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\section{Probability Model and Codebooks} \label{vorbis:spec:codebook}

\subsection{Overview}

Unlike practically every other mainstream audio codec, Vorbis has no

statically configured probability model, instead packing all entropy

decoding configuration, VQ and Huffman, into the bitstream itself in

the third header, the codec setup header. This packed configuration

consists of multiple 'codebooks', each containing a specific

Huffman-equivalent representation for decoding compressed codewords as

well as an optional lookup table of output vector values to which a

decoded Huffman value is applied as an offset, generating the final

decoded output corresponding to a given compressed codeword.

\subsubsection{Bitwise operation}

The codebook mechanism is built on top of the vorbis bitpacker. Both

the codebooks themselves and the codewords they decode are unrolled

from a packet as a series of arbitrary-width values read from the

stream according to \xref{vorbis:spec:bitpacking}.

\subsection{Packed codebook format}

For purposes of the examples below, we assume that the storage

system's native byte width is eight bits. This is not universally

true; see \xref{vorbis:spec:bitpacking} for discussion

relating to non-eight-bit bytes.

\subsubsection{codebook decode}

A codebook begins with a 24 bit sync pattern, 0x564342:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

byte 0: [ 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 ] (0x42)

byte 1: [ 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 ] (0x43)

byte 2: [ 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 ] (0x56)

\end{Verbatim}

16 bit \varname{[codebook\_dimensions]} and 24 bit \varname{[codebook\_entries]} fields:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

byte 3: [ X X X X X X X X ]

byte 4: [ X X X X X X X X ] [codebook\_dimensions] (16 bit unsigned)

byte 5: [ X X X X X X X X ]

byte 6: [ X X X X X X X X ]

byte 7: [ X X X X X X X X ] [codebook\_entries] (24 bit unsigned)

\end{Verbatim}

Next is the \varname{[ordered]} bit flag:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

byte 8: [ X ] [ordered] (1 bit)

\end{Verbatim}

Each entry, numbering a

total of \varname{[codebook\_entries]}, is assigned a codeword length.

We now read the list of codeword lengths and store these lengths in

the array \varname{[codebook\_codeword\_lengths]}. Decode of lengths is

according to whether the \varname{[ordered]} flag is set or unset.

\begin{itemize}

\item

If the \varname{[ordered]} flag is unset, the codeword list is not

length ordered and the decoder needs to read each codeword length

one-by-one.

The decoder first reads one additional bit flag, the

\varname{[sparse]} flag. This flag determines whether or not the

codebook contains unused entries that are not to be included in the

codeword decode tree:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

byte 8: [ X 1 ] [sparse] flag (1 bit)

\end{Verbatim}

The decoder now performs for each of the \varname{[codebook\_entries]}

codebook entries:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

1) if([sparse] is set) \{

2) [flag] = read one bit;

3) if([flag] is set) \{

4) [length] = read a five bit unsigned integer;

5) codeword length for this entry is [length]+1;

\} else \{

6) this entry is unused. mark it as such.

\}

\} else the sparse flag is not set \{

7) [length] = read a five bit unsigned integer;

8) the codeword length for this entry is [length]+1;

\}

\end{Verbatim}

\item

If the \varname{[ordered]} flag is set, the codeword list for this

codebook is encoded in ascending length order. Rather than reading

a length for every codeword, the encoder reads the number of

codewords per length. That is, beginning at entry zero:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

1) [current\_entry] = 0;

2) [current\_length] = read a five bit unsigned integer and add 1;

3) [number] = read \link{vorbis:spec:ilog}{ilog}([codebook\_entries] - [current\_entry]) bits as an unsigned integer

4) set the entries [current\_entry] through [current\_entry]+[number]-1, inclusive,

of the [codebook\_codeword\_lengths] array to [current\_length]

5) set [current\_entry] to [number] + [current\_entry]

6) increment [current\_length] by 1

7) if [current\_entry] is greater than [codebook\_entries] ERROR CONDITION;

the decoder will not be able to read this stream.

8) if [current\_entry] is less than [codebook\_entries], repeat process starting at 3)

9) done.

