1. A hierarchical digital watermark detector method comprising: in a first layer of a hierarchical search, performing watermark detection on blocks of at least a portion of an incoming signal, said act of performing watermark detection on blocks utilizes one or more processors; identifying a first block in the portion that is likely to include a decodable digital watermark; and in a second layer of the hierarchical search, performing additional watermark detection on overlapping blocks in a neighborhood around the first block, said act of performing additional watermark detection on overlapping blocks utilizes the one or more processors.