Abstract: Reproduction accuracy of a digital signal, representing, for example, stereo audio signals, is improved by transmitting sample data which have been encoded to form transmission signals. The stereo audio signals are coded into sub(band) signals. Corresponding sub(band) signals of the stereo audio signals may be processed to obtain composite sub(band) signals, which are recorded on a record carrier. To identify whether corresponding sub(band) signals have been processed or not, a mode indicator control signal, indicating whether a corresponding sub signal of the at least two signal components have or have not been processed into a composite sub-signal, is also being recorded on the record carrier.

Abstract: In order to transmit or to store digitalized, multi-channel audio signals which are digitally represented by a plurality of spectral subband signals, at an encoder, subband signals of different audio channels but having the same frequency position are combined across channels according to a dynamic control signal. This control signal is derived from several audio channels by an audio signal analysis based on a psycho-acoustic binaural model. At a decoder, the subband signals of several audio channels but having the same frequency position are dissociated across channels according to a control value derived from the dynamic control signal, transmitted or stored therewith.