New applications of channel vocoders

Recent work in the field of speech digitization has led to the identification of a variety of new requirements for the speech terminal. Among these are the need for variable rate, robustness, very low rates, low cost, weight, and power. Coupled with these needs is the ever-present desire for higher quality systems. In this paper recent innovations in channel vocoders are described that pertain to these requirements and the conclusion is drawn that the channel vocoder has significant potential for fulfilling the above needs.