Digital audio signal filtering mechanism and method

A computer readable medium useful in association with a computer which includes a processor and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions which are configured to cause the computer to process an audio signal to produce an encoded audio signal for subsequent delivery through a selected one of two or more delivery mediums, each of which has one or more medium characteristics, by performing the steps of:

• storing in a memory of a computer, processing parameter data for each of the two or more delivery mediums wherein the processing parameter data specifies audio signal processing in two or more cascaded processing stages by which the audio signal is processed according one or more of the medium characteristics of the delivery mediums to produce the encoded audio signal for subsequent delivery through a corresponding one of the two or more delivery mediums;
• receiving signals which specify the selected delivery medium;
• retrieving from the memory the processing parameter data for the selected delivery medium;
• and
• processing the audio signal in the two or more cascaded processing stages in accordance with the retrieved processing parameter data to produce the encoded audio signal for subsequent delivery through the selected delivery medium, wherein the two or more cascaded processing stages include a filtering stage and an encoding stage:
• (i) further wherein the processing parameter data for each of the two or more delivery mediums include;
• filtering parameter data which specify audio signal filtering in the filtering stage by which a filtered audio signal is produced from the audio signal;
• and
• encoding parameter data which specify audio signal encoding in the encoding stage by which the filtered audio signal is encoded to form the encoded audio signal;
• (ii) further wherein the step of processing comprises:
• filtering the audio signal in the filtering stage in accordance with the filtering parameter data of the retrieved processing parameter data to produce the filtered audio signal;
• and
• encoding the filtered audio signal in the encoding stage in accordance with the encoding parameter data of the retrieved processing parameter data to produce the encoded audio signal for subsequent delivery through the selected delivery medium.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory operatively coupled to the processor;
• and
• an audio signal processor which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed by the processor, causes the computer to process an audio signal to produce an encoded audio signal for subsequent delivery through a selected one of two or more delivery mediums, each of which has one or more medium characteristics, by performing the steps of:
• storing in a memory of a computer, processing parameter data for each of the two or more delivery mediums wherein the processing parameter data specifies audio signal processing in two or more cascaded processing stages by which the audio signal is processed according one or more of the medium characteristics of the delivery mediums to produce the encoded audio signal for subsequent delivery through a corresponding one of the two or more delivery mediums;
• receiving signals which specify the selected delivery medium;
• retrieving from the memory the processing parameter data for the selected delivery medium;
• and
• processing the audio signal in the two or more cascaded processing stages in accordance with the retrieved processing parameter data to produce the encoded audio signal for subsequent delivery through the selected delivery medium, wherein the two or more cascaded processing stages include a filtering stage and an encoding stage:
• (i) further wherein the processing parameter data for each of the two or more delivery mediums include;
• filtering parameter data which specify audio signal filtering in the filtering stage by which a filtered audio signal is produced from the audio signal;
• and
• encoding parameter data which specify audio signal encoding in the encoding stage by which the filtered audio signal is encoded to form the encoded audio signal;
• (ii) further wherein the step of processing comprises:
• filtering the audio signal in the filtering stage in accordance with the filtering parameter adapt of the retrieved processing parameter data to produce the filtered audio signal;
• and
• encoding the filtered audio signal in the encoding stage in accordance with the encoding parameter data of the retrieved processing parameter data to produce the encoded audio signal for subsequent delivery through the selected delivery medium.