Source: http://www.patentsencyclopedia.com/app/20110164756
Timestamp: 2018-10-23 23:32:18
Document Index: 23874575

Matched Legal Cases: ['arte 8', 'arte 8', 'application No. 60', 'arte 1', 'application No. 60', 'arte 2', 'arte 3', 'application No. 60', 'arte 7', 'application No. 60']

Cue-Based Audio Coding/Decoding - Patent application
Patent application title: Cue-Based Audio Coding/Decoding
Inventors: Frank Baumgarte (Sunnyvale, CA, US) Frank Baumgarte (Sunnyvale, CA, US) Jiashu Chen (Milpitas, CA, US) Christof Faller (Tagerwilen, CH)
Patent application number: 20110164756
Generic and specific C-to-E binaural cue coding (BCC) schemes are described, including those in which one or more of the input channels are transmitted as unmodified channels that are not downmixed at the BCC encoder and not upmixed at the BCC decoder. The specific BCC schemes described include 5-to-2, 6-to-5, 7-to-5, 6.1-to-5.1, 7.1-to-5.1, and 6.2-to-5.1, where ".1" indicates a single low-frequency effects (LFE) channel and ".2" indicates two LFE channels.
1. A method for decoding E transmitted audio channels to generate C playback audio channels, the method comprising: (a) upmixing, for each of one or more different frequency bands, one or more of the E transmitted channels in a frequency domain to generate two or more of the C playback channels in the frequency domain, where C>E≧1; (b) applying two or more cue codes to each of the one or more different frequency bands in the two or more playback channels in the frequency domain to generate two or more modified channels, wherein the two or more cue codes comprise at least two of inter-channel level difference (ICLD) data, inter-channel time difference (ICTD) data, and inter-channel correlation (ICC) data; and (c) converting the two or more modified channels from the frequency domain into a time domain.
9. The invention of claim 1, wherein: step (a) comprises upmixing, for each of two or more different frequency bands, one or more of the E transmitted channels in the frequency domain to generate the two or more of the C playback channels in the frequency domain; and step (b) comprises applying the two or more cue codes to each of the two or more different frequency bands in the two or more playback channels in the frequency domain to generate the two or more modified channels.
10. An apparatus for decoding E transmitted audio channels to generate C playback audio channels, the apparatus comprising: an upmixer adapted, for each of one or more different frequency bands, to upmix one or more of the E transmitted channels in a frequency domain to generate two or more of the C playback channels in the frequency domain, where C>E≧1; a synthesizer adapted to apply two or more cue codes to each of the one or more different frequency bands in the two or more playback channels in the frequency domain to generate two or more modified channels, wherein the two or more cue codes comprise at least two of inter-channel level difference (ICLD) data, inter-channel time difference (ICTD) data, and inter-channel correlation (ICC) data; and one or more inverse filter banks adapted to convert the two or more modified channels from the frequency domain into a time domain.
18. The invention of claim 10, wherein: the upmixer is adapted to upmix, for each of two or more different frequency bands, one or more of the E transmitted channels in the frequency domain to generate the two or more of the C playback channels in the frequency domain; and the synthesizer is adapted to apply the two or more cue codes to each of the two or more different frequency bands in the two or more playback channels in the frequency domain to generate the two or more modified channels.
19. The invention of claim 10, wherein: the apparatus is a system selected from the group consisting of a digital video player, a digital audio player, a computer, a satellite receiver, a cable receiver, a terrestrial broadcast receiver, a home entertainment system, and a movie theater system; and the system comprises the upmixer, the synthesizer, and the one or more inverse filter banks.
20. A method for encoding C input audio channels to generate E transmitted audio channels, the method comprising: providing two or more of the C input channels in a frequency domain; generating two or more cue codes for each of one or more different frequency bands in the two or more input channels in the frequency domain, wherein the two or more cue codes comprise at least two of inter-channel level difference (ICLD) data, inter-channel time difference (ICTD) data, and inter-channel correlation (ICC) data; and downmixing the C input channels to generate the E transmitted channels, where C>E≧1.
