Seamless Playback of Successive Multimedia Files

A method for decoding a first and a second encoded audio file, representative of a first and a second audio track, respectively, for seamless playback of the first and second audio track;

• wherein the first encoded audio track comprises a first plurality of encoded frames followed by one or more rear extension frames;
• wherein the first plurality of encoded frames corresponds to a first plurality of audio frames of the first audio track;
• wherein the second encoded audio track comprises a second plurality of encoded frames preceded by one or more front extension frames;
• wherein the second plurality of encoded frames corresponds to a second plurality of audio frames of the second audio track;
• the method comprising
• determining that the one or more rear extension frames correspond to one or more frames from a beginning of the second plurality of encoded frames;
• determining that the one or more front extension frames correspond to one or more frames from an end of the first plurality of encoded frames;
• concatenating the end of the first plurality of encoded frames with the beginning of the second plurality of encoded frames to form a continuous sequence of encoded frames;
• and
• decoding the continuous sequence of encoded frames to yield a joint decoded audio signal comprising the first plurality of audio frames directly followed by the second plurality of audio frames.

An audio encoder configured to encode an audio signal comprising a first and a directly following second audio track for seamless and individual playback of the first and second audio tracks;

• wherein the first and second audio tracks comprise a first and second plurality of audio frames, respectively;
• the audio encoder comprising
• an encoding unit configured to jointly encode the audio signal using a frame based audio encoder, thereby yielding a continuous sequence of encoded frames;
• an extraction unit configured to extract a first plurality of encoded frames from the continuous sequence of encoded frames;
• wherein the first plurality of encoded frames corresponds to the first plurality of audio frames;
• and configured to extract a second plurality of encoded frames from the continuous sequence of encoded frames;
• wherein the second plurality of encoded frames corresponds to the second plurality of audio frames;
• wherein the second plurality of encoded frames directly follows the first plurality of encoded frames in the continuous sequence of encoded frames;
• and
• an adding unit configured to append one or more rear extension frames to an end of the first plurality of encoded frames;
• wherein the one or more rear extension frames correspond to one or more frames from a beginning of the second plurality of encoded frames, thereby yielding a first encoded audio file;
• and configured to append one or more front extension frames to the beginning of the second plurality of encoded frames;
• wherein the one or more front extension frames correspond to one or more frames from the end of the first plurality of encoded frames, thereby yielding a second encoded audio file.

An audio decoder configured to decode a first and a second encoded audio file, representative of a first and a second audio track, respectively, for seamless playback of the first and second audio track;

• wherein the first encoded audio track comprises a first plurality of encoded frames followed by one or more rear extension frames;
• wherein the first plurality of encoded frames corresponds to a first plurality of audio frames of the first audio track;
• wherein the second encoded audio track comprises a second plurality of encoded frames preceded by one or more front extension frames;
• wherein the second plurality of encoded frames corresponds to a second plurality of audio frames of the second audio track;
• the audio decoder comprising
• a detection unit configured to determine that the one or more rear extension frames correspond to one or more frames from a beginning of the second plurality of encoded frames;
• and configured to determine that the one or more front extension frames correspond to one or more frames from an end of the first plurality of encoded frames;
• a merging unit configured to concatenate the end of the first plurality of encoded frames with the beginning of the second plurality of encoded frames to form a continuous sequence of encoded frames;
• and
• a decoding unit configured to decode the continuous sequence of encoded frames to yield a joint decoded audio signal comprising the first plurality of audio frames directly followed by the second plurality of audio frames.