Bit Rate Reduction of Digitized Speech Using Entropy Techniques

We present the results of a study to reduce the bit rate of speech that has been digitized with a continuously variable slope delta modulator (CVSD) operating at 16, 24, and 32 kbits/s. The theoretical reduction is found from the bit stream entropy. The actual reduction, via Huffman coding, is within 1-2 Percent of the theoretical value. The conditional entropy indicates that additional bit rate reduction can be achieved if we use a set of Huffman codes, conditioned on the past CVSD bits. A third technique, tandem coding, using a maximum likelihood predictor in tandem with run length and Huffman coding, is also investigated. Using these entropy techniques, bit rate reductions of 11-25 percent are achieved for the CVSD rates considered. The paper concludes with a study of the buffer requirements needed to support these entropy coders.