. This system is expected to be applicable from the existing illuminant easily like exchanging electric bulbs. This integrated system will surely have a big impact as a new signal transmission system and its economical effect will be great. The basic performance of this system is analyzed. The actual system is built and its feasibility is shown through experiments.
361Â citations
TL;DR: A different attack on Hwang-Li scheme is shown which is easier and simpler and an enhanced scheme for repairing the above attacks is presented.
Abstract: Hwang and Li (see IEEE Trans. Consumer Electron., vol.46, no.1, p.28-30, 2000) proposed a new remote authentication scheme using smart cards. Their scheme is based on the ElGamal's public key cryptosystem. However, Chan and Cheng (see IEEE Trans. Consumer Electron., vol.46, p.992-993, 2000) pointed out that the scheme is vulnerable to the masquerade attack. In this article, we show a different attack on Hwang-Li scheme which is easier and simpler. Furthermore, we present an enhanced scheme for repairing the above attacks.
280Â citations
TL;DR: This paper presents digital image stabilization with sub-image phase correlation based global motion estimation and Kalman filtering based motion correction and Kal man filtered for stabilization.
Abstract: This paper presents digital image stabilization with sub-image phase correlation based global motion estimation and Kalman filtering based motion correction. Global motion is estimated from the local motions of four sub-images each of which is detected using phase correlation based motion estimation. The global motion vector is decided according to the peak values of sub-image phase correlation surfaces, instead of impartial median filtering. The peak values of sub-image phase correlation surfaces reveal reliable local motion vectors, as poorly matched sub images result in considerably lower peaks in the phase correlation surface due to spread. The utilization of sub-images enables fast implementation of phase correlation based motion estimation. The global motion vectors of image frames are accumulated to obtain global displacement vectors, that are Kalman filtered for stabilization.
235Â citations
TL;DR: The proposed algorithm compensates impulsive noise in a frequency domain after OFDM demodulation and channel equalization and is applied to DVB-T and its performance is studied by means of simulation.
Abstract: Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a technique used for terrestrial digital video broadcasting (DVB-T) and many other modern applications. The longer OFDM symbol duration provides an advantage in a presence of weak impulsive noise, because impulsive noise energy is spread among simultaneously transmitted OFDM sub-carriers. However, it has been recently recognized that this advantage turns into a disadvantage if the impulsive noise energy exceeds certain threshold. In this paper the algorithm for impulsive noise suppression in OFDM receivers is proposed and investigated. Whereas traditional methods for impulsive noise suppression are implemented in a time domain before OFDM demodulation, proposed algorithm compensates impulsive noise in a frequency domain after OFDM demodulation and channel equalization. The method is applied to DVB-T and its performance is studied by means of simulation.
197Â citations
TL;DR: A practical real-time auto- focus algorithm for a digital camera is presented, and it improves the reliability and speed of the auto-focus process, especially suitable for a mega-pixel high definition camera.
Abstract: A practical real-time auto-focus algorithm for a digital camera is presented, and it improves the reliability and speed of the auto-focus process, especially suitable for a mega-pixel high definition camera. The proposed algorithm adopts threshold gradient and edge point count technique besides focus value function, instead of the traditional two-stage climbing search algorithm that uses the focus value function only. Additionally, a relative difference ratio circuit is also proposed, which can implement adaptive step size searching to increase the searching speed. By adopting the modified algorithm on the prototype of our mega-pixel digital camera, the real-time auto-focus function is verified. The proposed algorithm is implemented in a test camera chip that has been manufactured in 0.25/spl mu/m CMOS digital process.
191Â citations
TL;DR: Methods and issues involved in the compression of CFA data before full color interpretation are discussed, which operate on the same number of pixels as the sensor data.
Abstract: Many consumer digital color cameras use a single light sensitive sensor and a color filter array (CFA) with each pixel element recording intensity information of one color component. The captured data is interpolated into a full color image, which is then compressed in many applications. Carrying out color interpolation before compression introduces redundancy in the data. In this paper we discuss methods and issues involved in the compression of CFA data before full color interpretation. The compression methods described operate on the same number of pixels as the sensor data. To obtain improved image quality, median filtering is applied as post-processing. Furthermore, to assure low complexity, the CFA data is compressed by JPEG. Simulations have demonstrated that substantial improvement in image quality is achievable using these new schemes.
154Â citations
TL;DR: The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how the JPEG2000 codec can be used to compress electrocardiogram (ECG) data, and to demonstrate the ECG application as an example that can be extended to other signals that exist within the consumer electronics realm.
