Binaural Rendering for Multichannel Audio Signal Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of multichannel audio signals, such as 7.1-channel, 10.2-channel, and 22.2-channel audio signals, poses a challenge in maintaining sound quality and reducing calculation loads during binaural rendering, as existing down-mixing technologies require numerous filters and increased computational resources.
Innovation Solution
The method involves extracting early reflection and late reverberation components from a binaural filter to generate a stereo audio signal by applying the early reflection component to each channel of a down-mixed multichannel audio signal and applying the late reverberation component to the generated signal, optimizing the number of binaural filters and reducing computational demands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If down-mixing technology is applied to convert multichannel audio signals to stereo audio signals, then the audio signal can be played back on user terminals, but the number of filters increases and calculation amount increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the multichannel audio signal processing into two main stages: first down-mixing the N-channel signal to M-channel signal, then applying binaural rendering. This segmentation reduces the complexity by breaking down the complex N-to-2 channel conversion into simpler steps, where intermediate down-mixing reduces the channel count before filter application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and applies binaural rendering characteristics (HRTF filters) after down-mixing rather than applying them to each original channel. By taking out the essential spatial audio characteristics and applying them to the down-mixed signal, it avoids the need to apply filters to all N original channels, thereby reducing the total number of filters required.
2Adaptability or versatility
If down-mixing technology is applied to convert multichannel audio signals to stereo audio signals, then the audio signal can be played back on user terminals, but the calculation amount increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing is segmented into down-mixing stage and binaural rendering stage. By performing down-mixing first to reduce channel count from N to M, the subsequent binaural rendering operates on fewer channels, significantly reducing the total calculation amount required for filter applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs down-mixing as a preliminary action before applying binaural rendering filters. This preliminary reduction in channel count prepares the signal in advance, so that when filters are applied, the calculation burden is already reduced, enabling real-time processing on user terminals.
3Manufacturing precision
If channel-by-channel feature of multichannel audio signal is applied, then sound quality is maintained, but the number of filters increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential channel-by-channel processing requirement and applies it selectively after down-mixing. Instead of processing all N original channels individually, it processes the M down-mixed channels with binaural rendering, maintaining the necessary spatial characteristics while reducing filter count.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of channel count from N to M through down-mixing, and then applies binaural rendering with appropriate HRTF filters for the reduced channel count. This parameter change maintains sound quality by preserving spatial characteristics while reducing the scale of processing required.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a binaural rendering method and apparatus for decoding a multichannel audio signal. The binaural rendering method may include: extracting an early reflection component and a late reverberation component from a binaural filter; generating a stereo audio signal by performing binaural rendering of a multichannel audio signal base on the early reflection component; and applying the late reverberation component to the generated stereo audio signal.