Download Low Complexity Parametric Stereo Coding in MPEG-4 Parametric stereo coding in combination with a State-of-the-Art coder for the underlying monaural audio signal results in the most ef cient coding scheme for stereo signals at very low bit rates available today. This paper reviews those aspects of the parametric stereo paradigm that are important for audio coding applications. A complete parametric stereo coding system is presented, which was recently standardized in MPEG-4 Audio. Using complex modulated lter banks, it allows implementation with low computational complexity. The system is backward compatible and enables high quality stereo coding at total bit rate of 24 kbit/s when used in combination with aacPlus.
Download Parametric Coding of Spatial Audio Recently, there has been a renewed interest in techniques for coding of stereo and multi-channel audio signals. Stereo and multichannel audio signals evoke an auditory spatial image in a listener. Thus, in addition to pure redundancy reduction, a receiver model which considers properties of spatial hearing may be used for reducing the bitrate. This has been done in previous techniques by considering the importance of interaural level difference cues at high frequencies and by considering the binaural masking level difference when computing the masked threshold for multiple audio channels. Recently, a number of more systematic and parameterized such techniques were introduced. In this paper an overview over a technique, denoted binaural cue coding (BCC), is given. BCC represents stereo or multichannel audio signals as a single or more downmixed audio channels plus side information. The side information contains the interchannel cues inherent in the original audio signal that are relevant for the perception of the properties of the auditory spatial image. The relation between the inter-channel cues and attributes of the auditory spatial image is discussed. Other applications of BCC are discussed, such as joint-coding of independent audio signals providing flexibility at the decoder to mix arbitrary stereo, multichannel, and binaural signals.
Download From Joint Stereo to Spatial Audio Coding - Recent Progress and Standardization Within the evolution of perceptual audio coding, there is a long history of exploiting techniques for joint coding of several audio channels of an audio program which are presented simultaneously. The paper describes how such techniques have progressed over time into the recent concept of spatial audio coding, as it is under standardization currently within the ISO/MPEG group. As a significant improvement over conventional techniques, this approach allows the representation of high quality multi-channel audio at bitrates of only 64kbit/s and below.