Abstract: A transmitting device comprises a binaural circuit (601) which provides a plurality of binaural rendering data sets, each binaural rendering data set comprising data representing parameters for a virtual position binaural rendering. Specifically, head related binaural transfer function data may be included in the data sets. A representation circuit (603) provides a representation indication for each of the data sets. The representation indication for a data set is indicative of the representation used by the data set. An output circuit (605) generates a bitstream comprising the data sets and the representation indications. The bitstream is received by a receiver (701) in a receiving device. A selector (703) selects a selected binaural rendering data set based on the representation indications and a capability of the apparatus, and an audio processor (707) processes the audio signal in response to data of the selected binaural rendering data set.

Abstract: An audio renderer comprises a receiver (801) receiving input data comprising early part data indicative of an early part of a head related binaural transfer function; reverberation data indicative of a reverberation part of the transfer function; and a synchronization indication indicative of a time offset between the early part and the reverberation part. An early part circuit (803) generates an audio component by applying a binaural processing to an audio signal where the processing depends on the early part data. A reverberator (807) generates a second audio component by applying a reverberation processing to the audio signal where the reverberation processing depends on the reverberation data. A combiner (809) generates a signal of a binaural stereo signal by combining the two audio components. The relative timing of the audio components is adjusted based on the synchronization indication by a synchronizer (805) which specifically may be a delay.

Abstract: A receiver (603) receives a position given by a first value representing a first position parameter and a second value representing a second position parameter. A match circuit (605) determines if the second value matches a nominal value. If so, an output circuit (609) generates output data including data representing the first value in a field of the output data but not including data representing the second value in the output data. Otherwise, the output circuit (609) includes data in the field which represents an invalid position value for the first position parameter. A receiver determines if data of a data field represents a valid position value for the first position parameter. If so, it determines a position with the first value being the valid position value and the second value being a nominal value for the second position parameter. Otherwise it determines the second value from a second field of the input data.

Abstract: An audio encoder comprises a multi-channel receiver which receives an M-channel audio signal where M>2. A down-mix processor down-mixes the M-channel audio signal to a first stereo signal and associated parametric data and a spatial processor modifies the first stereo signal to generate a second stereo signal in response to the associated parametric data and spatial parameter data for a binaural perceptual transfer function, such as a Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF). The second stereo signal is a binaural signal and may specifically be a (3D) virtual spatial signal. An output data stream comprising the encoded data and the associated parametric data is generated by an encode processor and an output processor. The HRTF processing may allow the generation of a (3D) virtual spatial signal by conventional stereo decoders. A multi-channel decoder may reverse the process of the spatial processor to generate an improved quality multi-channel signal.

Abstract: An encoder (1201) for encoding a plurality of audio signals comprises a selector (1303) which selects a subset of time-frequency tiles to be downmixed and a subset of tiles to be non-downmix. A downmix indication is generated which indicates whether tiles are encoded as downmixed encoded tiles or as non-downmix tiles. An encoded signal comprising the encoded tiles and the downmix indication is fed to a decoder (1203) which includes a receiver (1401) for receiving the signal. A generator (1403) generates output signals from the encoded time-frequency tiles where the generation of the output signals includes an upmixing for tiles that are indicated by the downmix indication to be encoded downmixed tiles. The invention may provide more flexible and/or improved encoding/decoding and may specifically provide improved scalability, especially at higher data rates.

Abstract: An audio encoder comprises a multi-channel receiver (401) which receives an M-channel audio signal where M>2. A down-mix processor (403) down-mixes the M-channel audio signal to a first stereo signal and associated parametric data and a spatial processor (407) modifies the first stereo signal to generate a second stereo signal in response to the associated parametric data and spatial parameter data for a binaural perceptual transfer function, such as a Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF). The second stereo signal is a binaural signal and may specifically be a (3D) virtual spatial signal. An output data stream comprising the encoded data and the associated parametric data is generated by an encode processor (411) and an output processor (413). The HRTF processing may allow the generation of a (3D) virtual spatial signal by conventional stereo decoders. A multi-channel decoder may reverse the process of the spatial processor (407) to generate an improved quality multi-channel signal.