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/548,773, filed on Aug. 27, 2009 as attorney docket no. Baumgarte 8-7-15-F-CON1, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/936,464 ("the '464 application"), filed on Sep. 8, 2004 as attorney docket no. Baumgarte 8-7-15, which claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application No. 60/585,703, filed on Jul. 6, 2004 as attorney docket no. Faller 15, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] In addition, the '464 application is a continuation-in-part of the following co-pending applications, the teachings of all of which are incorporated herein by reference: [0003] U.S. application Ser. No. 09/848,877, filed on May 4, 2001 as attorney docket no. Faller 5; [0004] U.S. application Ser. No. 10/045,458, filed on Nov. 7, 2001 as attorney docket no. Baumgarte 1-6-8, which itself claimed the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application No. 60/311,565, filed on Aug. 10, 2001; [0005] U.S. application Ser. No. 10/155,437, filed on May 24, 2002 as attorney docket no. Baumgarte 2-10; [0006] U.S. application Ser. No. 10/246,570, filed on Sep. 18, 2002 as attorney docket no. Baumgarte 3-11, which itself claimed the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application No. 60/391,095, filed on Jun. 24, 2002; and [0007] U.S. application Ser. No. 10/815,591, filed on Apr. 1, 2004 as attorney docket no. Baumgarte 7-12, which itself claimed the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application No. 60/544,287, filed on Feb. 12, 2004.
[0016] In binaural cue coding (BCC), an encoder encodes C input audio channels to generate E transmitted audio channels, where C>E≧1. In particular, two or more of the C input channels are provided in a frequency domain, and one or more cue codes are generated for each of one or more different frequency bands in the two or more input channels in the frequency domain. In addition, the C input channels are downmixed to generate the E transmitted channels. In some downmixing implementations, at least one of the E transmitted channels is based on two or more of the C input channels, and at least one of the E transmitted channels is based on only a single one of the C input channels.
[0025] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a BCC synthesizer that can used for the decoder of FIG. 2
[0026] FIG. 5 represents one possible implementation of 5-to-2 BCC processing;
[0037] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a downmixer 300 that can used for downmixer 206 of FIG. 2 according to certain implementations of BCC system 200. Downmixer 300 has a filter bank (FB) 302 for each input channel xi(n), a downmixing block 304, an optional scaling/delay block 306, and an inverse FB (IFB) 308 for each encoded channel yi(n).
[0038] Each filter bank 302 converts each frame (e.g., 20 msec) of a corresponding digital input channel xi(n) in the time domain into a set of input coefficients {tilde over (x)}i(k) in the frequency domain. Downmixing block 304 downmixes each sub-band of C corresponding input coefficients into a corresponding sub-band of E downmixed frequency-domain coefficients. Equation (1) represents the downmixing of the kth sub-band of input coefficients ({tilde over (x)}1(k),{tilde over (x)}2(k), . . . , {tilde over (x)}C(k)) to generate the kth sub-band of downmixed coefficients (y1(k), y2(k), . . . , yE(k)) as follows:
[ y ^ 1 ( k ) y ^ 2 ( k ) y ^ E ( k ) ] = D CE [ x ~ 2 ( k ) x ~ 2 ( k ) x ~ C ( k ) ] , ( 1 ) ##EQU00001##
[0039] Optional scaling/delay block 306 comprises a set of multipliers 310, each of which multiplies a corresponding downmixed coefficient yi(k) by a scaling factor ei(k) to generate a corresponding scaled coefficient {tilde over (y)}i(k). The motivation for the scaling operation is equivalent to equalization generalized for downmixing with arbitrary weighting factors for each channel. If the input channels are independent, then the power p.sub.{tilde over (y)}i.sub.(k) of the downmixed signal in each sub-band is given by Equation (2) as follows:
[ p y ~ 1 ( k ) p y ~ 2 ( k ) p y ~ E ( k ) ] = D _ CE [ p x ~ 1 ( k ) p x ~ 2 ( k ) p x ~ C ( k ) ] , ( 2 ) ##EQU00002##
where DCE is derived by squaring each matrix element in the C-by-E downmixing matrix DCE.
