Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing joint stereo coding of multi-channel audio signals using intensity stereo coding techniques. In particular, predictive filtering techniques are applied to the spectral coefficient data, thereby preserving the time structure of the output signal of each channel, while maintaining the benefit of the high bit rate savings offered by intensity stereo coding. In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, the input signal is decomposed into spectral coefficients by a high-resolution filterbank/transform; the time-dependent masking threshold of the signal is estimated using a perceptual model; a filter performing linear prediction in frequency is applied at the filterbank outputs for each channel; intensity stereo coding techniques are applied for coding both residual signals into one carrier signal; the spectral values of the carrier signal are quantized and coded according to the precision corresponding to the masking threshold estimate; and all relevant information (i.e.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the perceptual coding of audio signals in which perceptual noise shaping is achieved in the time domain by performing a (linear) prediction (i.e., filtering) in the frequency domain. As a result, the temporal spread of quantization noise is reduced. Specifically, according to one illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a method comprises decomposition of the audio signal into a plurality of spectral component signals; generating a prediction signal representative of a prediction of one of said spectral component signals, said prediction based on one or more other ones of said spectral component signals; comparing the prediction signal with said one of said spectral component signals to generate a prediction error signal; coding said one of said spectral component signals based on the prediction error signal to generate a coded spectral component signal; and generating the encoded signal based on the coded spectral component signal.