Abstract: A method of enabling a user to adjust at least first and second control parameters for controlling an electronic system includes displaying a coordinate system on a display screen, where a first coordinate represents a range of values of the first control parameter, and a second coordinate represents a range of values of the second control parameter. The method further included visually indicating a position in coordinate system corresponding to a currently selected combination of values of the first and second control parameters, and enabling the user to select a new combination of values of the first and second control parameters by indicating a position within the coordinate system.

Abstract: An encoder (501) generates data representing an audio scene by a first downmix and data characterizing audio objects. In addition, a direction dependent diffuseness parameter indicative of a degree of diffuseness of a residual downmix is provided where the residual downmix corresponds to a downmix of audio components of the audio scene with the audio objects being extracted. A rendering apparatus (503) comprises a receiver (701) receiving the data from the encoder (501). A circuit (703) generates signals for a spatial speaker configuration from the audio objects. A transformer (709) generates non-diffuse sound signals for the spatial speaker configuration by applying a first transformation to the residual downmix and another transformer (707) generates signals for the spatial speaker configuration by applying a second transformation to the residual downmix by applying a decorrelation to the residual downmix. The transformations are dependent on the direction dependent diffuseness parameter.

Abstract: An audio object encoder comprises a receiver (701) which receives N audio objects. A downmixer (703) downmixes the N audio objects to M audio channels, and a channel circuit (707) derives K audio channels from the M audio channels, K=1, 2 and K<M. A parameter circuit (709) generates audio object upmix parameters for at least part of each of the N audio objects relative to the K audio channels and an output circuit (705, 711) generates an output data stream comprising the audio object upmix parameters and the M audio channels. An audio object decoder receives the data stream and includes a channel circuit (805) deriving K audio channels from the M channel downmix; and an object decoder (807) for generating at least part of each of the N audio objects by upmixing the K audio channels based on the audio object upmix parameters. The invention may allow improved object encoding while maintaining backwards compatibility.

Abstract: Parametric stereo coders use perceptually relevant parameters of the input signal to describe spatial properties. One of these parameters is the phase difference between the input signals (ITD or IPD). This time difference only determines the relative time difference between the input signals, without any information about how these time differences should be divided over the output signals in the decoder. An additional parameter is included in the encoded signal that describes how the ITD or IPD should be distributed between the output channels.

Abstract: An audio signal processor receives a plurality of encoded multi-channel audio signals. A multi-channel decoder (105) decodes a first encoded multi-channel signal to generate a first decoded multi-channel signal. A generator (109) generates an encoded further audio signal by selecting audio encoding data from at least a second encoded multi-channel audio signal such that a number of channels of the encoded further audio signal comprising audio encoding data from the second encoded multi-channel audio signal is less than a number of channels in the second encoded multi-channel signal. Thus, a channel reduction is performed in the encoded data domain. A further decoder (111) generates a further decoded signal by decoding the further encoded audio signal. A combiner (107) combines the first decoded multi-channel signal and the further decoded signal to generate a multi-channel output signal. An exciting user experience can be provided while maintaining low complexity and resource usage.

Abstract: An audio system comprises a receiver (301) for receiving an audio signal, such as an audio object or a signal of a channel of a spatial multi-channel signal. A binaural circuit (303) generates a binaural output signal by processing the audio signal. The processing is representative of a binaural transfer function providing a virtual sound source position for the audio signal. A measurement circuit (307) generating measurement data indicative of a characteristic of the acoustic environment and a determining circuit (311) determines an acoustic environment parameter in response to the measurement data. The acoustic environment parameter may typically be a reverberation parameter, such as a reverberation time. An adaptation circuit (313) adapts the binaural transfer function in response to the acoustic environment parameter. For example, the adaptation may modify a reverberation parameter to more closely resemble the reverberation characteristics of the acoustic environment.

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: Synthesizing an output audio signal is provided on the basis of an input audio signal, the input audio signal comprising a plurality of input sub-band signals, wherein at least one input sub-band signal is transformed (T) from the sub-band domain to the frequency domain to obtain at least one respective transformed signal, wherein the at least one input sub-band signal is delayed and transformed (D, T) to obtain at least one respective transformed delayed signal, wherein at least two processed signals are derived (P)from the at least one transformed signal and the at least one transformed delayed signal, wherein the processed signals are inverse transformed (T?1) from the frequency domain to the sub-band domain to obtain respective processed sub-band signals, and wherein the output audio signal is synthesized from the processed sub-band signals.