\end{Verbatim}

\end{itemize}

After all codeword lengths have been decoded, the decoder reads the

vector lookup table. Vorbis I supports three lookup types:

\begin{enumerate}

\item

No lookup

\item

Implicitly populated value mapping (lattice VQ)

\item

Explicitly populated value mapping (tessellated or 'foam'

VQ)

\end{enumerate}

The lookup table type is read as a four bit unsigned integer:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

1) [codebook\_lookup\_type] = read four bits as an unsigned integer

\end{Verbatim}

Codebook decode precedes according to \varname{[codebook\_lookup\_type]}:

\begin{itemize}

\item

Lookup type zero indicates no lookup to be read. Proceed past

lookup decode.

\item

Lookup types one and two are similar, differing only in the

number of lookup values to be read. Lookup type one reads a list of

values that are permuted in a set pattern to build a list of vectors,

each vector of order \varname{[codebook\_dimensions]} scalars. Lookup

type two builds the same vector list, but reads each scalar for each

vector explicitly, rather than building vectors from a smaller list of

possible scalar values. Lookup decode proceeds as follows:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

1) [codebook\_minimum\_value] = \link{vorbis:spec:float32:unpack}{float32\_unpack}( read 32 bits as an unsigned integer)

2) [codebook\_delta\_value] = \link{vorbis:spec:float32:unpack}{float32\_unpack}( read 32 bits as an unsigned integer)

3) [codebook\_value\_bits] = read 4 bits as an unsigned integer and add 1

4) [codebook\_sequence\_p] = read 1 bit as a boolean flag

if ( [codebook\_lookup\_type] is 1 ) \{

5) [codebook\_lookup\_values] = \link{vorbis:spec:lookup1:values}{lookup1\_values}(\varname{[codebook\_entries]}, \varname{[codebook\_dimensions]} )

\} else \{

6) [codebook\_lookup\_values] = \varname{[codebook\_entries]} * \varname{[codebook\_dimensions]}

\}

7) read a total of [codebook\_lookup\_values] unsigned integers of [codebook\_value\_bits] each;

store these in order in the array [codebook\_multiplicands]

\end{Verbatim}

\item

A \varname{[codebook\_lookup\_type]} of greater than two is reserved

and indicates a stream that is not decodable by the specification in this

document.

\end{itemize}

An 'end of packet' during any read operation in the above steps is

considered an error condition rendering the stream undecodable.

\paragraph{Huffman decision tree representation}

The \varname{[codebook\_codeword\_lengths]} array and

\varname{[codebook\_entries]} value uniquely define the Huffman decision

tree used for entropy decoding.

Briefly, each used codebook entry (recall that length-unordered

codebooks support unused codeword entries) is assigned, in order, the

lowest valued unused binary Huffman codeword possible. Assume the

following codeword length list:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

entry 0: length 2

entry 1: length 4

entry 2: length 4

entry 3: length 4

entry 4: length 4

entry 5: length 2

entry 6: length 3

entry 7: length 3

\end{Verbatim}

Assigning codewords in order (lowest possible value of the appropriate

length to highest) results in the following codeword list:

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

entry 0: length 2 codeword 00

entry 1: length 4 codeword 0100

entry 2: length 4 codeword 0101

entry 3: length 4 codeword 0110

entry 4: length 4 codeword 0111

entry 5: length 2 codeword 10

entry 6: length 3 codeword 110

entry 7: length 3 codeword 111

\end{Verbatim}

\begin{note}

Unlike most binary numerical values in this document, we

intend the above codewords to be read and used bit by bit from left to

right, thus the codeword '001' is the bit string 'zero, zero, one'.

When determining 'lowest possible value' in the assignment definition

above, the leftmost bit is the MSb.

\end{note}

It is clear that the codeword length list represents a Huffman

decision tree with the entry numbers equivalent to the leaves numbered

left-to-right:

\begin{center}

\includegraphics[width=10cm]{hufftree}

\captionof{figure}{huffman tree illustration}

\end{center}

As we assign codewords in order, we see that each choice constructs a

new leaf in the leftmost possible position.

