Authentication of Data Streams

The present invention relates to techniques for authentication of data streams. Specifically, the invention relates to the insertion of identifiers into a data stream, such as a Dolby Pulse, AAC or HE AAC bitstream, and the authentication and verification of the data stream based on such identifiers. A method and system for encoding a data stream comprising a plurality of data frames is described. The method comprises the step of generating a cryptographic value of a number N of successive data frames and configuration information, wherein the configuration information comprises information for rendering the data stream. The method then inserts the cryptographic value into the data stream subsequent to the N successive data frames.