Generalized Audio Coding with MPEG-4 Structured Audio

Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of generalized audio coding, in which the Structured Audio decoder is used to emulate the behavior of other audio decoders. We prove that the MPEG-4 Structured Audio tool can be used to mimic the behavior of any other kind of decoder and that structured-audio coding is a universally minimal coding technique. We provide examples of simple natural audio coders that use the SA toolset, and characterize the overhead that arises in the transcoding process. Generalized audio coding removes marketplace barriers to the use of special-purpose or signal-adaptive coding formats, and thus promotes greater overall efficiency in the world of audio coding. INTRODUCTION