Method and apparatus for introducing information into a data stream and method and apparatus for encoding an audio signal

US8117027B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. · DE

Inventors

• Christian Neubauer · Nuremberg, DE
• Juergen Herre · Erlangen, DE
• Karlheinz Brandenburg · Erlangen, DE
• Eric A. Allamanche · Nuremberg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 25, 2008
• Grant date: Feb 14, 2012
• Expiry date: Oct 8, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04B1/707
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Techniques for introducing information into a data stream first obtains the spectral values of the short-term spectrum of the audio signal. Separately, information to be introduced are combined with a spread sequence obtaining a spread information signal, whereupon a spectral representation of the spread information is generated, then weighted with an established psychoacoustic maskable noise energy to generate a weighted information signal, wherein energy of the introduced information is substantially equal to or below the psychoacoustic masking threshold. The weighted information signal and the spectral values of the short-term spectrum of the audio signal are then summed and afterwards processed again to obtain a processed data stream including audio information and information to be introduced. Because the information to be introduced are introduced without changing to the time domain, the block rastering underlying the short-term spectrum are not touched, thus introducing a watermark will not lead to tandem encoding effects.