Patent ID: 7693722

Claim:
An audio decoding apparatus which decodes compressed audio streams and outputs audio signals, the audio decoding apparatus comprising: n audio decoders that each operate to decode one of inputted n compressed audio streams and to output audio data, n being not less than two; n buffer memories that each operate to temporarily hold the audio data outputted from one of the audio decoders; n audio outputters that each operate to convert one of the audio data into an audio signal and to output the audio signal; an output controller which operates to read the audio data from the buffer memories and to transmit the audio data to corresponding audio outputters, wherein the n audio decoders operate to decode the compressed audio streams on a per frame basis, the output controller operates to repeat the transmission of the audio data using, as a number of samples of audio data in one transmission, a number of samples equivalent to (i) a greatest common divisor of a number of samples in one frame for each of the audio data outputted from the audio decoders, or (ii) a greatest common divisor of transmission times required in transmitting one frame for each of the audio data outputted from the audio decoders, and part of a processing capacity of the output controller is used to perform the transmission.