Improvement to ATRAC which allows a more flexible interpretation of "minimum limit of audibility" depending upon the signal characteristics.
Abstract
The method of encoding digital data in the present invention enables change of minimum limit of audibility characteristics and/or masking characteristics, which are usually set on the basis of the aural-psychological characteristics of persons with typical hearing, thus changing the allocation of quantized bits to each frequency band and allowing selection of a sound quality which accords with the listener's hearing. The present invention is suitable for ATRAC, a method for compressed encoding for mini-discs.