Abstract: JPEG2000 is the latest international standard for compression of still images. Although the JPEG2000 codec is designed to compress images, we illustrate that it can also be used to compress other signals. As an example, we illustrate how the JPEG2000 codec can be used to compress electrocardiogram (ECG) data. Experiments using the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database illustrate that the proposed approach outperforms many existing ECG compression schemes. The proposed scheme allows the use of existing hardware and software JPEG2000 codecs for ECG compression, and can be especially useful in eliminating the need for specialized hardware development. The desirable characteristics of the JPEG2000 codec, such as precise rate control and progressive quality, are retained in the presented scheme. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the ECG application as an example. This example can be extended to other signals that exist within the consumer electronics realm.
138Â citations
TL;DR: A new deinterlacing algorithm is proposed, which is an edge dependent interpolation (EDI) algorithm based on a horizontal edge pattern that outperforms conventional approaches with respect to both objective and subjective criteria.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new deinterlacing algorithm, which is an edge dependent interpolation (EDI) algorithm based on a horizontal edge pattern. Generally, a conventional EDI algorithm has a visually better performance than any other deinterlacing algorithms using one field. However, it produces unpleasant results due to the failure of estimating edge direction. In order to exactly detect edge direction, we use not only simple difference but also edge patterns. Experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm outperforms conventional approaches with respect to both objective and subjective criteria.
133Â citations
TL;DR: A new scheme is presented which also overcomes a different type of attack on this scheme and previously generated passwords are secure even if the secret key of the system is leaked or is stolen.
Abstract: In 2000, Hwang and Li proposed a new remote user authentication scheme using smart cards. Chan and Chang showed that the masquerade attack is successful on this scheme. Recently Shen, Lin and Hwang pointed out a different type of attack on this scheme and presented a modified scheme to remove these defects. In this paper we present a new scheme which also overcomes these attacks. In this scheme previously generated passwords are secure even if the secret key of the system is leaked or is stolen.
TL;DR: The proposed motion adaptive deinterlacing algorithm achieves cost-efficient hardware implementation with low complexity, low memory usage, and high-speed processing capability, and allows the audience to enjoy a high-quality TV sequence on their progressive devices.
Abstract: A motion adaptive deinterlacing algorithm is presented in this paper. It consists of the ELA-median directional interpolation, same-parity 4-field horizontal motion detection, morphological operation for noise reduction and adaptive threshold adjusting. The edges can be sharper when the ELA-median directional interpolation is adopted. The same-parity 4-field horizontal motion detection detects faster motion and makes more accurate determinations about where objects are going to move. The morphological operation for noise reduction and adaptive threshold adjusting preserve the actual texture of the original objects. The proposed method achieves cost-efficient hardware implementation with low complexity, low memory usage, and high-speed processing capability. In addition, it consumes less time in producing high-quality images and allows the audience to enjoy a high-quality TV sequence on their progressive devices. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is more cost-effective than previous systems.
TL;DR: The security of a modified remote user authentication scheme proposed by Shen, Lin, and Hwang is analyzed and it is shown that the modified scheme is still vulnerable to the attack proposed by Chan and Cheng.
Abstract: In this paper, the security of a modified remote user authentication scheme proposed by Shen, Lin, and Hwang is analyzed. We show that the modified scheme is still vulnerable to the attack proposed by Chan and Cheng. Moreover, the extended attack proposed by Chang and Hwang in 2003 also works well.
TL;DR: A new deinterlacing algorithm, which uses directional interpolation and motion compensation, and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method provides better performances than conventional deInterlacing algorithms.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new deinterlacing algorithm, which uses directional interpolation and motion compensation. In the proposed method, intrafield interpolation is first performed in the direction that shows the highest correlation. Second, motion estimation is performed between two fields of the same parity. The motion vector is further refined in half-pixel accuracy. In the conventional motion compensated methods, a prefilter such as line averaging, is applied to interpolate missing lines prior to motion estimation between opposite parity fields. The proposed method does not require this prefilter since block matching is performed between the same parity fields. Finally, we apply a test and use either directional interpolation or motion compensated interpolation depending on the test result. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method provides better performances than conventional deinterlacing algorithms.
TL;DR: A low cost and highly reliable residential gateway controller (residential G/W) with plug & play mechanism has been developed for home energy management system (HEMS).