Abstract: An audio synthesizing apparatus receives an encoded signal comprising a downmix signal and parametric extension data for expanding the downmix signal to a multi-sound source signal. A decomposition processor (205) performs a signal decomposition of the downmix signal to generate at least a first signal component and a second signal component, where the second signal component is at least partially decorrelated with the first signal component. A position processor (207) determines a first spatial position indication for the first signal component in response to the parametric extension data and a binaural processor (211) synthesizes the first signal component based on the first spatial position indication and the second signal component to originate from a different direction. The invention may provide improved spatial experience from e.g. headphones by using a direct synthesis of a main directional signal from the appropriate position rather than as a combination of signals from virtual loudspeaker positions.

Abstract: A head tracking system (400) is proposed in the present invention that determines a rotation angle (300) of a head (100b) of a user (100) with respect to a reference direction (310), which is dependent on a movement of a user (100). Here the movement of a user should be understood as an act or process of moving including e.g. changes of place, position, or posture, such as e.g. lying down or sitting in a relaxation chair. The head tracking system according to the invention comprises a sensing device (410) for measuring a head movement to provide a measure (401) representing the head movement, and a processing circuit (420) for deriving the rotation angle of the head of the user with respect to the reference direction from the measure. The reference direction (310) used in the processing circuit (420) is dependent on the movement of the user.

Abstract: An audio signal is encoded by a first waveform encoder (103) to generate a first waveform based bit-stream component. A second encoder (105) encodes the audio signal to generate a second bit-stream component comprising first enhancement data and a third encoder (107) encodes the audio signal to generate a third bit-stream component comprising second enhancement data for the first waveform based bit-stream component. The first and second bit-stream components correspond to a first representation of the audio signal and the first and third bit-stream components correspond to a second representation of the audio signal. A scalable audio bit-stream is generated by a bit-stream generator (109). The different representations may be selected between by a decoder thereby allowing a flexible and scalable bit-stream to be communicated. The second encoder (105) may specifically be a waveform encoder and the third encoder (107) may specifically be a parametric encoder.

Abstract: A multi-channel audio encoder (10) encodes an N-channel audio signal. A first unit (110) generates a first encoded M-channel signal, e.g. a spatial stereo down-mix, for the N-channel signal (N>M). Down-mixers (115, 116, 117) generate first enhancement data for the signal relative to the N-channel audio signal. A second M-channel signal, such as an artistic stereo mix, is generated for the N-channel signal. A processor (123) then generates second enhancement data for the second M-channel signal relative to the first M-channel signal. A second unit (120) generates an output signal comprising the second M-channel signal, the first enhancement data and the second enhancement data. The generator (123) can dynamically select between generating the second enhancement data as absolute enhancement data or as relative enhancement data relative to the second encoded M-channel signal.

Abstract: A device (1) is arranged for synthesizing sound represented by sets of parameters, each set comprising noise parameters (NP) representing noise components of the sound and optionally also other parameters representing other components, such as transients and sinusoids. Each set of parameters may correspond with a sound channel, such as a MIDI voice. In order to reduce the computational load, the device comprises a selection unit (2) for selecting a limited number of sets from the total number of sets on the basis of a perceptual relevance value, such as the amplitude or energy. The device further comprises a synthesizing unit (3) for synthesizing the noise components using the noise parameters of the selected sets only.

Abstract: A multi-channel audio encoder (10) encodes an N-channel audio signal. A first unit (110) generates a first encoded M-channel signal, e.g. a spatial stereo down-mix, for the N-channel signal (N>M). Down-mixers (115, 116, 117) generate first enhancement data for the signal relative to the N-channel audio signal. A second M-channel signal, such as an artistic stereo mix, is generated for the N-channel signal. A processor (123) then generates second enhancement data for the second M-channel signal relative to the first M-channel signal. A second unit (120) generates an output signal comprising the second M-channel signal, the first enhancement data and the second enhancement data. The generator (123) can dynamically select between generating the second enhancement data as absolute enhancement data or as relative enhancement data relative to the second encoded M-channel signal.