[0040] If the sub-bands are not independent, then the power values p.sub.{tilde over (y)}i.sub.(k) of the downmixed signal will be larger or smaller than that computed using Equation (2), due to signal amplifications or cancellations when signal components are in-phase or out-of-phase, respectively. To prevent this, the downmixing operation of Equation (1) is applied in sub-bands followed by the scaling operation of multipliers 310. The scaling factors ei(k) (1≦i≦E) can be derived using Equation (3) as follows:
e i ( k ) = p y ~ i ( k ) p y ^ i ( k ) , ( 3 ) ##EQU00003##
where p.sub.{tilde over (y)}i.sub.(k) is the sub-band power as computed by Equation (2), and p.sub.{tilde over (y)}i.sub.(k) is power of the corresponding downmixed sub-band signal yi(k).
[0043] Although FIG. 3 shows all C of the input channels being converted into the frequency domain for subsequent downmixing, in alternative implementations, one or more (but less than C-1) of the C input channels might bypass some or all of the processing shown in FIG. 3 and be transmitted as an equivalent number of unmodified audio channels. Depending on the particular implementation, these unmodified audio channels might or might not be used by BCC estimator 208 of FIG. 2 in generating the transmitted BCC codes.
[0045] Each filter bank 402 converts each frame of a corresponding digital, transmitted channel yi(n) in the time domain into a set of input coefficients {tilde over (y)}i(k) in the frequency domain. Upmixing block 404 upmixes each sub-band of E corresponding transmitted-channel coefficients into a corresponding sub-band of C upmixed frequency-domain coefficients. Equation (4) represents the upmixing of the kth sub-band of transmitted-channel coefficients ({tilde over (y)}1(k),{tilde over (y)}2(k), . . . , {tilde over (y)}E(k)) to generate the kth sub-band of upmixed coefficients ({tilde over (s)}1(k),{tilde over (s)}2(k), . . . , {tilde over (s)}E(k)) as follows:
[ s ~ 1 ( k ) s ~ 2 ( k ) s ~ C ( k ) ] = U EC [ y ~ 1 ( k ) y ~ 2 ( k ) y ~ E ( k ) ] , ( 4 ) ##EQU00004##
[0049] Each inverse filter bank 412 converts a set of corresponding synthesized coefficients {circumflex over ({tilde over (x)}i(k) in the frequency domain into a frame of a corresponding digital, playback channel {circumflex over (x)}i(n).
D 52 = [ 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 ] , ( 5 ) ##EQU00005##
U 25 = [ 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 ] . ( 6 ) ##EQU00006##
[0055] FIG. 5C shows the upmixing and BCC synthesis applied to the two transmitted channels at the decoder. Note that ICTD and ICC synthesis is applied between the channel pairs for which the same base channel is used, i.e., between the left and rear left channels and between the right and right rear channels. In one particular implementation of the 5-to-2 BCC processing of FIG. 5, the BCC codes transmitted as side information are limited to the ICLD values ΔL12, ΔL13, ΔL14, and ΔL15, the ICTD values τ14 and τ25, and the ICC values c14 and c25, where the sub-scripts identify the pair of channels between which the BCC code value is estimated. Other implementations can employ different sets of BCC code data, including using a channel other than the left channel yi as the reference for all ICLD estimates. In general, the transmitted BCC code data can be limited to only those values needed to synthesize the playback audio channels. Note that, in the implementation of FIG. 5C, ICTD and ICC synthesis is not applied to the center channel.
[0056] One advantage of the 5-to-2 BCC processing of FIG. 5 is that the two transmitted channels 1 and 2 can be played back as left and right channels on a "legacy" stereo receiver that is unaware of BCC processing and ignores the BCC side information. The techniques applied in 5-to-2 BCC processing can be generalized to any C-to-2 BCC scheme, where the two transmitted channels are capable of being played back on a legacy stereo receiver. These techniques can be generalized further still to any C-to-E BCC scheme, where the E transmitted channels are capable of being played back on a legacy E-channel receiver.
[0057] The 5-to-2 BCC scheme of FIG. 5 can also be extended to a 5.1-to-2 BCC scheme, where the six channels of 5.1 surround sound are downmixed to two transmitted channels, where the ".1" indicates the low-frequency effects (LFE) channel in 5.1 surround sound. In this scheme, like the center channel in FIG. 5, the LFE channel can be attenuated by 3 dB and added to both transmitted channels. In that case, the base channel for synthesizing the playback LFE channel at the decoder is the sum of the two transmitted channels, as is the case for the playback center channel. As described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/827,900, filed on Apr. 20, 2004 as attorney docket no. Faller 14-2, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference, BCC processing for the LFE channel might only be applied at certain (e.g., low) frequencies.
