Audio level control for compressed audio

• US 7,647,221 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Michener, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Armstrong; Angela A
• Application Number:
  US10/426,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20070255556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,449 Days
• Field of Search: 704/200.1
• US Class Current: 704/200.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0364 for improving intelligibility

Abstract

Audio level control is provided for compressed audio. Scale factors for the compressed audio are extracted from an MPEG audio data stream, the extracted scale factors are altered without decompressing the compressed audio, and the MPEG audio data stream is updated with the altered scale factors. All of the scale factors in the MPEG audio data stream are altered based on a parameter identifying how the gain levels in the MPEG data stream are to be altered.

Claims

1. A method of audio level control for compressed audio in a data stream, comprising:

(a) extracting, in a processor, scale factors for the compressed audio from the data stream;

(b) performing, in the processor, a level detection for the compressed audio by;

(1) determining a square of a derived peak analog voltage value for each of the scale factors;

(2) performing a square root of a sum of the squares across a frame;

(3) normalizing the square root based on a number of channels present in the compressed audio; and

(4) comparing the normalized square root against a threshold to determine whether the compressed audio exceeds a specified level;

(c) altering, in the processor, only the extracted scale factors, based on the level detection, without decompressing the compressed audio or altering any other portion of the data stream; and

(d) updating, in the processor, the data stream with the altered scale factors, wherein the data stream otherwise remains unchanged.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein all of the scale factors in the data stream are altered.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the scale factors in the data stream are altered based on a parameter identifying how the gain levels in the data stream are to be altered.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(1) extracting a bit rate index from the data stream in order to determine a bit rate;

(2) extracting a sampling frequency rate index from the data stream in order to determine a sampling frequency rate;

(3) extracting a mode and mode extension from the data stream;

(4) determining a number of sub-bands and a number of channels for each sub-band using the bit rate, sampling frequency rate, mode and mode extension;

(5) extracting a bit allocation based on the number of sub-bands and the number of modes;

(6) extracting a scale factor selection information based on the number of sub-bands and the bit allocation;

(7) extracting the scale factors for each sub-band based on the scale factor selection information; and

(8) altering the extracted scale factors for each sub-band according to the parameter identifying how the gain levels of the compressed audio in the data stream are to be altered.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the scale factors are multipliers for sub-bands of the audio data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the altering step further comprises limiting the scale factors.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the altered scale factors do not wrap.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the altered scale factors do not decrease below a minimum.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the altered scale factors do not increase above a maximum.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps (a), (b), (c) and (d) incur only a two byte latency.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the level detection determines whether audio is present.

12. An apparatus for audio level control for compressed audio in a data stream, comprising:

(a) means, performed by a processor, for extracting scale factors for the compressed audio from the data stream;

(b) means, performed by the processor, for performing a level detection for the compressed audio by;

(1) means for determining a square of a derived peak analog voltage value for each of the scale factors;

(2) means for performing a square root of a sum of the squares across a frame;

(3) means for normalizing the square root based on a number of channels present in the compressed audio; and

(4) means for comparing the normalized square root against a threshold to determine whether the compressed audio exceeds a specified level;

(c) means, performed by the processor, for altering only the extracted scale factors, based on the level detection, without decompressing the compressed audio or altering any other portion of the data stream; and

(d) means, performed by the processor, for updating the data stream with the altered scale factors, wherein the data stream otherwise remains unchanged.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein all of the scale factors in the data stream are altered.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the scale factors in the data stream are altered based on a parameter identifying how the gain levels in the data stream are to be altered.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

(1) means for extracting a bit rate index from the data stream in order to determine a bit rate;

(2) means for extracting a sampling frequency rate index from the data stream in order to determine a sampling frequency rate;

(3) means for extracting a mode and mode extension from the data stream;

(4) means for determining a number of sub-bands and a number of channels for each sub-band using the bit rate, sampling frequency rate, mode and mode extension;

(5) means for extracting a bit allocation based on the number of sub-bands and the number of modes;

(6) means for extracting a scale factor selection information based on the number of sub-bands and the bit allocation;

(7) means for extracting the scale factors for each sub-band based on the scale factor selection information; and

(8) means for altering the extracted scale factors for each sub-band according to the parameter identifying how the gain levels of the compressed audio in the data stream are to be altered.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the scale factors are multipliers for sub-bands of the audio data.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for altering further comprises means for limiting the altered scale factors.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the altered scale factors do not wrap.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the altered scale factors do not decrease below a minimum.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the altered scale factors do not increase above a maximum.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means (a), (b) (c) and (d) incur only a two byte latency.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the level detection determines whether audio is present.

23. An article of manufacture comprising a storage device embodying instructions that, when read and executed by a processor, results in the processor performing a method of audio level control for compressed audio in a data stream, the method comprising:

(a) extracting, in a processor, scale factors for the compressed audio from the data stream;

(b) performing, in the processor, a level detection for the compressed audio by;

(1) determining a square of a derived peak analog voltage value for each of the scale factors;

(2) performing a square root of a sum of the squares across a frame;

(3) normalizing the square root based on a number of channels present in the compressed audio; and

(4) comparing the normalized square root against a threshold to determine whether the compressed audio exceeds a specified level;

(c) altering, in the processor, only the extracted scale factors, based on the level detection, without decompressing the compressed audio or altering any other portion of the data stream; and

(d) updating, in the processor, the data stream with the altered scale factors, wherein the data stream otherwise remains unchanged.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein all of the scale factors in the data stream are altered.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the scale factors in the data stream are altered based on a parameter identifying how the gain levels in the data stream are to be altered.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 23, the method further comprising:

(1) extracting a bit rate index from the data stream in order to determine a bit rate;

(2) extracting a sampling frequency rate index from the data stream in order to determine a sampling frequency rate;

(3) extracting a mode and mode extension from the data stream;

(4) determining a number of sub-bands and a number of channels for each sub-band using the bit rate, sampling frequency rate, mode and mode extension;

(5) extracting a bit allocation based on the number of sub-bands and the number of modes;

(6) extracting a scale factor selection information based on the number of sub-bands and the bit allocation;

(7) extracting the scale factors for each sub-band based on the scale factor selection information; and

(8) altering the extracted scale factors for each sub-band according to the parameter identifying how the gain levels of the compressed audio in the data stream are to be altered.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the scale factors are multipliers for sub-bands of the audio data.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the altering step further comprises limiting the altered scale factors.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the altered scale factors do not wrap.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the altered scale factors do not decrease below a minimum.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the altered scale factors do not increase above a maximum.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the steps (a), (b), (c) and (d) incur only a two byte latency.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the level detection determines whether audio is present.