Abstract: A low cost and highly reliable residential gateway controller (residential G/W) with plug & play mechanism has been developed for home energy management system (HEMS). Residential G/W is integrated on a small embedded H/W with Java, GUI-OS and the latest Internet technologies. HEMS equipped with residential G/W is also developed and installed in 20 houses in Tokyo for evaluation.
TL;DR: The model proposed herein seems to precisely describe the power delay profile of indoor single-phase power-line communication channels in the HF spectral area through simulation.
Abstract: With regard to emerging utilization of the HF band for power-line communication applications, narrowband statistical characteristics of corresponding fading channels along single-phase electric networks are being investigated. By the reasonable two-conductor transmission line approach for cabling components, a model giving channel transfer functions on account of multi-path propagation is proposed Appropriate assumptions based on indoor electric networks' topology are adopted concerning scattering points' spatial allocation, by which path amplitudes are demonstrated to follow the lognormal distribution, whereas the normal distribution is extracted for arrival times. For this theoretical treatment, a suitable definition of the term "path" is introduced, inferred by reflection points discrete spatial distribution. Verification of statistical modelling is established, involving path inventory through simulation. During the simulating process, a well applicable cable transmission-line model is used, and the configuration of a bus having numerous transverse branches connected in parallel is considered, which forms the fundamental topological element for electric networks. Simulation results show remarkable compliance with the behaviour theoretically anticipated, and the model proposed herein seems to precisely describe the power delay profile of indoor single-phase power-line communication channels in the HF spectral area.
TL;DR: This work presents a frame interpolation algorithm for FRC based on a pyramid structure and the motion compensation process is performed independently at each resolution level, similar to control grid interpolation (CGI).
Abstract: Frame rate up-conversion (FRC) is one of the main issues that have arisen in recent years with the emergence of new television and multimedia systems; it is required for conversion between any two display formats with different frame rates. We present a frame interpolation algorithm for FRC. It is based on a pyramid structure and the motion compensation process is performed independently at each resolution level. A technique similar to control grid interpolation (CGI) is employed to process hole regions generated at the top level of the pyramid. Bidirectional motion estimation (ME) and prediction mode selection are utilized at intermediate levels. Finally, at the bottom level, motion vector refinement and overlapped block motion compensation (OBMC) are used. In experiments, the frame rate of the progressive video sequence is up-converted by a factor of two and the performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with that of the conventional frame interpolation method. Experiments with several test sequences show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
TL;DR: Since the proposed algorithm can achieve higher processing rate and better efficiency than the conventional algorithm, it is very suitable for the OFDM/DMT applications such as the WLAN, DAB/DVB, and ADSL/VDSL systems.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new efficient FFT algorithm for OFDM/DMT applications and present its pipeline implementation results. Since the proposed algorithm is based on the radix-4 butterfly unit, the processing rate can be twice as fast as that based on the radix-23 algorithm. Also, its implementation is more area-efficient than the implementation from conventional radix-4 algorithm due to reduced number of nontrivial multipliers like using the radix-2/sup 3/ algorithm. In order to compare the proposed algorithm with the conventional radix-4 algorithm, the 64-point MDC pipelined FFT processor based on the proposed algorithm was implemented. After the logic synthesis using 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS technology, the logic gate count for the processor with the proposed algorithm is only about 70% of that for the processor with the conventional radix-4 algorithm. Since the proposed algorithm can achieve higher processing rate and better efficiency than the conventional algorithm, it is very suitable for the OFDM/DMT applications such as the WLAN, DAB/DVB, and ADSL/VDSL systems.
TL;DR: A technique based on the autocorrelation function is proposed to estimate the Doppler spread in Rayleigh fading channels for mobile OFDM systems and can be applied directly to the OFDM system with transmit diversity (TD) and to MIMO OfDM systems.
Abstract: In this paper, a technique based on the autocorrelation function is proposed to estimate the Doppler spread in Rayleigh fading channels for mobile OFDM systems. It is simply implemented with the cyclic structure of OFDM symbols, and any other additive data and pilots need not to be inserted into the common OFDM symbols. This algorithm can be applied directly to the OFDM system with transmit diversity (TD) and to MIMO OFDM systems. Computer simulation results are included to support our developments in the terms of mean estimation value and mean square error.
TL;DR: This paper presents the architecture of the sensor gateway for Web-based management and its implementation details, and assumes that wireless sensor networks have 3-level regional hierarchy, but the gateway is flexible enough to cooperate with other type sensor networks.