[0059] As used in this specification, the term "unmodified" means that the corresponding transmitted channel is based on only a single one of the input channels. That is, the transmitted channel is not the result of downmixing two or more different input channels. Note that, although the channel is referred to as being "unmodified," it might nevertheless be subject to non-BCC audio codec processing, e.g., to reduce the transmission bitrate.
[0060] 6-to-5 BCC Processing
[0061] FIG. 6 represents one possible implementation of 6-to-5 BCC processing in which six input channels xi(n) are downmixed to five transmitted channels yi(n), which are subsequently subjected to upmixing and BCC synthesis to form six playback channels {circumflex over (x)}i(n), for the loudspeaker arrangement shown in FIG. 6A. This 6-to-5 BCC scheme can be used for 5-channel backwards compatible coding of 6-channel surround signals, such as those used in "Dolby Digital--Surround EX."
[0062] In particular, FIG. 6A represents the downmixing scheme applied to the six input channels xi(n) to generate the five transmitted channels yi(n), where the downmixing matrix D65 used in Equation (1) is given by Equation (7) as follows:
D 65 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 ] , ( 7 ) ##EQU00007##
where the three front channels 1, 2, and 3 are transmitted unmodified and the three rear channels 4, 5, and 6 are downmixed to two transmitted channels 4 and 5, for a total of five transmitted channels. The six-loudspeaker setup shown in FIG. 6 is used in "Dolby Digital--Surround EX."
[0063] FIG. 6B represents the upmixing scheme applied to the five transmitted channels yi(n) to generate six upmixed channels {tilde over (s)}i, where the upmixing matrix U56 used in Equation (4) is given by Equation (8) as follows:
U 56 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 ] . ( 8 ) ##EQU00008##
[0064] FIG. 6c shows the upmixing and BCC synthesis applied to the five transmitted channels at the decoder to generate the six playback channels. Since transmitted channels 1, 2, and 3 are unmodified, no forward and inverse filter banks are used for these channels, which are delayed to compensate for the BCC processing time of the other channels. Moreover, in this implementation, no ICTD or ICC synthesis is applied to generate playback channels 4, 5, and 6. As such, the BCC code data can be limited to ΔL46 and ΔL56.
[0065] Another possibility for downmixing the six input channels would be to add the left and rear left channels 1 and 4 to generate a first transmitted channel and add the right and rear right channels 2 and 5 to generate a second transmitted channel, where the other two channels 3 and 6 are left unmodified. In this 6-to-4 BCC scheme, the BCC synthesis at the decoder would apply ICTD and ICC synthesis between the playback left and rear left channels and between the playback right and rear right channels. Such a 6-to-4 BCC scheme would give more emphasis to left/right independence, while the 6-to-5 BCC scheme of FIG. 6 gives more emphasis to front/back independence.
[0066] 7-to-5 BCC Processing
[0067] FIG. 7 represents one possible implementation of 7-to-5 BCC processing in which seven input channels xi(n) are downmixed to five transmitted channels yi(n), which are subsequently subjected to upmixing and BCC synthesis to form seven playback channels {circumflex over (x)}i(n), for the loudspeaker arrangement shown in FIG. 7A. This 7-to-5 BCC scheme can be used for 5-channel backwards compatible coding of 7-channel surround signals, such as those used in "Lexicon Logic 7."
[0068] In particular, FIG. 7A represents the downmixing scheme applied to the seven input channels xi(n) to generate the five transmitted channels yi(n), where the downmixing matrix D75 used in Equation (1) is given by Equation (9) as follows:
D 75 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 ] , ( 9 ) ##EQU00009##
[0069] FIG. 7B represents the upmixing scheme applied to the five transmitted channels yi(n) to generate seven upmixed channels {tilde over (s)}i, where the upmixing matrix U57 used in Equation (4) is given by Equation (10) as follows:
U 57 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 ] . ( 10 ) ##EQU00010##
[0070] FIG. 7C shows the upmixing and BCC synthesis applied to the five transmitted channels at the decoder to generate the seven playback channels. Since transmitted channels 1, 2, and 3 are unmodified, no forward and inverse filter banks are used for these channels, which are delayed to compensate for the BCC processing time of the other channels. In this implementation, ICTD, ICLD, and ICC synthesis is applied between the two playback rear left channels and between the two playback rear right channels. As such, the BCC code data can be limited to ΔL46, ΔL57, τ46, τ57, c46, and c57.
