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Multi-layered scalable bit-stream distribution requires protection for the rendering and transmission of its individual layers. This paper presents a sufficient encryption (SE) scheme for SVC layers which maintains the compression efficiency and the format compliancy of scalable bit-streams, without compromising the security. The purpose of SE is achieved by applying the partial encryption on carefully selected codewords and bin-strings of the CAVLC and CABAC of H.264/SVC respectively. The performance of the scheme is tested on various resolution sequences, which demonstrate the advantages of the scheme when compared to alternative techniques. These advantages include: minimal computational delay by encrypting partial data; no bit-rate escalation by keeping the compression ratio unchanged; and, format compliancy of the bit-stream at the decoder. A comparative security analysis of the scheme …