Abstract: Wireless sensor networks consisting of hundreds to thousands of nodes are expected to find increasing deployment in coming years, as they enable reliable monitoring and analysis of physical worlds. These networks have unique features that are very different from traditional networks, e.g., the large number of nodes, limitation in power. Due to these unique features of wireless sensor networks, their management including querying becomes a challenging problem. In general, it is widely accepted that Web-based management should be used for managing and querying sensor networks. In this paper, we present the architecture of the sensor gateway for Web-based management and its implementation details. We assume that wireless sensor networks have 3-level regional hierarchy, but our gateway is flexible enough to cooperate with other type sensor networks. In addition, to make our gateway process user's query dynamically without intervention of user, a back socket is opened using Java applet. For this purpose, Java script code is embedded in Web page to link Java applet code.
TL;DR: A steganographic scheme is proposed to reliably embed high-volume data into the JPEG2000 bit-stream to solve the challenges of covert communication in this state-of-the-art image codec.
Abstract: Information hiding in JPEG2000 compressed images is investigated in this research. The challenges of covert communication in this state-of-the-art image codec are analyzed and a steganographic scheme is then proposed to reliably embed high-volume data into the JPEG2000 bit-stream. A special mode of JPEG2000 is employed, and its usage and functions are explained and justified. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm.
TL;DR: The adaptive MHPM system is found to give the optimum performance among the considered digital modulation schemes for the MC-CDMA system in a 4G environment.
Abstract: Adaptive modulation based MC-CDMA systems can play a vital role in future generation consumer communication electronics. Adaptive modulation, combined with MC-CDMA based transmission technology, is a promising way to increase the data rate that can be reliably transmitted over the wireless radio channels. For 4G wireless networks, which demand very high data rate up to 100 Mbits/s with the constraints limiting higher data rate being severe ISI due to multipath and limited spectrum, such kind of adaptive modulation based multi-carrier systems applied to a wide-area environment, can achieve very large average user throughputs. In this paper, adaptive modulation based M-ary PSK, M-ary QAM, M-ary CPM, M-ary MHPM and GMSK systems applied to a turbo coded MC-CDMA system in a Rayleigh fast fading channel environment have been investigated and the BER performance of all these digital modulation techniques have been compared. Results of the comparative study indicate that the continuous phase modulation schemes like CPM, MHPM, and GMSK gives better performance as compared to PSK and QAM schemes. At most of the time, the MHPM systems outperforms both GMSK and CPM. The PSK and QAM based systems perform well till the number of users are around 10. As a whole, the adaptive MHPM system is found to give the optimum performance among the considered digital modulation schemes for the MC-CDMA system in a 4G environment.
TL;DR: A new transparent scrambling algorithm is proposed that performs an arbitrarily degraded view of decoded picture by encrypting in DCT domain and is applicable to the broadcast systems such as DVB/ATSC, which use MPEG-2 as compression standard.
Abstract: Recently, several encryption algorithms have been proposed, which are applied to MPEG-2 video streams. These algorithms try to optimize the encryption process and improve encryption speed by exploiting the spatial and temporal properties of video retrieval and display process. As a new branch of encryption, transparent scrambling has its own merits and special prospects. A new transparent scrambling algorithm proposed in this paper performs an arbitrarily degraded view of decoded picture by encrypting in DCT domain. This technique is applicable to the broadcast systems such as DVB/ATSC, which use MPEG-2 as compression standard.
TL;DR: It is shown by computer simulations that the proposed method can outperform the well-known clipping filtering scheme and /spl mu/-law companding technique substantially.
Abstract: A novel transform technique is proposed for reducing the peak-to-average ratio (PAPR) of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal. Large OFDM signals are replaced by small complementary signals according to the proposed method. It has a low SNR loss in bit error rate while achieving a significant reduction of PAPR. It is shown by computer simulations that the proposed method can outperform the well-known clipping filtering scheme and /spl mu/-law companding technique substantially.
TL;DR: This paper proposes a technique to reduce the power consumption of a popular low power radix-4 pipelined FFT processor by modifying its operation sequence using a novel commutator architecture.
Abstract: The FFT processor is a critical block in all multicarrier systems used primarily in the mobile environment. The portability requirement of these systems is mainly responsible for the need of low power FFT architectures. This paper proposes a technique to reduce the power consumption of a popular low power radix-4 pipelined FFT processor by modifying its operation sequence. The complex multiplier is one of the most power consuming blocks in the FFT processor. The switching activity at its fixed coefficient input, and hence its power consumption, can be drastically reduced by coefficient ordering. Coefficient ordering requires a novel commutator architecture which can handle the corresponding data sequencing as per new coefficient ordering. The resulting power saving is around 23% and 9%, respectively, for the 16-point and 64-point radix-4 pipelined FFT processor. This approach is very attractive for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11) requiring short FFTs but it can also be applied to the penultimate stage of longer FFTs used in digital audio and video broadcasting.
