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MPEG Surround – The ISO/MPEG Standard for Efficient and Compatible Multi-Channel Audio Coding Jürgen Herre1, Kristofer Kjörling2, Jeroen Breebaart3, Christof Faller4, Sascha Disch1, Heiko Purnhagen2, Jeroen Koppens5, Johannes Hilpert1, Jonas Rödén2, Werner Oomen5, Karsten Linzmeier1, and Kok Seng Chong6 1 Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, Am Wolfsmantel 33, 91058 Erlangen, Germany 2 Coding Technologies, 113 30 Stockholm, Sweden 3 Philips Research, 5656 AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands 4 Agere Systems, Allentown, PA 18109, USA 5 Philips Applied Technologies, 5616 LW, Eindhoven, The Netherlands 6 Panasonic Singapore Laboratories Pte. Ltd., Singapore ABSTRACT In 2004, the ISO/MPEG Audio standardization group started a new work item on efficient and backward compatible coding of high-quality multi-channel sound using parametric coding techniques. Finalized in the fall of 2006, the resulting MPEG Surround specification allows the transmission of surround sound at bitrates that have been commonly used for coding of mono or stereo sound. This paper summarizes the results of the standardization process by describing the underlying ideas and providing an overview of the MPEG Surround technology. The performance of the scheme is characterized by the results of the recent verification tests. These tests include several operation modes as they would be used in typical application scenarios to introduce multi-channel audio into existing audio services. level/intensity differences and measures of correlation/coherence between the audio channels and 1. INTRODUCTION can be represented in an extremely compact way. At the same time, a monophonic or two-channel downmix In 2004, the ISO/MPEG Audio standardization group signal of the sound material is created and transmitted to started a new work item on efficient and backward the decoder together with the spatial cue information. compatible coding of high-quality multi-channel sound The downmix can be conveyed to the receiver using using parametric coding techniques. Specifically, the known audio coders for monophonic or stereophonic technology to be developed should be based on the signals. On the decoding side, the transmitted downmix Spatial Audio Coding (SAC) approach that extends signal is expanded into a high quality multi-channel traditional approaches for coding of two or more output based on the spatial parameters. channels in a way that provides several significant advantages, both in terms of compression efficiency and Due to the reduced number of audio channels to be features. Firstly, it allows the transmission of multi- transmitted (e.g. just one channel for a monophonic channel audio at bitrates, which so far only allowed for downmix signal), the Spatial Audio Coding approach the transmission of monophonic audio. Secondly, by its provides an extremely efficient representation of multi- underlying structure, the multi-channel audio signal is channel audio signals. Furthermore, it is backward transmitted in a backward compatible way. As such, the compatible on the level of the downmix signal: A technology can be used to upgrade existing distribution receiver device without a spatial audio decoder will infrastructures for stereo or mono audio content (radio simply present the downmix signal. channels, Internet streaming, music downloads etc.) towards the delivery of multi-channel audio while Conceptually, this approach can be seen as an retaining full compatibility with existing receivers. enhancement of several known techniques, such as an After an intense development process, the resulting advanced method for joint stereo coding of multi- MPEG Surround specification was finalized in the channel signals [4], a generalization of Parametric second half of 2006 [30]. Stereo [5] [6] to multi-channel application, and an extension of the Binaural Cue Coding (BCC) scheme This paper summarizes the results of the standardization [7] [8] towards using more than one transmitted process by describing the underlying ideas and downmix channel [9]. From a different viewing angle, providing an overview of the MPEG Surround the Spatial Audio Coding approach may also be technology. Special attention is given to the results of considered an extension of well-known matrix surround the recent MPEG Surround verification tests that assess schemes (Dolby Surround/Prologic, Logic 7, Circle the technology’s performance in several operation Surround etc.) [10] [11] by transmission of dedicated modes as they would be used in typical application (spatial cue) side information to guide the multi-channel scenarios introducing multi-channel audio into existing reconstruction process and thus achieve improved audio services. subjective audio quality [1]. Sections 2 and 3 illustrate the basic approach and the MPEG standardization process that was executed to develop the MPEG Surround specification. The core of the MPEG Surround architecture and its further extensions are described in Sections 4 and 5. Finally, system performance and applications are discussed. 2. SPATIAL AUDIO CODING BASICS Figure 1: Principle of Spatial Audio Coding In a nutshell, the general underlying concept of Spatial Audio Coding can be outlined as follows: Rather than Due to the combination of bitrate-efficiency and performing a discrete coding of the individual audio backward compatibility, SAC technology can be used to input channels, a system based on Spatial Audio Coding enhance a large number of existing mono or stereo captures the spatial image of a multi-channel audio services from stereophonic (or monophonic) to multi- signal into a compact set of parameters that can be used channel transmission in a compatible fashion. To this to synthesize a high quality multi-channel representation aim, the existing audio transmission channel carries the from a transmitted downmix signal. Figure 1 illustrates downmix signal, and the spatial parameter information this concept. During the encoding process, the spatial is conveyed in a side chain (e.g. the ancillary data parameters (cues) are extracted from the multi-channel portion of an audio bitstream). In this way, multi- input signal. These parameters typically include channel capability can be achieved for existing audio Herre et al. MPEG Surround distribution services for a minimal increase in bitrate, 4.1. Filterbank and Top-Level Structure e.g. between 3 to 32kbit/s. In the human auditory system, the processing of 3. MPEG SURROUND DEVELOPMENT binaural cues is performed on a non-uniform frequency PROCESS scale [15] [16]. Hence, in order to estimate spatial parameters from a given input signal, it is important to transform its time-domain representation to a In March of 2004, the ISO/MPEG standardization group representation that resembles this non-uniform scale by started a new work item on SAC by issuing a “Call for using an appropriate filterbank. Proposals” (CfP) on Spatial Audio Coding [12]. Four submissions were received in response to this CfP and For applications including low bitrate audio coding, the evaluated with respect to a number of performance MPEG Surround decoder is typically applied as a post- aspects including the subjective quality of the decoded processor to a low bitrate (mono or stereo) decoder. In multi-channel audio signal, the subjective quality of the order to minimize computational complexity, it would downmix signals generated, the spatial parameter bitrate be beneficial if the MPEG Surround system could and other parameters (additional functionality, directly make use of the spectral representation of the computational complexity etc.). audio material provided by the audio decoder. In practice, however, spectral representations for the As a result of these extensive evaluations, MPEG purpose of audio coding are typically obtained by means decided that the basis for the subsequent standardization of critically sampled filterbanks (for example using a process, called Reference Model 0 (RM0), would be a Modified Discrete Cosine Transform (MDCT) [17]) and system combining the submissions of Fraunhofer are not suitable for signal manipulation as this would IIS/Agere Systems and Coding Technologies/Philips. interfere with the aliasing cancellation properties These systems outperformed the other submissions and, associated with critically sampled filterbanks. The at the same time, showed complementary performance Spectral Band Replication (SBR) algorithm [18] is an in terms of other parameters (e.g. per-item quality, important exception in this respect. Similar to the bitrate) [13]. The merged RM0 technology (now called Spatial Audio Coding / MPEG Surround approach, the MPEG Surround) combines the best features of both SBR algorithm is