Patent ID: 8149876

Claim:
An audio player, comprising: a demultiplexing part configured to receive an audio signal having at least first and second channel data, the first and second channel data including a plurality of blocks, the audio signal being a digitally-coded audio signal; a predictor configured to obtain frame length information indicating a length of the audio signal; a predictor configured to obtain block information indicating a subdivision of the first and second channel data into the plurality of blocks, wherein the block information corresponds to the first and second channel data commonly when the first and second channel data are paired and switched synchronously; the predictor configured to obtain block switching information indicating a number of levels in a subdivision hierarchy; the predictor configured to decode the first and second channel data based on the frame length information, the block information and the block switching information; wherein the first and second channel data have been subdivided into the plurality of blocks according to the subdivision hierarchy, the subdivision hierarchy has more than one level, wherein a length of the block information is based on the number of levels in the subdivision hierarchy, wherein the block switching information indicates whether the subdivision hierarchy includes one of up to three levels, four levels, and five levels, if the block switching information is 01, the block switching information indicates the subdivision hierarchy includes up to three levels, if the block switching information is 10, the block switching information indicates the subdivision hierarchy includes four levels, if the block switching information is 11, the block switching information indicates the subdivision hierarchy includes five levels, an assembling part configured to assemble the decoded first and second channel data into frame data; a digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the decode first and second channel data into an analog audio output signal; and a speaker configured to output the converted analog audio output signal.