Multi-stream Audio Coding with Priority-Based Bit Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio encoding technologies face challenges in interoperability between different audio formats and limited transmission bandwidth, leading to reduced audio quality during playback across networks.
Innovation Solution
The Immersive Voice and Audio Services (IVAS) codec determines priority configurations for multiple audio streams, allocates bit rates based on stream importance, and selectively encodes streams using a stream priority module and stream selection module to optimize bit allocation and reduce coding distortions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If all N streams are encoded to ensure complete audio information transmission, then audio quality is maintained, but transmission bandwidth consumption increases and encoding complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating encoding treatment for different audio streams based on their similarity values. Streams with low similarity (unique information) are encoded with high priority, while streams with high similarity (redundant information) are encoded with low priority or skipped. This selective encoding approach maintains audio quality for critical streams while reducing overall bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the encoding parameter (encoding priority) based on the similarity value of each stream. By dynamically adjusting which streams are encoded and at what priority level, the system optimizes the trade-off between audio quality and bandwidth usage. The encoder transforms the decision parameter from fixed (encode all) to variable (encode selectively based on similarity).
2Manufacturing precision
If all N streams are encoded to preserve complete audio information, then audio quality is maintained, but encoding complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and identifies the essential streams for encoding by calculating similarity values and comparing them against thresholds. Instead of encoding all N streams, the system extracts only the L streams (where L < N) that contain unique, non-redundant information. This extraction process reduces encoding complexity while preserving the critical audio information needed for quality playback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by encoding only a subset of streams (L out of N) rather than all streams. The similarity comparison against thresholds determines which streams are sufficiently unique to warrant encoding. This partial encoding approach reduces processing complexity while maintaining adequate audio quality by focusing resources on the most important streams.
3Quantity of substance
If bit rate is reduced to comply with available transmission bandwidth, then bandwidth compliance is achieved, but audio reproduction accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allocating encoding resources non-uniformly across different streams. Critical streams with low similarity values receive higher encoding priority and more bits, while redundant streams with high similarity values receive fewer bits or are skipped. This differentiated approach ensures bandwidth compliance while maintaining audio reproduction accuracy for the most important streams.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the bit allocation parameter dynamically based on stream similarity. Instead of uniform bit rate reduction, the system adjusts the encoding priority and bit allocation for each stream according to its similarity value. This parameter change allows the system to comply with bandwidth constraints while preserving audio accuracy where it matters most.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method includes receiving, at an audio encoder, multiple streams of audio data, where N is the number of the received multi streams. The method includes determining a similarity value for each stream of the multiple streams and comparing the similarity value for each stream of the multiple streams with a threshold. The method also includes identifying, based on the comparison, L (L < N) number of streams to be encoded among the N number of the multiple streams. The method includes encoding the identified L number of streams to generate an encoded bitstream.