AC-3: Flexible Perceptual Coding for Audio Transmission and Storage

Abstract

Dolby AC-3 is a flexible audio data compression technology capable of encoding a range of audio channel formats into a low rate bit stream. Channel formats range from monophonic to 5.1 channels, and may include a number of associated audio services. Based on a transform filter bank and psychoacoustics, AC-3 includes the novel features of transmission of a variable frequency resolution spectral envelope and hybrid backward/forward adaptive bit allocation.