Utilizing Data Reduction in Steganographic and Cryptographic Systems

1. A method of digital watermarking, encrypting, or both, of an input signal containing information, comprising: generating, using a processor, a first data reduced signal from said input signal by data reducing said input signal; subtracting, using a processor, said first data reduced signal from said original data signal resulting in a first remainder signal; generating, using a processor, a second data reduced signal from said first data reduced signal by data reducing said first data reduced signal; digitally watermarking or encrypting, using a processor, said first data reduced signal or said second data reduced signal to create a third signal; and generating an output signal using said third signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said input signal is at least one of: instructional text; executable binary computer code; images; audio; video; multimedia; and virtual reality imaging.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said digitally watermarking or encrypting, further comprising using a watermarking algorithm to digitally watermark said first data reduced signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said digitally watermarking or encrypting, further comprising using an encryption algorithm to encrypt said first data reduced signal.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising splitting said input signal into two physically distinct input signals, and wherein said first data reduced signal is generated from a first one of said two physically distinct input signals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said digitally watermarking or encrypting comprises a processor using at least one key.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said generating an output signal comprises adding said third signal to that one of said first data reduced signal and said second data reduced signal from which the third signal was not generated.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising a computer system receiving the output signal in said computer system, further comprising said computer system executing programming designed to detect watermarks embedded in the output signal.

9. A system for digital watermarking, encrypting, or both, of an input signal containing information, comprising: a computer system comprising at least one processor and memory; said computer system configured to use at least one of said at least one processor for generating a first data reduced signal from said input signal by data reducing said input signal; said computer system configured to use at least one of said at least one processor for subtracting said first data reduced signal from said original data signal resulting in a first remainder signal; said computer system configured to use at least one of said at least one processor for generating a second data reduced signal from said first data reduced signal by data reducing said first data reduced signal; said computer system configured to use at least one of said at least one processor for digitally watermarking or encrypting said first data reduced signal or said second data reduced signal to create a third signal; and generating an output signal using said third signal.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said input signal is at least one of: instructional text; executable binary computer code; images; audio; video; multimedia; and virtual reality imaging.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said digitally watermarking or encrypting, further comprising using a watermarking algorithm to digitally watermark said first data reduced signal.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said digitally watermarking or encrypting, further comprising using an encryption algorithm to encrypt said first data reduced signal.

13. The system of claim 9 further comprising splitting said input signal into two physically distinct input signals, and wherein said first data reduced signal is generated from a first one of said two physically distinct input signals.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein said computer system is configured to add said third signal to that one of said first data reduced signal and said second data reduced signal from which the third signal was not generated.

15. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a receiving computer system; wherein said receiving computer system is configured to execute programming designed to detect watermarks embedded in the output signal.