Single‐Mode‐Based Unified Speech and Audio Coding by Extending the Linear Prediction Domain Coding Mode

Unified speech and audio coding (USAC) is one of the latest coding technologies. It is based on a switchable coding structure, and has demonstrated the highest levels of performance for both speech and music contents. In this paper, we propose an extended version of USAC with a single‐mode of operation—which does not require a switching system—by extending the linear prediction‐coding mode. The main concept of this extension is the adoption of the advantages of frequency‐domain coding schemes, such as windowing and transition control. Subjective test results indicate that the proposed scheme covers speech, music, and mixed streams with adequate levels of performance. The obtained quality levels are comparable with those of USAC.