Digital signal processing apparatus for converting a digital signal from one transmission rate to another transmission rate

A digital signal processing apparatus comprising:

• signal processing means for converting on a digital-to-digital basis an applied digital signal occurring at a first transmission rate into a digital signal occurring at a second transmission rate according to a given low bit rate coding/decoding program, wherein said first and second transmission rates are different;
• a plurality of storage means for storing a corresponding plurality of low bit rate coding/decoding programs, each of said programs being different from each other;
• temporary storage means for temporarily storing any of said plurality of low bit rate coding/decoding programs;
• and
• control means for determining a low bit rate coding/decoding method of said applied digital signal, and, in response to the method so determined, selecting one of the plurality of storage means that stores one of low bit rate coding/decoding programs corresponding to the determined low bit rate coding/decoding method and transferring the one low bit rate coding/decoding program stored therein to said temporary storage means;
• and
• wherein said signal processing means performs the digital-to-digital conversion according to the low bit rate coding/decoding program transferred to said temporary storage means.