Method and apparatus for encoding and for decoding a digital information signal

摘要

Original digital audio signals are represented as PCM sample values wherein the distance between the values corresponds to the sampling frequency. Digital signals can have a length that is an integer multiple only of this time element. In particular coded digital audio signals are processed block-based, leading to a total length that is a multiple only of the block unit. According to the invention, information about the exact length of the original signal is transferred together with the encoded audio information. Additionally, an information value can be transferred that represents the total encoder and/or decoder delay. The decoder extracts these items of information and adjusts the total length of the decoded signal by cutting off samples from the decoded program or track.