[0071] 6.1-to-5.1 BCC Processing
[0072] FIG. 8 represents one possible implementation of 6.1-to-5.1 BCC processing in which seven input channels xi(n) are downmixed to six transmitted channels yi(n), which are subsequently subjected to upmixing and BCC synthesis to form seven playback channels {circumflex over (x)}i(n), for the loudspeaker arrangement shown in FIG. 8A. This 6.1-to-5.1 BCC scheme can be used for 5.1-surround backwards compatible coding of 6.1-surround signals, such as those used in "Dolby Digital--Surround EX."
[0073] In particular, FIG. 8A represents the downmixing scheme applied to the seven input channels xi(n) to generate the six transmitted channels yi(n), where the downmixing matrix D76 used in Equation (1) is given by Equation (11) as follows:
D 76 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 ] , ( 11 ) ##EQU00011##
[0074] FIG. 8B represents the upmixing scheme applied to the six transmitted channels yi(n) to generate seven upmixed channels {tilde over (s)}i, where the upmixing matrix U67 used in Equation (4) is given by Equation (12) as follows:
U 67 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 ] , ( 12 ) ##EQU00012##
[0075] FIG. 8C shows the upmixing and BCC synthesis applied to the six transmitted channels at the decoder to generate the seven playback channels. Since transmitted channels 1, 2, 3, and 4 are unmodified, no forward and inverse filter banks are used for these channels, which are delayed to compensate for the BCC processing time of the other channels. In this implementation, no ICTD or ICC synthesis is applied to generate playback channels 5, 6, and 7. As such, the BCC code data can be limited to ΔL57 and ΔL67.
[0076] Another possibility for downmixing the seven input channels would be to add the left and rear left channels 1 and 5 to generate a first transmitted channel and add the right and rear right channels 2 and 6 to generate a second transmitted channel, where the other three channels 3, 4, and 7 are left unmodified. In this 6.1-to-4.1 BCC scheme, the BCC synthesis at the decoder would apply ICTD and ICC synthesis between the playback left and rear left channels and between the playback right and rear right channels. Such a 6.1-to-4.1 BCC scheme would give more emphasis to left/right independence, while the 6.1-to-5.1 BCC scheme of FIG. 8 gives more emphasis to front/back independence.
[0077] 7.1-to-5.1 BCC Processing
[0078] FIG. 9 represents one possible implementation of 7.1-to-5.1 BCC processing in which eight input channels xi(n) are downmixed to six transmitted channels yi(n), which are subsequently subjected to upmixing and BCC synthesis to form eight playback channels {circumflex over (x)}i(n), for the loudspeaker arrangement shown in FIG. 9A. This 7.1-to-5.1 BCC scheme can be used for 5.1-surround backwards compatible coding of 7.1-surround signals, such as those used in "Lexicon Logic 7 Surround."
[0079] In particular, FIG. 9A represents the downmixing scheme applied to the eight input channels xi(n) to generate the six transmitted channels yi(n), where the downmixing matrix D86 used in Equation (1) is given by Equation (13) as follows:
D 86 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 ] , ( 13 ) ##EQU00013##
[0080] FIG. 9B represents the upmixing scheme applied to the six transmitted channels yi(n) to generate eight upmixed channels {tilde over (s)}i, where the upmixing matrix U68 used in Equation (4) is given by Equation (14) as follows:
U 68 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ] . ( 14 ) ##EQU00014##
[0081] FIG. 9C shows the upmixing and BCC synthesis applied to the six transmitted channels at the decoder to generate the eight playback channels. Since transmitted channels 1, 2, 3, and 4 are unmodified, no forward and inverse filter banks are used for these channels, which are delayed to compensate for the BCC processing time of the other channels. In this implementation, ICTD, ICLD, and ICC synthesis is applied between the two playback rear left channels and between the two playback rear right channels. As such, the BCC code data can be limited to ΔL57, ΔL68, τ57, τ68, C57, and c68.
