A reversible data hiding scheme using ordered cluster-based VQ index tables for complex images

Abstract

In the digital multimedia era, data hiding in the compression domain becomes increasingly popular in the need for speeding up the transmission process and reducing bandwidth. Recently, VQ-based watermarking techniques have attracted more attentions, e.g., Tu and Wang proposed a VQ-based lossless data hiding scheme with high payload most recently. However, their scheme produces some more overhead information. In this study, we develop a novel reversible hiding scheme which may reduce the use of overhead bits, which is especially effective for images of complex texture. Specifically, a codebook is partitioned into six clusters which are organized based on the usage frequency of codewords. We then develop a new mapping relationship among the six clusters to hide secret data more cost-effectively. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed scheme outperforms Tu’s scheme for complex texture images.