Abstract: A controller for a headphone arrangement (101) comprises a drive circuit (203) which generates a signal for an earphone (105) from an audio signal. The drive signal is fed to the earphone (105) causing this to reproduce the audio signal. A first circuit (217) determines a signal level for the audio signal and a second circuit (209) determines an ambient sound level from a microphone signal from a microphone (109). A third circuit (211) determines an attenuated ambient sound level for the user from the microphone signal and an ambient sound attenuation of the earphone (105). A gain controller (205) controls the gain of the audio drive circuit (203) for the audio signal in response to the ambient sound level, the attenuated ambient sound level and the signal level. The dynamic and automated gain control may be used to reduce the risk of hearing damage e.g. by automatically restricting the sound level experienced by the user to the ambient sound level.

Abstract: The status of a device is controlled by detecting (403) the presence of a user; changing the status of a device to a first state (405) if the presence of a user is detected within a first, predetermined zone; changing the status of the device to the second state (407) if the presence of a user is detected outside a second, predetermined zone, the first, predetermined zone being smaller than and being wholly contained within the second, predetermined zone; and maintaining (407) the current state of the device if the presence of a user is detected outside of the first, predetermined zone and within the second predetermined zone.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of selecting an optimal viewing angle position for a camera. A first quantitative score is determined for a first viewing angle position of the camera using pre-selected regions of interest as reference areas, the determining being performed in accordance to a pre-defined quantitative score rule. The angle position is adjusted from the first viewing angle position towards at least one second viewing angle position. For each at least one second viewing angle position a second quantitative score is determined in accordance to the pre-defined quantitative score rule, and finally a target viewing angle position is determined based on the determined quantitative scores.

Abstract: Multi-channel audio signals are coded into a monaural audio signal and information allowing to recover the multi-channel audio signal from the monaural audio signal and the information. The information is generated by determining a first portion of the information for a first frequency region of the multi-channel audio signal, and by determining a second portion of the information for a second frequency region of the multi-channel audio signal. The second frequency region is a portion of the first frequency region and thus is a sub-range of the first frequency region. The information is multi-layered enabling a scaling of the decoding quality versus bit rate.

Abstract: A controller for a headphone arrangement (101) comprises a drive circuit (203) which generates a signal for an earphone (105) from an audio signal. The drive signal is fed to the earphone (105) causing this to reproduce the audio signal. A first circuit (217) determines a signal level for the audio signal and a second circuit (209) determines an ambient sound level from a microphone signal from a microphone (109). A third circuit (211) determines an attenuated ambient sound level for the user from the microphone signal and an ambient sound attenuation of the earphone (105). A gain controller (205) controls the gain of the audio drive circuit (203) for the audio signal in response to the ambient sound level, the attenuated ambient sound level and the signal level. The dynamic and automated gain control may be used to reduce the risk of hearing damage e.g. by automatically restricting the sound level experienced by the user to the ambient sound level.

Abstract: In summary, this application describes a psycho-acoustically motivated, parametric description of the spatial attributes of multichannel audio signals. This parametric description allows strong bitrate reductions in audio coders, since only one monaural signal has to be transmitted, combined with (quantized) parameters which describe the spatial properties of the signal. The decoder can form the original amount of audio channels by applying the spatial parameters. For near-CD-quality stereo audio, a bitrate associated with these spatial parameters of 10 kbit/s or less seems sufficient to reproduce the correct spatial impression at the receiving end.

Abstract: In summary, this application describes a psycho-acoustically motivated, parametric description of the spatial attributes of multichannel audio signals. This parametric description allows strong bitrate reductions in audio coders, since only one monaural signal has to be transmitted, combined with (quantized) parameters which describe the spatial properties of the signal. The decoder can form the original amount of audio channels by applying the spatial parameters. For near-CD-quality stereo audio, a bitrate associated with these spatial parameters of 10 kbit/s or less seems sufficient to reproduce the correct spatial impression at the receiving end.

Abstract: The status of a device is controlled by detecting (403) the presence of a user; changing the status of a device to a first state (405) if the presence of a user is detected within a first, predetermined zone; changing the status of the device to the second state (407) if the presence of a user is detected outside a second, predetermined zone, the first, predetermined zone being smaller than and being wholly contained within the second, predetermined zone; and maintaining (407) the current state of the device if the presence of a user is detected outside of the first, predetermined zone and within the second predetermined zone.

Abstract: A method of organizing content items includes obtaining information (19-21) associating each of a first and at least one further label with respective sets of first content items. At least one first content item is associated with the first label in response to user input. A second content item is obtained. For each of the first and further labels, a similarity measure is calculated between a feature vector characterising the second content item and each of the feature vectors characterising first content items associated with the label. The first label is associated with the second content item upon determining that the second content item is similar to the first content items associated with the first label, according to calculated values of the similarity measure.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of selecting an optimal viewing angle position for a camera. A first quantitative score is determined for a first viewing angle position of the camera using pre-selected regions of interest as reference areas, the determining being performed in accordance to a pre-defined quantitative score rule. The angle position is adjusted from the first viewing angle position towards at least one second viewing angle position. For each at least one second viewing angle position a second quantitative score is determined in accordance to the pre-defined quantitative score rule, and finally a target viewing angle position is determined based on the determined quantitative scores.

