Pulse-code Modulation Digitization As Part Of The PCM Process

Several PCM streams may be multiplexed into a larger aggregate data stream. This technique is called Time-Division Multiplexing, or TDM. TDM was invented by the telephone industry, but today the technique is an integral part of many digital audio workstations such as Pro Tools.

1 Digitization as part of the PCM process

In conventional PCM, the analog signal may be processed (e.g. by amplitude compression) before being digitized. Once the signal is digitized, the PCM signal is not subjected to further processing (e.g. digital data compressionIn computer science, data compression is the process of encoding information using fewer bits, or information units, thanks to specific encoding schemes. For example, this article could be encoded with fewer bits if we accept the convention that the word).

Some forms of PCM combine signal processing with coding. Older versions of these systems applied the processing in the analog domain as part of the A/D process, newer implementations do so in the digital domain. These simple techniques have been largely rendered obsolete by modern transform-based signal compressionIn telecommunication, the term signal compression has the following meanings: In analog (usually audio) systems, reduction of the dynamic range of a signal by controlling it as a function of the inverse relationship of its instantaneous value relative to techniques.

The default encoding on a DS0 is either mu-law PCM (North America) or a-law PCM (Europe and most of the rest of the world). These are logarithmic compression systems where a 12 or 13 bit linear PCM sample number is mapped into an 8 bit value. This system is described by international standard G.711.

Where circuit costs are high and loss of voice quality is acceptable, it sometimes makes sense to compress the voice signal even further. An ADPCM algorithm is used to map a series of 8 bit PCM samples into a series of 4 bit ADPCM samples. In this way, the capacity of the line is doubled. The technique is detailed in the G.726 standard.

Later it was found that even further compression was possible and additional standards were published. Some of these international standards describe systems and ideas which are covered by privately owned patents and thus to use these standards requires payments to the patent holders.

Some ADPCM techniques are used in Voice over IPIP Telephony also called Internet telephony is the technology that makes it possible to have a telephone conversation over the Internet or a dedicated Internet Protocol (IP) network instead of dedicated voice transmission lines. This allows the eliminatio communications.

2 Encoding the bitstream as a signal

Pulse-code modulation can be either return-to-zeroReturn-to-zero (RZ) describes a line code used in telecommunications signals in which the signal drops (returns) to zero between each pulse. This takes place even if a number of consecutive zeros or ones occur in the signal. Contrast with Non-return-to-ze (RZ) or non-return-to-zeroIn telecommunication, a non-return-to-zero (NRZ line code is a binary code in which "1s" are represented by one significant condition and "0s" are represented by another, with no neutral or rest condition, such as a zero amplitude in amplitude modulation (NRZ). For a NRZ system to be synchronized using in-band information, there must not be long sequences of identical symbols, such as ones or zeroes. For binary PCM systems, the density of 1-symbols is called 'ones-density'.

Ones-density is often controlled using precoding techniques such as Run Length LimitedRun Length Limited commonly RLL is the most popular scheme for encoding data on hard disks. RLL packs up to 50% more data on a disk than its predecessor in the PC market, MFM. History RLL encoding was invented by IBM, who used it in mainframe disk drives. encoding, where the PCM code is expanded into a slightly longer code with a guaranteed bound on ones-density before modulation into the channel. In other cases, extra 'framing' bits are added into the stream which guarantee at least occasional symbol transitions.

Another technique used to control ones-density is the use of a 'scrambler' polynomial on the raw data which will tend to turn the raw data stream into a stream that looks pseudo-random, but where the raw stream can be recovered exactly by reversing the effect of the polynomial. In this case, long runs of zeroes or ones are still possible on the output, but are considered unlikely enough to be within normal engineering tolerance.

In other cases, the long term DC value of the modulated signal is important, as building up a DC offset will tend to bias detector circuits out of their operating range. In this case special measures are taken to keep a count of the cumulative DC offset, and to modify the codes if necessary to make the DC offset always tend back to zero.

Many of these codes are bipolar codes , where the pulses can be positive, negative or absent. Typically, non-zero pulses alternate between being positive and negative. These rules may be violated to generate special symbols used for framing or other special purposes.

3 History of PCM

The first transmission of speech by pulse code modulation was the SIGSALY voice encryption equipment used for high-level Allied communications during World War II.

To be written - topics to be covered:

development of the PCM concept
Bell Labs and 8 kHz DS0 standard
early ADPCM codecs
mu law and A law
development of hi-fi digital audio
NICAM
the compact disk
Sigma-delta modulation

Home > Pulse-code modulation

1 Digitization as part of the PCM process

2 Encoding the bitstream as a signal

3 History of PCM

4 See also

Topics: Pulse-code Modulation, Digitization As Part Of The PCM Process...