Patent ID: 9059727
Filing Date: 2015-06-16
Classification: G10L,H03M

Abstract:
1. An audio encoder comprising a combination of hardware and software elements arranged to receive an input signal comprising a stream of un-encoded audio data samples and to produce an output signal comprising a stream of encoded audio data samples, the hardware and software elements being configured to arrange said audio data samples into a plurality of data frames, and to further arrange each frame into at least one slice, each slice comprising a respective part of at least one spectral component of the input signal, the hardware and software elements further being arranged, in respect of a data frame of said output signal, to determine an achieved bit rate that is indicative of the actual bit rate of said data frame, and to calculate a target frame size for a subsequent data frame by comparing said achieved bit rate against a target bit rate, and wherein said hardware and software elements are is arranged to determine a respective spectral component bit allocation for the or each slice of said subsequent frame based on said target frame size, said spectral component bit allocation comprising a respective bit allocation for said at least one spectral component of the input signal, the hardware and software elements further being arranged to determine a respective dynamic range for said at least one spectral component of the input signal in respect of said subsequent frame, and to compare said respective dynamic range with said respective spectral component bit allocation, the hardware and software elements including a quantizer arranged to receive said at least one spectral component of the input signal in respect of said subsequent frame and to selectably quantize or not quantize said received spectral components depending on comparison of said respective dynamic range with said respective spectral component bit allocation.