TL;DR: In this article, it is shown that the spectral rolloff of OFDM signals can be improved by polynomial cancellation coding (PCC) and the resultant OOB power is much reduced.
Abstract: In orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, the subcarriers are generated by an inverse discrete Fourier transform In the literature, the spectra of these subcarriers are often represented by a sequence of sinc functions of the same polarity This is not consistent with the intercarrier interference (ICI) cancellation properties of polynomial cancellation coding (PCC) or similar self-ICI cancellation schemes in OFDM This paper shows the spectra of these subcarriers are more accurately represented by a sequence of sinc functions with alternating polarity It is shown that the spectral rolloff of OFDM signals can be improved by PCC and the resultant OOB power is much reduced
TL;DR: This paper analyzes phase noise effects on the performance of an OFDM communication system by the linear approximation approach and presents a generalized phase noise power spectrum density (PSD) model using the normalized phase Noise power spectrum model-Lorentzian model.
Abstract: This paper analyzes phase noise effects on the performance of an OFDM communication system by the linear approximation approach. We newly present a generalized phase noise power spectrum density (PSD) model using the normalized phase noise power spectrum model-Lorentzian model. Also, we derive the relationship between the phase noise PSD's parameter f/sub 3dB/ and the standard frequency deviation f/sub d/ of phase noise probability density function (PDF), and the relationship between phase noise variance /spl sigma//sub /spl phi///sup 2/ and f/sub d/. Analytical BER results closely match with simulation results of the OFDM communication system using QPSK and 16QAM modulation format. The performance of OFDM system is evaluated when the bandwidth B/sub s/=10 MHz and phase noise is included. When the standard frequency deviation f/sub d/ are 5 Hz, 8 Hz. and 12 Hz, the SNR to meet the BER=10/sup -4/ in AWGN channel experiences the power penalty by about 0.6 dB, 1.0 dB and 1.7 dB in the QPSK scheme and about 1.9 dB, 3.2 dB and 67 dB in 16QAM modulation than the OFDM communication system without phase noise. Furthermore, the BER performance of the QPSK-OFDM communication system is considerably degraded because of the BER error floor if the phase noise standard frequency deviation f/sub d/ becomes greater than 30 Hz.
TL;DR: This paper considers the question of signaling security information in JPEG-2000 codestream and the scheme is detailed in the case of selective encryption and the impact of signaling information is discussed.
Abstract: In this paper we consider the question of signaling security information in JPEG-2000 codestream Signaling is the key to interoperability in the JPEG-2000 part 8 (JPSEC) perspective The scheme is backward compatible with the JPEG-2000 part 1 standard, scalable for complex images and flexible The scheme is detailed in the case of selective encryption and the impact of signaling information is discussed
TL;DR: The UHNM architecture is presented, which guarantees seamless interoperability among the heterogeneous home network middleware for future home and provides the high-level abstraction and zero-configuration, and makes new services without great effort.
Abstract: Users will be able to access ubiquitously present appliances anywhere and anytime through home network. For this, we need middleware that provides a highlevel abstraction, self-configuration, and guarantees the interoperability among middleware. However, most home network middleware does not ensure interoperability with different middleware. This paper presents the UHNM architecture, which guarantees seamless interoperability among the heterogeneous home network middleware for future home. The UHNM provides the high-level abstraction and zero-configuration, and makes new services without great effort.
TL;DR: A new conditional access system (CAS) mechanism - "e-ticket" - is developed for pay-TV systems to protect customer privacy from abuse by both outsiders and providers, while protecting both the customers and the providers against double-spending, loss, misuse, and/or stealing of the e-ticket.
Abstract: Current pay-TV systems enable service providers to acquire personal data easily, e.g. the customers' TV-watching habits, which can make customers uncomfortable or cause them inconvenience. Although many privacy protection schemes have been proposed, they only protect customer privacy from abuse by outsiders, not the service providers. This paper develops a new conditional access system (CAS) mechanism - "e-ticket" - for pay-TV systems to protect customer privacy from abuse by both outsiders and providers, while protecting both the customers and the providers against double-spending, loss, misuse, and/or stealing of the e-ticket. This article also demonstrates that the combination of the partial blind digital signature and anonymous digital signature makes pay-TV systems more robust and fairer than before.