Encoded wideband digital transmission signal and record carrier recorded with such a signal

• US 6,289,308 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TDF SAS (Fluor Corporation), Institut Fur Rundfunktechnik GmbH, US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.), Telediffusion De France SA
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lokhoff, Gerardus C. P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US09/521,052
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 704/201, 704/205, 704/229, 704/203, 704/500, 704/501, 704/230, 370/389, 370/468, 370/470, 370/471, 370/480, 370/509, 360/48, 375/241, 375/242, 381/2
• US Class Current: 704/229
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0204 using subband decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/12 Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers within interface between computers and data recorders G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10592 specifically adapted for recording or reproducing multichannel signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10601 surround sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/913 Digital audio tape [DAT] format
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/93 Longitudinal format, wherein tracks are in the direction of the tape, read with a static head, e.g. DCC
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/665 using psychoacoustic properties of the ear, e.g. masking effect
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/667 using a division in frequency subbands for TV signals H04N19/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/88 Stereophonic broadcast systems multiplex system in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/27 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53 - H04H20/95

Abstract

Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing for example stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The transmission signals are arranged in consecutive frames, each frame including a plurality of information packets, and each information packet including N bits. The number of information packets in a frame is determined by the ratio of the product of the transmission bitrate and the number of samples represented in the frame, to the product of the number of bits in a packet and the sampling frequency. The transmission signals are recorded in a record carrier, or are transmitted in real time. In a digital stereo audio signal embodiment the samples may be subband encoded or transform encoded. The transmission signal may include an indicator signal indicating a combination of certain samples, or scale factor signals for specific components of the sampled Signal.

Claims

1. A transmission signal which is an article of manufacture, produced by encoding a wideband digital signal of a specific sampling frequency F_s in an encoder, the transmission signal comprising consecutive frames, each frame comprising a plurality of information packets (IP), each information packet being composed of N bits, N being larger than 1, and a frame comprising at least a first frame portion including synchronization information, characterized in that:

the number B of information packets in one frame has a relation to a value P, such that,

if P in the formula

2. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that F_s=48 kHz.

3. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that N=32.

4. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that n_s=384.

5. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that BR=384.

6. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first frame portion (FD1) comprises further information relating to the number of information packets in the frame.

7. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the first frame portion further includes system information.

8. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the system information relates to the bit rate BR.

9. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the system information relates to the sampling frequency F_s.

10. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the system information identifies a frame as having one information packet more than other packets.

11. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the system information identifies a transmission mode for the digital signal, the system information identifying a transmission signal comprising information relating to a stereo audio signal, a transmission signal comprising information relating to a mono audio signal, a bilingual signal, or an intensity stereo encoded audio signal.

12. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that a frame comprises said first frame portion (FD1), a second frame portion (FD2) and a third frame portion (FD3), the transmission signal further comprising allocation information and samples of a plurality of quantized subsignals, the allocation information indicating for said plurality of quantized subsignals the number of bits representing the samples of said quantized subsignals, the allocation information being included in said second frame portion and said samples being included in said third frame portion of a frame.

13. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that a 4-bit bit allocation word ‘

0000’

for a specific subsignal indicates that no samples for said specific subsignal are stored in the third frame portion.

14. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the transmission signal further comprises scale factor information relating to scale factors, a scale factor being associated with at least one of the quantized subsignals contained in the third frame portion, the third frame portion further including said scale factor information.

15. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that 6-bit words form the scale factor information, each 6-bit word representing a scale factor for a quantized subsignal.

16. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that 4-bit words as the allocation information are stored in said second frame portion, each four bit word representing the number of bits with which the samples of a quantized subsignal is represented.

17. A transmission signal as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that a 4-bit bit allocation word ‘

0000’

for a specific subsignal indicates that no scale factor for the said specific subsignal is stored in said third frame portion.

18. A record carrier which is an article of manufacture, having recorded therein a transmission signal encoded in an encoder from a wideband digital signal having a specific sampling frequency F_s, the transmission signal comprising consecutive frames, each frame comprising a plurality of information packets (IP), each information packet being composed of N bits, N being larger than 1, and a frame comprising at least a first frame portion including synchronization information, characterized in that:

the number B of information packets in one frame has a relation to a value P, such that,

if P in the formula

19. A record carrier as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that F_s=48 kHz.

20. A record carrier as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that N=32.

21. A record carrier as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that n_s=384.

22. A record carrier as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that BR=384.

23. A record carrier as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that the first frame portion (FD1) comprises further information relating to the number of information packets in the frame.

24. A record carrier as claimed in claim 23, characterized in that the first frame portion further includes system information.

25. A record carrier as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that the system information relates to the bit rate BR.

26. A record carrier as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that the system information relates to the sampling frequency F_s.

27. A record carrier as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that the system information identifies a frame as having one information packet more than other packets.

28. A record carrier as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that the system information identifies a transmission mode for the digital signal, the system information identifying a transmission signal comprising information relating to a stereo audio signal, a transmission signal comprising information relating to a mono audio signal, a bilingual signal, or an intensity stereo encoded audio signal.

29. A record carrier as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that a frame comprises said first frame portion (FD1), a second frame portion (FD2) and a third frame portion (FD3), the transmission signal further comprising allocation information and samples of a plurality of quantized subsignals, the allocation information indicating for said plurality of quantized subsignals the number of bits representing the samples of said quantized subsignals, the allocation information being included in said second frame portion and said samples being included in said third frame portion of a frame.

30. A record carrier as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that a 4-bit bit allocation word ‘

0000’

for a specific subsignal indicates that no samples for said specific subsignal are stored in the third frame portion.

31. A record carrier as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that the transmission signal further comprises scale factor information relating to scale factors, a scale factor being associated with at least one of the quantized subsignals contained in the third frame portion, the third frame portion further including said scale factor information.

32. A record carrier as claimed in claim 31, characterized in that 6-bit words form the scale factor information, each 6-bit word representing a scale factor for a quantized subsignal.

33. A record carrier as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that 4-bit words as the allocation information are stored in said second frame portion, each four bit word representing the number of bits with which the samples of a quantized subsignal is represented.

34. A record carrier as claimed in claim 33, characterized in that a 4-bit bit allocation word ‘

0000’

for a specific subsignal indicates that no scale factor for the said specific subsignal is stored in said third frame portion.