Abstract: Conventional audio compression technologies perform a standardized signal transformation, independent of the type of the content. Multi-channel signals are decomposed into their signal components, subsequently quantized and encoded. This is disadvantageous due to lack of knowledge on the characteristics of scene composition, especially for e.g. multi-channel audio or Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA) content. An improved method for encoding pre-processed audio data comprises encoding the pre-processed audio data, and encoding auxiliary data that indicate the particular audio pre-processing. An improved method for decoding encoded audio data comprises determining that the encoded audio data had been pre-processed before encoding, decoding the audio data, extracting from received data information about the pre-processing, and post-processing the decoded audio data according to the extracted pre-processing information.

Abstract: A method for encoding multi-channel HOA audio signals for noise reduction comprises steps of decorrelating the channels using an inverse adaptive DSHT, the inverse adaptive DSHT comprising a rotation operation and an inverse DSHT, with the rotation operation rotating the spatial sampling grid of the iDSHT, perceptually encoding each of the decorrelated channels, encoding rotation information, the rotation information comprising parameters defining said rotation operation, and transmitting or storing the perceptually encoded audio channels and the encoded rotation information.

Abstract: Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) represents a complete sound field in the vicinity of a sweet spot, independent of loudspeaker set-up. The high spatial resolution requires a high number of HOA coefficients. In the invention, dominant sound directions are estimated and the HOA signal representation is decomposed into dominant directional signals in time domain and related direction information, and an ambient component in HOA domain, followed by compression of the ambient component by reducing its order. The reduced-order ambient component is transformed to the spatial domain, and is perceptually coded together with the directional signals. At receiver side, the encoded directional signals and the order-reduced encoded ambient component are perceptually decompressed, the perceptually decompressed ambient signals are transformed to an HOA domain representation of reduced order, followed by order extension.

Abstract: Decoding of Ambisonics representations for a stereo loudspeaker setup is known for first-order Ambisonics audio signals. But such first-order Ambisonics approaches have either high negative side lobes or poor localisation in the frontal region. The invention deals with the processing for stereo decoders for higher-order Ambisonics HOA. The desired panning functions can be derived from a panning law for placement of virtual sources between the loudspeakers. For each loudspeaker a desired panning function for all possible input directions at sampling points is defined. The panning functions are approximated by circular harmonic functions, and with increasing Ambisonics order the desired panning functions are matched with decreasing error. For the frontal region between the loudspeakers, a panning law like the tangent law or vector base amplitude panning (VBAP) are used. For the rear directions panning functions with a slight attenuation of sounds from these directions are defined.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (20) for providing consumable material (24) for a packaging machine (30). The device (20) comprises a magazine (22) for the consumable material (24). The consumable material (24) for the ongoing operation is removed from the magazine (22) and fed via a feed device (26) to the packaging machine (30). The device (20) comprises a detection device (40) for determining an actual quantity (Va) of consumable material (24) in the magazine (22). The invention further relates to a method (20) for providing consumable material (24) for a packaging machine (30). The consumable material (24) is provided as bulk material in a magazine (22) and is removed from said magazine (22) by means of at least one conveyor device (26) and fed to the packaging machine (30). The magazine (22) can accommodate a defined maximum quantity (Vmax) of consumable material (24).

Abstract: A device is provided for applying consumable materials to containers, including a storing apparatus that stores a supply of the consumable material, a transporting apparatus that conveys the consumable material to the containers, and an application unit that applies the consumable material to the containers or to combinations of containers. The device has at least one sensor apparatus, which detects at least one actual value of the consumable material that is characteristic of a physical property of the consumable material, a comparing apparatus, which compares the detected actual value with at least one target value stored in a memory apparatus, and a signal outputting apparatus, which outputs a signal according to a result of said comparison.

