Inserting auxiliary data in a main data stream

• US 20070297455A1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: British Broadcasting Corporation
• Original Assignee: British Broadcasting Corporation
• Inventors: McParland, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/896,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20070297455A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/487
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/66 for reducing bandwidth of signals; for improving efficiency of transmission H04B1/68 takes precedence

Abstract

Auxiliary digital data are inserted into a main digital data stream, to be subsequently coded to produce a coded data stream, by identifying a component of the main data stream that will make substantially no contribution to the coded data stream. It is into this component that data from the auxiliary data stream is inserted. The main digital data stream may comprise MPEG coded audio data, and the component (which represents unoccupied sub-bands or being at a level at or below a quantization noise floor) identified by estimating sub-bands that are unoccupied, or estimating quantization levels.

Claims

1. A method of inserting auxiliary digital data in main digital data stream which is subsequently to be coded to produce a coded data stream, the method comprising identifying at least one component of the main data stream which will make substantially no contribution to the coded data stream ad inserting data from the auxiliary data stream in the or each component to produce an output data stream carrying the auxiliary data.

2-35. -35. (canceled)