Algebraic quantization of transform coefficients for embedded audio coding

This paper proposes a new quantization for transform coefficients based on algebraic quantization. The coefficients are represented by a few pulses multiplied by a unique amplitude. The coefficients to be transmitted are selected by optimizing an error criterion, that determines the signs, positions and amplitudes of the pulses. This simple quantization has been implemented in a wavelet-based wideband scalable coder, and has been proved to provide a perceptually better quality than SPIHT on speech signal and music.