Abstract: In frame-based bit stream formats the data required for decoding a current frame are usually stored within the data section for that frame. One exception is the mp3 bit stream where data for a current frame is stored in previous frames. If the decoder did not receive the required previous frame, decoding of the current mp3 frame is skipped. The invention can be applied for such bit streams, in an archival mode, a streaming mode and a sample-exact cutting of an archival mode. In the streaming and cutting modes, new headers are established. The number of frames required for initializing the decoder status is signalized in the header, as well as a consistency check value in the streaming mode. These frames are used for decoder initialization but not for decoding samples or coefficients. For a sample-exact cutting, for the frame at which the cut shall occur, the number of samples or coefficients to be muted is also indicated in the header.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for encoding of a bit amount of a data section and to a corresponding decoding method. Furthermore, the invention relates to encoding, decoding, transmission and/or storage of audio and/or video data wherein said method for encoding of a bit amount of a data section and/or said corresponding decoding method are used in processing of the audio and/or video data. Said method for encoding of a bit amount of a data section comprises the steps of encoding said bit amount indicating integer as a first number of equally valued bits followed by a stop bit of different value wherein said first number equals said bit amount increased by a threshold value. Using said method, quotients of values larger than a threshold can be encoded using unary as well as binary code wherein quotients of values smaller than the threshold can be encoded in unary code.

Abstract: A dental package and a method of making such dental package for holding flowable dental material. The method comprising the steps of providing a container having an opening and providing first portion of a flowable dental material in the container. Further the method comprises hardening a predetermined second portion of the flowable dental material to form a closure that closes the opening. The invention provides for improved manufacturing and for facilitating the use of the package.

Abstract: An advantage of Ambisonics representation is that the reproduction of the sound field can be adapted individually to nearly any given loudspeaker position arrangement. The invention allows systematic adaptation of the playback of spatial sound field-oriented audio to its linked visible objects, by applying space warping processing as disclosed in EP 11305845.7. The reference size (or the viewing angle from a reference listening position) of the screen used in the content production is encoded and transmitted as metadata together with the content, or the decoder knows the actual size of the target screen with respect to a fixed reference screen size. The decoder warps the sound field in such a manner that all sound objects in the direction of the screen are compressed or stretched according to the ratio of the size of the target screen and the size of the reference screen.

Abstract: The invention is related to a data structure for Higher Order Ambisonics HOA audio data, which data structure includes 2D or 3D spatial audio content data for one or more different HOA audio data stream descriptions. The HOA audio data can have on order of greater than ‘3’, and the data structure in addition can include single audio signal source data and/or microphone array audio data from fixed or time-varying spatial positions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for approximating a true masking threshold for the quantization of spectral data in an audio transform encoder. According to the invention, for each spectrum to be quantised in the audio signal encoding, an excitation pattern is computed and coded for both long and short window/transform lengths. The excitation patterns are grouped together in a variable-size matrix. A pre-determined sorting order with a fixed number of values only is applied to the excitation pattern data matrix values, and by that re-ordering a quadratic matrix is formed to which matrix' bit planes a SPECK encoding is applied.

Abstract: In lossy based lossless coding a PCM audio signal passes through a lossy encoder to a lossy decoder. The lossy encoder provides a lossy bit stream. The difference signal between the PCM signal and the lossy decoder output is lossless encoded, providing an extension bit stream. The invention facilitates enhancing a lossy perceptual audio encoding/decoding by an extension that enables mathematically exact reproduction of the original waveform using enhanced de-correlation, and provides additional data for reconstructing at decoder site an intermediate-quality audio signal. The lossless extension can be used to extend the widely used mp3 encoding/decoding to lossless encoding/decoding and superior quality mp3 encoding/de-coding.

Abstract: At the time of encoding audio content, the finally required data rate for delivery to the customer may be unknown. A data format is disclosed that is optimized for serving as Intermediate Format for efficient and fast recoding, to obtain one or more standard complying lossy encoded data streams with flexible data rates. Encoding can be performed in two steps that are inter-coordinated for cooperating, but may be locally and/or temporally separate. Between the partial encoders encoding parameters and/or auxiliary data are transmitted in a separate parameter enhancement layer, which complements a lossy data stream and can be used by the second encoder or transcoder for fast and computationally efficient implementation of the second encoding step. An additional lossless enhancement layer allows lossless reconstruction.

