Impairment Factor Framework for Wide-Band Speech Codecs

A new method is described for quantifying the quality degradation introduced by wide-band speech codecs via a one-dimensional impairment factor. The method is based on auditory listening-only tests, but the resulting impairment factors may be used for predicting speech quality in an instrumental way, e.g., for network planning purposes. Following the method, auditory test results are first transformed to an overall quality rating scale, and then adjusted to rule out test-specific effects. The derived impairment factors fit into the common framework which is defined by the E-model for narrow-band telephone networks, and which is hereby extended towards wide-band speech transmission. This paper presents the necessary auditory test data, describes the derivation and adjustment methodology, and provides numerical values for a range of wide-band speech codecs. The values are tested for their robustness in case of codec tandems and adjusted to represent the effects of packet loss