Encoding system comprising a subband coder for subband coding of a wideband digital signal constituted by first and second signal components

摘要

For subband coding of a signal such as a digital stereo signal, the digital signal is split into subbands each comprising at least first and second subband signal components. The subband signal components in a subband m are constituted by blocks of q samples each, represented by a certain number of bits (nmr, nm1). The number of bits is the result of allocation based on a determination of bit needs for blocks in each subband. A determination is made whether or not initially bits are to be allocated to a signal block of one component in a subband prior to the bit allocation, and irrespective of the bit need for that signal block. If it is determined that an initial bit allocation is required for a particular signal block in a subband, an initial bit allocation is also applied to at least a second corresponding signal block in that subband.