The perceived audio quality of a digital broadcasting system (such as DAB+) is dependent on the type of coding and bit rates selected. Because of bandwidth constraints, the required number of channels, and conflicting auxiliary services, audio quality is sometimes degraded. In designing a broadcast system, it is necessary to have well-defined criteria for minimally acceptable quality. Two studies explored quality criteria and how quality degrades for various bit rates. For DAB+ the subchannel rate should not be less than the currently available maximum of 192 kbits/s for a stereo signal, which would be comparable to the quality of a modern FM system. Rates below 160 kbit/s can significantly degrade certain types of program material. To be truly perceptually transparent, bits rates of close to 300 kbits/s may be needed when using the current generation of coders.

Authors: Berg, Jan; Bustad, Christofer; Jonsson, Lars; Mossberg, Lars; Nyberg, Dan
Affiliations: Luleå University of Technology, Piteå, Sweden; Swedish Radio, Stockholm, Sweden; Swedish National Laboratory of Forensic Science - SKL, Linköping, Sweden(See document for exact affiliation information.)
JAES Volume 61 Issue 10 pp. 755-777; October 2013
Publication Date: October 28, 2013 Import into BibTeX
Permalink: https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=16969

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