Audio Transcoding with Metadata Conversion for Codec Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio transmission systems face challenges in supporting multiple audio formats, including metadata, while reducing the number of required codecs, due to differences in encoding methods, frame sizes, and metadata usage across various codecs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a target encoder and target decoder system that configures based on upstream source encoders and downstream audio renderers, enabling transcoding of audio frames and conversion of metadata frames into a common target format, thereby supporting multiple audio formats and reducing the number of necessary codecs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different audio codecs are implemented to support various audio formats, then compatibility with different audio sources and renderers is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a target encoder/decoder as an intermediary component that receives audio frames from various source encoders and converts them to a universal target format. This mediator handles the format conversion centrally, allowing the system to support multiple audio formats without requiring every device to implement multiple codecs, thus reducing overall system complexity while maintaining compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The target encoder/decoder is designed with universal functionality to handle multiple source formats (e.g., AAC, MP3, FLAC) and convert them to a common target format. This multi-functional component replaces the need for multiple dedicated codecs, achieving format agnosticism while simplifying the codec architecture.
2Device complexity
If audio data is transcoded to a common target format, then the number of required codecs is reduced, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration of the target encoder/decoder with pre-computed conversion parameters and lookup tables for common source formats. This pre-processing allows the actual transcoding operation to proceed more efficiently by avoiding real-time calculation of conversion parameters, thus reducing processing time while maintaining codec reduction benefits.
3Loss of information
If metadata is transported along with audio frames through transcoding, then information completeness is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the audio frame processing and metadata handling into a single unified transcoding operation. The target encoder/decoder processes both the audio data and its associated metadata simultaneously in one pass, rather than treating them as separate streams. This integration preserves all information while avoiding the need for separate metadata processing pipelines, thus reducing overall processing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A target encoder may receive, from a source decoder, a source bitstream including an audio frame and a metadata frame associated with the audio frame. The target encoder may transcode the audio frame to a new audio frame in a target format associated with the target encoder. The target encoder may convert the metadata frame into a new metadata frame associated with the new audio frame. The target encoder may then generate a target bitstream including the new audio frame and the new metadata frame. Other aspects are also described and claimed.