PROCESS FOR REDUCING DATA IN THE TRANSMISSION AND/OR STORAGEOF DIGITAL SIGNALS FROM SEVERAL INTERDEPENDENT CHANNELS

摘要

A process for reducing data in the transmission and/or storage of digital signals of several interdependent channels is described. As the signals from the channels are not independent of one another, an additional data quantity reduction is possible during transmission. In known processes for the coding of signals from two stereo channels, in the case of an unfavourable signal composition interference can be caused by the coding process and cannot be concealed by the signal actually present in the channel and consequently reduce listening enjoyment. In the process according to the invention and with the aid of the spectral values of corresponding blocks of several channels, there is a balancing of the necessary data rate for a separate coding of the two channels and for a joint coding. There is a joint coding of the channels for as long as the data rate for the joint coding does not exceed by a predeterminable value the data rate for the separate coding of the particular channel. In this case the spectral values of the corresponding blocks are similar, so that a joint coding is preferred. In the case of highly dissimilar signals the balancing leads to a separate transmission of the signals. In order to ensure that there is no interference, temporarily no use is made of the joint coding of several channels.