Object-Based Audio Downmixing With Metadata-Guided Decoding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio encoding and decoding techniques struggle to efficiently process object-based audio signals across various environments, as they often require complex decoding and rendering operations, especially when dealing with multiple object signals and channels.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an audio encoding method that generates a downmix signal by downmixing multiple object signals and creates object-based side information by extracting relevant metadata, which is then used to render object-related information, reducing the complexity of decoding and rendering by treating multiple object signals as single sound sources or adjusting their levels and positions adaptively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If object-based audio signals are processed using traditional multi-channel audio encoding and decoding techniques, then the audio signals can be encoded and decoded, but the decoding and rendering operations become complex when dealing with multiple object signals and channels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio processing into distinct object-based units, where each object signal is independently encoded with its own metadata (spatial position, level, pan/p Tilt). This segmentation allows the decoder to process each object separately rather than dealing with complex multi-channel mixing, reducing rendering complexity while maintaining full audio processing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces metadata as an intermediary layer between the encoded audio data and the rendering process. This metadata contains pre-calculated spatial and level information that mediates the complex relationship between multiple object signals and their final spatial arrangement, simplifying the decoder's task by providing ready-to-use rendering parameters
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple object signals are treated as separate entities for encoding, then audio quality is improved, but the number of sound sources to be processed increases computational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary encoding of spatial and level information as metadata during the encoding phase. By pre-calculating and storing the spatial position, level, and pan/tilt parameters for each object signal, the complex computational tasks are shifted from the decoding phase to the encoding phase, allowing the decoder to simply retrieve and apply these pre-computed values without performing complex real-time calculations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the representation of object signals by introducing a set of standardized parameters (spatial position, level, pan/tilt) that fully describe each object's characteristics. This parameter-based representation allows high-fidelity audio processing while reducing computational complexity, as these parameters can be efficiently stored, transmitted, and applied during decoding without requiring complex signal processing operations
Data Source
AI summary
An audio decoding method and apparatus and an audio encoding method and apparatus which can efficiently process object-based audio signals are provided. The audio decoding method includes receiving a downmix signal, which is obtained by downmixing a plurality of object signals, and object side information, extracting metadata from the object-side information and displaying an information regarding the object signals based on the metadata.