[0082] 6.2-to-5.1 BCC Processing
[0083] FIG. 10 represents one possible implementation of 6.2-to-5.1 BCC processing in which eight input channels xi(n) are downmixed to six transmitted channels yi(n), which are subsequently subjected to upmixing and BCC synthesis to form eight playback channels {circumflex over (x)}i(n), for the loudspeaker arrangement shown in FIG. 10A, where the ".2" denotes the presence of two LFE channels. This 6.2-to-5.1 BCC scheme can be used for 5.1-surround backwards compatible coding of 6.2-surround signals.
[0084] In particular, FIG. 10A represents the downmixing scheme applied to the eight input channels xi(n) to generate the six transmitted channels yi(n), where the downmixing matrix D86 used in Equation (1) is given by Equation (15) as follows:
D 86 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 ] , ( 15 ) ##EQU00015##
[0085] FIG. 10B represents the upmixing scheme applied to the six transmitted channels yi(n) to generate eight upmixed channels {tilde over (s)}i, where the upmixing matrix U68 used in Equation (4) is given by Equation (16) as follows:
U 68 = [ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 ] . ( 16 ) ##EQU00016##
[0086] FIG. 9C shows the upmixing and BCC synthesis applied to the six transmitted channels at the decoder to generate the eight playback channels. Since transmitted channels 1, 2, and 3 are unmodified, no forward and inverse filter banks are used for these channels, which are delayed to compensate for the BCC processing time of the other channels. In this implementation, ICTD, ICLD, and ICC synthesis is applied between the two playback LFE channels, but no ICTD or ICC synthesis is applied to generate playback channels 5, 6, and 7. As such, the BCC code data can be limited to ΔL57, ΔL67, ΔL48, τ48, and c48.
[0087] BCC processing has been described in the context of generic as well as a number of specific implementations. Those skilled in the art will understand that BCC processing can be extended to other specific implementations involving just about any combination of any numbers of non-LFE channels and/or any numbers of LFE channels.
[0088] Although the present invention has been described in the context of implementations in which the encoder receives input audio signal in the time domain and generates transmitted audio signals in the time domain and the decoder receives the transmitted audio signals in the time domain and generates playback audio signals in the time domain, the present invention is not so limited. For example, in other implementations, any one or more of the input, transmitted, and playback audio signals could be represented in a frequency domain.
[0089] BCC encoders and/or decoders may be used in conjunction with or incorporated into a variety of different applications or systems, including systems for television or electronic music distribution, movie theaters, broadcasting, streaming, and/or reception. These include systems for encoding/decoding transmissions via, for example, terrestrial, satellite, cable, internet, intranets, or physical media (e.g., compact discs, digital versatile discs, semiconductor chips, hard drives, memory cards, and the like). BCC encoders and/or decoders may also be employed in games and game systems, including, for example, interactive software products intended to interact with a user for entertainment (action, role play, strategy, adventure, simulations, racing, sports, arcade, card, and board games) and/or education that may be published for multiple machines, platforms, or media. Further, BCC encoders and/or decoders may be incorporated in audio recorders/players or CD-ROM/DVD systems. BCC encoders and/or decoders may also be incorporated into PC software applications that incorporate digital decoding (e.g., player, decoder) and software applications incorporating digital encoding capabilities (e.g., encoder, ripper, recoder, and jukebox).
[0090] The present invention may be implemented as circuit-based processes, including possible implementation as a single integrated circuit (such as an ASIC or an FPGA), a multi-chip module, a single card, or a multi-card circuit pack. As would be apparent to one skilled in the art, various functions of circuit elements may also be implemented as processing steps in a software program. Such software may be employed in, for example, a digital signal processor, micro-controller, or general-purpose computer.
[0091] The present invention can be embodied in the form of methods and apparatuses for practicing those methods. The present invention can also be embodied in the form of program code embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. The present invention can also be embodied in the form of program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a machine, or transmitted over some transmission medium or carrier, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code segments combine with the processor to provide a unique device that operates analogously to specific logic circuits.
[0092] It will be further understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.
[0093] Although the steps in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those steps, those steps are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.
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