Device and method for generating an encoded stereo signal of an audio piece or audio datastream

A method for generating an encoded stereo signal of an audio piece or an audio datastream comprising a first stereo channel and a second stereo channel from a multi-channel representation of the audio piece or the audio datastream comprising information on more than two multi-channels, comprising:

• providing the more than two multi-channels from the multi-channel representation;
• performing headphone signal processing to generate an uncoded stereo signal with an uncoded first stereo channel and an uncoded second stereo channel, the step of performing comprising:
• evaluating each multi-channel by a first filter function derived from a virtual position of a loudspeaker for reproducing the multi-channel and a virtual first ear position of a listener, for the first stereo channel, and a second filter function derived from a virtual position of the loudspeaker and a virtual second ear position of the listener, for the second stereo channel, to generate a first evaluated channel and a second evaluated channel for each multi-channel, the two virtual ear positions of the listener being different,
• adding the evaluated first channels to obtain the uncoded first stereo channel, and
• adding the evaluated second channels to obtain the uncoded second stereo channel;
• and
• stereo-coding the uncoded first stereo channel and the uncoded second stereo channel to obtain the encoded stereo signal, the step of stereo-coding being executed such that a data rate necessary for transmitting the encoded stereo signal is smaller than a data rate necessary for transmitting the uncoded stereo signal;
• wherein
• the multi-channel representation comprises one or several basic channels as well as parametric information for calculating each multi-channel from the one or several basic channels;
• each multi-channel is calculated from the one or the several basic channels and the parametric information;
• as a result of the step of providing, a block-wise frequency domain representation for each multi-channel is obtained;
• the step of performing includes evaluating the block-wise frequency domain representation for each multi-channel by a frequency domain representation of the first and second filter functions without a frequency domain to time domain conversion;
• the step of performing includes generating a block-wise frequency domain representation of the uncoded first stereo channel and the uncoded second stereo channel;
• and
• the step of stereo-coding includes using a transformation-based encoder and processing the block-wise frequency domain representation of the uncoded first stereo channel and the uncoded second stereo channel without a frequency domain to time domain conversion.

A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising a program code for performing a method when the computer program runs on a computer for generating an encoded stereo signal of an audio piece or an audio datastream comprising a first stereo channel and a second stereo channel from a multi-channel representation of the audio piece or the audio datastream comprising information on more than two multi-channels, comprising:

• providing the more than two multi-channels from the multi-channel representation;
• performing headphone signal processing to generate an uncoded stereo signal with an uncoded first stereo channel and an uncoded second stereo channel, the step of performing comprising:
• evaluating each multi-channel by a first filter function derived from a virtual position of a loudspeaker for reproducing the multi-channel and a virtual first ear position of a listener, for the first stereo channel, and a second filter function derived from a virtual position of the loudspeaker and a virtual second ear position of the listener, for the second stereo channel, to generate a first evaluated channel and a second evaluated channel for each multi-channel, the two virtual ear positions of the listener being different,
• adding the evaluated first channels to obtain the uncoded first stereo channel, and
• adding the evaluated second channels to obtain the uncoded second stereo channel;
• and
• stereo-coding the uncoded first stereo channel and the uncoded second stereo channel to obtain the encoded stereo signal, the step of stereo-coding being executed such that a data rate necessary for transmitting the encoded stereo signal is smaller than a data rate necessary for transmitting the uncoded stereo signal;
• wherein
• the multi-channel representation comprises one or several basic channels as well as parametric information for calculating each multi-channel from the one or several basic channels;
• each multi-channel is calculated from the one or the several basic channels and the parametric information;
• as a result of the step of providing, a block-wise frequency domain representation for each multi-channel is obtained;
• the step of performing includes evaluating the block-wise frequency domain representation for each multi-channel by a frequency domain representation of the first and second filter functions without a frequency domain to time domain conversion;
• the step of performing includes generating a block-wise frequency domain representation of the uncoded first stereo channel and the uncoded second stereo channel;
• and
• the step of stereo-coding includes using a transformation-based encoder and processing the block-wise frequency domain representation of the uncoded first stereo channel and the uncoded second stereo channel without a frequency domain to time domain conversion.