Digital transmission system for transmitting a digital audio signal being in the form of samples of a specific wordlength and occurring at a specific sampling rate

A method comprising the steps of:

• receiving samples of a digital audio signal;
• receiving a first information word indicating the specific wordlength of the samples and a second information word indicating the specific sampling rate of the samples;
• combining the samples and the first and second information words into a serial datastream, the wordlength of the samples, expressed in a number of bits, being equal to n, where n is an integer larger than zero, and the sampling rate of the samples being equal to 2p*Fs, where p is an integer larger than zero and Fs is a frequency value selected from a group of frequency values consisting of:
• 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz;
• transmitting the serial datastream through a medium;
• receiving the serial datastream from the medium;
• retrieving the first and second information words from the serial datastream, and retrieving the samples of the digital audio signal from the serial datastream using the first information word;
• converting the sampling rate of the samples from the sampling rate defined by the second information word into a second sampling rate so as to obtain an sample rate converted digital audio signal, wherein the second sampling rate is equal to 2q*Fs′, where q is an integer larger than zero and Fs′ is a frequency value selected from a group of frequency values consisting of:
• 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz, the samples in the sample rate converted digital audio signal having a specific wordlength;
• the sample rate conversion including:
• upsampling the samples of the digital audio signal so as to obtain an unsampled digital audio signal having a sampling rate equal to 2q*Fs′;
• and
• variably holding samples of the upsampled digital audio signal so as to obtain the sample rate converted digital audio signal;
• and
• the method further comprising supplying the sample rate converted digital audio signal at the second sampling rate.

A receiver comprising:

• receiver input means for receiving a serial datastream from a transmission medium;
• retrieval means for retrieving a first and second information words from the serial datastream, for retrieving a digital audio signal from the serial datastream using the first information word;
• sample rate conversion means for converting the sampling rate of the samples in the digital audio signal supplied by the retrieval means from the sampling rate defined by the second information word into a second sampling rate so as to obtain an in sample rate converted digital audio signal, wherein the second sampling rate is equal to 2q*Fs′, where q is an integer larger than zero and Fs′ is a frequency value selected from a group of frequency values consisting of:
• 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz, the samples in the in sample rate converted digital audio signal having a specific wordlength;
• and
• output means for supplying the in sample rate converted digital audio signal at the second sampling rate;
• and wherein the sample rate conversion means include:
• upsampling means for upsampling the digital audio signal so as to obtain an upsampled digital audio signal having a sampling rate equal to 2q*Fs;
• and
• variable hold means for variably holding the samples of the upsampled digital audio signal so as to obtain the in sample rate converted digital audio signal.