Abstract: Soundfield signals such as e.g. Ambisonics carry a representation of a desired sound field. The Ambisonics format is based on spherical harmonic decomposition of the soundfield, and Higher Order Ambisonics uses spherical harmonics of at least 2nd order. However, commonly used loudspeaker setups are irregular and lead to problems in decoder design, A method for improved decoding an audio soundfield representation for audio playback comprises calculating a panning function using a geometrical method based on the positions of a plurality of loudspeakers and a plurality of source directions, calculating a mode matrix from the loudspeaker positions, calculating a pseudo-inverse mode matrix and decoding the audio soundfield representation. The decoding is based on a decode matrix that is obtained from the panning function and the pseudo-inverse mode matrix.

Abstract: Advanced solutions for encrypting multi-layer audio data are required, ie. audio data that comprise a base layer and one or more enhancement layers. A method for encrypting such an encoded audio signal comprises separating the base layer into two sections, encrypting the side information within frames of the second section of the base layer, and encrypting at least a part of the data of the enhancement layer, wherein the encrypted section of the base layer and the encrypted enhancement layer require different decryption keys for decryption. Thus, free preview zones are possible to implement.

Abstract: An apparatus for handling containers with a plurality of handling units for handling the containers, which handling units contain at least one filling device for filling the containers with a flowable medium, a closure device disposed downstream in a transport direction of the containers for closing the filled containers with closures, and with a labelling device for labelling the containers, and with a transport device for transporting the containers.

Abstract: In lossy based lossless coding a PCM audio signal passes through a lossy encoder to a lossy decoder. The lossy encoder provides a lossy bit stream. The lossy decoder also provides side information that is used to control the coefficients of a prediction filter that de-correlates the difference signal between the PCM signal and the lossy decoder output. The de-correlated difference signal is lossless encoded, providing an extension bit stream. Instead of, or in addition to, de-correlating in the time domain, a de-correlation in the frequency domain using spectral whitening can be performed. The lossy encoded bit stream together with the lossless encoded extension bit stream form a lossless encoded bitstream. The invention facilitates enhancing a lossy perceptual audio encoding/decoding by an extension that enables mathematically exact reproduction of the original waveform, and provides additional data for reconstructing at decoder site an intermediate-quality audio signal.

Abstract: Lossless audio coding performs decorrelation and encodes the transformed signal. The encoded bit stream comprises de-correlation parameters and the lossless representation data of the transformed signal. However, in the case of lossy based lossless coding, the additional amount of information exceeds the base layer amount of data. Therefore the additional data cannot be packed completely into the base layer e.g. as ancillary data. The data streams resulting from the combination of lossy coding format with a lossless coding extension are the base layer containing the lossy coding information and the enhancement data stream for rebuilding the mathematically lossless original input signal. Every higher layer depends on the lower layers and can only be reasonably decoded in combination with these lower layers. According to the invention, a special combination of one-time header information with repeated header information in a block structure is used. Assignment information data identify the different layers.

Abstract: Movies are produced in 24 Hz frame frequency and progressive scanning format (denoted 24p) for projection in film theatres, adhering to a worldwide standard for 35 mm film. However, the major TV systems in the world use interlaced scanning and either 50 Hz field frequency (denoted 50i) or 60 Hz field frequency (denoted 60i). Content providers would prefer providing single-picture-frequency single-audio-speed AV discs that can be replayed in most parts of the world. According to the invention, For a 50 HZ output mode, in the media player either audio signal frames are dropped adaptively or video fields or frames are repeated adaptively, depending on the current video and audio content. Thereby the less perceptible stream controls the synchronization.