Audio DRC Profile Framing for Low-Overhead Rendering Modes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio signal processing technologies face challenges in efficiently transmitting Dynamic Range Control (DRC) profiles across various rendering devices with different capabilities, leading to inconsistent audio quality and intelligibility.
Innovation Solution
The method involves encoding DRC profiles into a sequence of frames, allowing multiple frames to jointly comprise a set of profiles, enabling decoders to select appropriate profiles for specific rendering modes and ensuring high-quality audio reproduction without distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all DRC profiles are transmitted in every frame, then all rendering modes can access complete profile information, but bitstream overhead increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complete set of DRC profiles across multiple frames rather than duplicating all profiles in every frame. Frame 0 contains a first subset of profiles, while subsequent frames contain additional subsets, allowing the decoder to accumulate the complete profile set over time without requiring excessive bandwidth in any single frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transmits a default DRC profile in advance (in Frame 0) before other profiles become available. This preliminary action ensures that the decoder can immediately apply appropriate dynamic range control using the default profile, while subsequent frames progressively provide additional specialized profiles for specific rendering modes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If DRC profiles are transmitted in every frame, then decoders can always access appropriate profiles, but transmission bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the complete DRC profile set into multiple subsets distributed across different frames. Frame 0 contains a first subset including a default profile, while Frame 1 and subsequent frames contain additional subsets. This segmentation reduces the bandwidth required in any single frame while ensuring all profiles are eventually transmitted.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal transmission scheme where Frame 0 serves multiple purposes: it provides a default profile for immediate use, contains a first subset of profiles, and establishes the foundation for subsequent frame processing. This multi-functionality ensures broad rendering mode compatibility without requiring every frame to carry the complete profile set.
3Device complexity
If a single DRC profile is used for all rendering modes, then transmission is simplified, but audio quality and intelligibility vary across different devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different DRC profiles tailored to specific rendering modes. Instead of a single universal profile, the system transmits multiple specialized profiles (e.g., for headphones, speakers, televisions) that are optimally suited for each specific playback device type, ensuring high audio quality and intelligibility for each local rendering context.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by enabling the decoder to dynamically select the appropriate DRC profile based on the detected rendering mode. The system transitions from a static single-profile approach to a dynamic multi-profile system where the appropriate profile is automatically selected and applied based on the specific playback device being used.
Data Source
AI summary
A method (600) for decoding an encoded audio signal (102) is described. The encoded audio signal (102) comprises a sequence of frames. Furthermore, the encoded audio signal (102) is indicative of a plurality of different dynamic range control (DRC) profiles for a corresponding plurality of different rendering modes. Different subsets of DRC profiles from the plurality of DRC profiles are comprised within different frames of the sequence of frames, such that two or more frames of the sequence of frames jointly comprise the plurality of DRC profiles. The method (600) comprises determining a first rendering mode from the plurality of different rendering modes; determining (609, 610) one or more DRC profiles from a subset of DRC profiles comprised within a current frame of the sequence of frames; determining (611) whether at least one of the one or more DRC profiles is applicable to the first rendering mode; selecting (604) a default DRC profile as a current DRC profile, if none of the one or more DRC profiles is applicable to the first rendering mode; wherein definition data of the default DRC profile is known at a decoder (100) for decoding the encoded audio signal (102); and decoding the current frame using the current DRC profile.