Audio encoder device and an audio decoder device having efficient gain coding in dynamic range control

An audio decoder device comprising:

• an audio decoder configured for decoding an encoded audio bitstream in order to reproduce an audio signal comprising consecutive audio frames;
• a dynamic range control decoder configured for decoding an encoded dynamic range control bitstream in order to reproduce an dynamic range control sequence corresponding to the audio signal and comprising consecutive dynamic range control frames;
• wherein the encoded dynamic range control bitstream comprises for each dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames a corresponding bitstream portion;
• wherein the encoded dynamic range control bitstream comprises bit representations of nodes, wherein each bit representation of one node of the nodes comprises gain information for the audio signal and time information indicating to which point in time the gain information corresponds;
• wherein the encoded dynamic range control bit stream comprises bit representations of shifted nodes selected from the nodes of one reference dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames, which are embedded in a bitstream portion corresponding to the dynamic range control frame subsequent to the one reference dynamic range control frame;
• and
• wherein the dynamic range control decoder is configured for decoding the bit representation of each shifted node of the shifted nodes selected from the nodes of the one reference dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames in order to reproduce each shifted node of the shifted nodes selected from the nodes of the one reference dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames.

A method for operating an audio encoder, the method comprising:

• producing an encoded audio bitstream from an audio signal comprising consecutive audio frames;
• producing an encoded dynamic range control bitstream from an dynamic range control sequence corresponding to the audio signal and comprising consecutive dynamic range control frames, wherein each dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames comprises one or more nodes, wherein each node of the one or more nodes comprises gain information for the audio signal and time information indicating to which point in time the gain information corresponds
• wherein the encoded dynamic range control bitstream comprises for each dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames a corresponding bitstream portion;
• executing a shift procedure, wherein one or more nodes of the nodes of one reference dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames are selected as shifted nodes, wherein a bit representation of each of the one or more shifted nodes of the one reference dynamic range control frame is embedded in the bitstream portion corresponding to the dynamic range control frame subsequent to the one reference dynamic range control frame.

A method for operating an audio decoder, the method comprising:

• decoding an encoded audio bitstream in order to reproduce an audio signal comprising consecutive audio frames;
• decoding an encoded dynamic range control bitstream in order to reproduce an dynamic range control sequence corresponding to the audio signal and comprising consecutive dynamic range control frames;
• wherein the encoded dynamic range control bitstream comprises for each dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames a corresponding bitstream portion;
• wherein the encoded dynamic range control bitstream comprises bit representations of nodes, wherein each bit representation of one node of the nodes comprises gain information for the audio signal and time information indicating to which point in time the gain information corresponds;
• wherein the encoded dynamic range control bit stream comprises bit representations of shifted nodes selected from the nodes of one reference dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames, which are embedded in a bitstream portion corresponding to the dynamic range control frame subsequent to the one reference dynamic range control frame;
• and
• wherein the bit representation of each shifted node of the shifted nodes selected from the nodes of the one reference dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames is decoded in order to reproduce each shifted node of the shifted nodes selected from the nodes of the one reference dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames.