Patent ID: 8155152

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 transmitted on a digital audio signal; a predictor configured to obtain first subdivision information indicating a number of levels in the subdivision hierarchy, the predictor configured to obtain block information indicating a subdivision of the first and second channel data into the plurality of blocks, the block information corresponding to the first and second channel data commonly when the first and second channel data are paired, the block information corresponding to the first channel data and second channel data independently when the first and second channel data are not paired, wherein the first and second channel data have been subdivided into blocks according to a subdivision hierarchy, the subdivision hierarchy has more than one level, and lengths of at least two of the plurality of blocks for each level are able to be different, wherein a length of the block information is based on the first subdivision information, and the first subdivision information indicates whether the subdivision hierarchy includes one of up to three levels, four levels, and five levels; if the first subdivision information is 01, the first subdivision information indicates the subdivision hierarchy includes up to three levels; if the first subdivision information is 10, the first subdivision information indicates the subdivision hierarchy includes four levels; if the first subdivision information is 11, the first subdivision information indicates the subdivision hierarchy includes five levels; the predictor configured to decode the first and second channel data based on the block information; a buffer configured to store the decoded first and second channel data; an error checking part configured to verify whether an error is present in the first and second channel data; a digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the first and second channel data into an analog audio output signal; and a speaker configured to output the converted analog audio output signal.