Apparatus and method for down converting multichannel programs to dual channel programs using a smart coefficient generator

An apparatus for recording a multichannel program comprising:

• an audio converter adapted to use a conversion process to convert said multichannel program at least partially into a modified program requiring less channels than said multichannel program, said audio converter including control elements used to modify the conversion process;
• a coefficient generator coupled to said audio converter to generate a coefficient indicative of the operation of said control elements;
• a mixer arranged to mix said coefficient with program data corresponding to said modified program to generate mixed data;
• and
• a recorder arranged to record the mixed data on a medium, wherein said medium is played using a reduced channel player device to reproduce said multichannel program, said reduced channel player making use of said coefficient.