Abstract: The invention relates to an audio encoder and decoder and methods for audio encoding and decoding. In a preferred encoder embodiment an audio signal is encoded by deterministic encoder means to form a first encoded signal part. A spectrum of the audio signal is determined and represented by an excitation pattern, i.e. spectral values corresponding to human auditory filters, as a second encoded signal part. A masking curve is also extracted based on the excitation pattern, thus improving encoding efficiency in terms of bit rate. In a preferred decoder the first encoded signal part is decoded by deterministic decoder means. A noise generator uses the decoded first signal part together with the second signal part, i.e. the excitation pattern for the original audio signal, to generate a noise signal. The noise signal is then added to the first decoded signal part to form an output audio signal. At the decoder side the masking curve is also extracted based on the second encoded signal part, i.e.

Abstract: Newly created personal classes can be incorporated into classification of a content item, step 201. A first set of content item are manually classified, step 203 to define the newly created personal class such that the class can be incorporated for automatically classifying further content items.

Abstract: An audio encoder in which two or more preferably different encoders cooperate to generate a joint encoded audio signal. Encoding parameters of the two or more encoders are optimized in response to a measure of distortion of the joint encoded audio signal in accordance with a predetermined criterion. The distortion. measure is preferably a perceptual distortion measure. In one encoder embodiment comprising a sinusoidal and a waveform encoder, a constant total bit rate for each audio frame is distributed between the two encoders so as to minimize perceptual distortion for both the first and the second encoder. Other embodiments consider a set of encoding parameters that is larger than only those that minimize the perceptual distortion of the first encoder. In some embodiments, perceptual distortion may be minimized by optimizing encoding via optimizing entire encoding templates, i.e. a complex set of encoding parameters, for the separate encoders.

Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a device (100) for processing audio data (101, 102) is provided, wherein the device (100) comprises a manipulation unit (103) (particularly a resampling unit) adapted for manipulating (particularly for resampling) selectively a transition portion of a first audio item (104) in a manner that a time-related audio property of the transition portion is modified (particularly, it is possible to simulate also the temporal delay effects of movement in a realistic manner).

Abstract: A method of organising content items includes obtaining information (19-21) associating each of a first and at least one further label with respective sets of first content items. At least one first content item is associated with the first label in response to user input. A second content item is obtained. For each of the first and further labels, a similarity measure is calculated between a feature vector characterising the second content item and each of the feature vectors characterising first content items associated with the label. The first label is associated with the second content item upon determining that the second content item is similar to the first content items associated with the first label, according to calculated values of the similarity measure.

Abstract: In summary, this application describes a psycho-acoustically motivated, parametric description of the spatial attributes of multichannel audio signals. This parametric description allows strong bitrate reductions in audio coders, since only one monaural signal has to be transmitted, combined with (quantized) parameters which describe the spatial properties of the signal. The decoder can form the original amount of audio channels by applying the spatial parameters. For near-CD-quality stereo audio, a bitrate associated with these spatial parameters of 10 kbit/s or less seems sufficient to reproduce the correct spatial impression at the receiving end.

Abstract: An audio encoder comprising a sinusoidal type encoder and an amplitude modulation encoder that both receive an audio input signal. The amplitude modulation encoder generates a set of sinusoidal components each having assigned individual parameter(s) relating to a time-varying amplitude envelope. The sinusoidal type encoder may be a conventional constant amplitude type encoder and generate a set of constant sinusoidal components. Based on an optimisation using a predetermined encoding efficiency criterion, such as a perceptually relevant criterion, the audio encoder decides which components from the two encoders to be included in an output bit stream. In a preferred embodiment only components from one of the two encoders are used. Preferably, the optimisation process is repeated for each audio signal segment, and preferably a flag for each segment is included in the bit stream indicating if amplitude envelope parameters are present in the segment or not.

Abstract: The audio reproduction apparatus (100) for sports training purposes comprises a tempo derivation unit (103) for deriving a selected tempo (T) on the basis of a data signal (d1, d2, d3) e.g. from a sports measurement device such as a heart rate meter; and an audio conditioning unit (104) arranged to deliver based on the input audio signal the output audio signal, with a tempo within a predefined accepted deviation from the selected tempo (T), whereby the audio conditioning unit (104) comprises a tempo calculation unit (106) arranged to calculate an input tempo (TI) of the input audio signal, and the audio conditioning unit (104) is arranged to deliver the output signal in dependence of the input tempo (TI).

Abstract: The invention concerns audio coding methods and particularly relates to an efficient means by which selected frequency bands of information from an original audio signal which are audible but which are perceptually less relevant need not be encoded, but may be replaced by a noise filling parameter. Those signal bands having content which is perceptually more relevant are, in contrast fully encoded. Encoding bits may be saved in this manner, without leaving voids in the frequency spectrum of the received signal. In this way, this method avoids the annoying bandwidth switching artefacts that can occur when full bandwidth audio is encoded with a bit budget which is too low to represent the signal within each frequency band. Thus, this method allows an increase in the encoded audio bandwidth without introducing annoying bandwidth switching artefacts.

Abstract: In summary, this application describes a psycho-acoustically motivated, parametric description of the spatial attributes of multichannel audio signals. This parametric description allows strong bitrate reductions in audio coders, since only one monaural signal has to be transmitted, combined with (quantized) parameters which describe the spatial properties of the signal. The decoder can form the original amount of audio channels by applying the spatial parameters. For near-CD-quality stereo audio, a bitrate associated with these spatial parameters of 10 kbit/s or less seems sufficient to reproduce the correct spatial impression at the receiving end.