A class-oriented replacement technique for lost speech packets

A replacement technique for lost speech packets is presented. This technique is based on the classification of the packets into four distinct classes: background noise, voiced speech, fricatives, and other. Different encoding schemes and lost packet replacement techniques are used for each class. Results of subjective tests indicate that giving preferential delivery treatment to packets based on class can be used to improve subjective quality. The replacement strategy renders the reconstructed signal indistinguishable from the original utterance for packet loss rates up to 47% for background noise packets, 8% for fricative packets, and 4% for other packets. For voiced packets, the replacement is distinguishable from the original signal even for packet loss rates lower than 5%, but significant improvement may be possible by reducing the memory associated with the voiced speech coding process.<<ETX>>