Patent ID: 7873424
Filing Date: 2011-01-18
Classification: H04R

Abstract:
1. A motor vehicle, comprising: at least one wheel, a steering device, and a passenger compartment configured to accommodate at least one human occupant; an audio system capable of playing digital audio in an enhanced mode and a non-enhanced mode, wherein, in the enhanced mode, the audio system receives a signal of the digital audio and processes the signal to play the digital audio using enhancements comprising at least one of (i) using more than two audio channels and (ii) using algorithms that simulate more than two audio channels over two audio channels, wherein, in the non-enhanced mode, the audio system receives the signal and plays the digital audio without the enhancements; and wherein the audio system automatically prevents the digital audio from being played in the enhanced mode if a bit rate associated with the digital audio is less than a predetermined criterion, wherein the predetermined criterion comprises a threshold bit rate, and wherein the audio system stores a plurality of threshold bit rates, each threshold bit rate of the plurality of threshold bit rates being associated with a different digital audio compression technique.