Patent ID: 8407043

Claim:
An improved method of compression encoding a stereo audio signal, including left and right audio signals, comprising: converting the left and right audio signals into left and right digital audio signals, respectively; dividing each of the left and right digital audio signals into large frames having a long-block frame length; partitioning each of the large frames into corresponding multiple left and right short-blocks having short-block frame length; computing left and right short-block characteristics for each of the partitioned left and right short-blocks based on changes in the stereo audio signal; and compression encoding the stereo audio signal based on the computed short-block characteristics wherein computing the left and right short block characteristics comprises computing inter-block differences and determining a maximum inter-block difference from the computed inter-block differences; wherein computing the left and right short block characteristics comprises computing inter-block ratios and determining a maximum inter-block ratio from the computed inter-block ratios; wherein computing the inter-block differences comprises summing a square of differences between samples in the adjacent short-blocks; and wherein computing the inter-block ratios comprises dividing the adjacent computed inter-block differences.