Note that it's possible to underspecify or overspecify a Huffman tree

via the length list. In the above example, if codeword seven were

eliminated, it's clear that the tree is unfinished:

\begin{center}

\includegraphics[width=10cm]{hufftree-under}

\captionof{figure}{underspecified huffman tree illustration}

\end{center}

Similarly, in the original codebook, it's clear that the tree is fully

populated and a ninth codeword is impossible. Both underspecified and

overspecified trees are an error condition rendering the stream

undecodable.

Codebook entries marked 'unused' are simply skipped in the assigning

process. They have no codeword and do not appear in the decision

tree, thus it's impossible for any bit pattern read from the stream to

decode to that entry number.

\paragraph{Errata 20150226: Single entry codebooks}

A 'single-entry codebook' is a codebook with one active codeword

entry. A single-entry codebook may be either a fully populated

codebook with only one declared entry, or a sparse codebook with only

one entry marked used. The Vorbis I spec provides no means to specify

a codeword length of zero, and as a result, a single-entry codebook is

inherently malformed because it is underpopulated. The original

specification did not address directly the matter of single-entry

codebooks; they were implicitly illegal as it was not possible to

write such a codebook with a valid tree structure.

In r14811 of the libvorbis reference implementation, Xiph added an

additional check to the codebook implementation to reject

underpopulated Huffman trees. This change led to the discovery of

single-entry books used 'in the wild' when the new, stricter checks

rejected a number of apparently working streams.

In order to minimize breakage of deployed (if technically erroneous)

streams, r16073 of the reference implementation explicitly

special-cased single-entry codebooks to tolerate the single-entry

case. Commit r16073 also added the following to the specification:

\blockquote{\sout{Take special care that a codebook with a single used

entry is handled properly; it consists of a single codework of

zero bits and ’reading’ a value out of such a codebook always

returns the single used value and sinks zero bits.

}}

The intent was to clarify the spec and codify current practice.

However, this addition is erroneously at odds with the intent of preserving

usability of existing streams using single-entry codebooks, disagrees

with the code changes that reinstated decoding, and does not address how

single-entry codebooks should be encoded.

As such, the above addition made in r16037 is struck from the

specification and replaced by the following:

\blockquote{It is possible to declare a Vorbis codebook containing a

single codework entry. A single-entry codebook may be either a

fully populated codebook with \varname{[codebook\_entries]} set to

1, or a sparse codebook marking only one entry used. Note that it

is not possible to also encode a \varname{[codeword\_length]} of

zero for the single used codeword, as the unsigned value written to

the stream is \varname{[codeword\_length]-1}. Instead, encoder

implementations should indicate a \varname{[codeword\_length]} of 1

and 'write' the codeword to a stream during audio encoding by

writing a single zero bit.

Decoder implementations shall reject a codebook if it contains only

one used entry and the encoded \varname{[codeword\_length]} of that

entry is not 1. 'Reading' a value from single-entry codebook always

returns the single used codeword value and sinks one bit. Decoders

should tolerate that the bit read from the stream be '1' instead of

'0'; both values shall return the single used codeword.}

\paragraph{VQ lookup table vector representation}

Unpacking the VQ lookup table vectors relies on the following values:

\begin{programlisting}

the [codebook\_multiplicands] array

[codebook\_minimum\_value]

[codebook\_delta\_value]

[codebook\_sequence\_p]

[codebook\_lookup\_type]

[codebook\_entries]

[codebook\_dimensions]

[codebook\_lookup\_values]

\end{programlisting}

\bigskip

Decoding (unpacking) a specific vector in the vector lookup table

proceeds according to \varname{[codebook\_lookup\_type]}. The unpacked

vector values are what a codebook would return during audio packet

decode in a VQ context.

\paragraph{Vector value decode: Lookup type 1}

Lookup type one specifies a lattice VQ lookup table built

algorithmically from a list of scalar values. Calculate (unpack) the

final values of a codebook entry vector from the entries in

\varname{[codebook\_multiplicands]} as follows (\varname{[value\_vector]}

is the output vector representing the vector of values for entry number

\varname{[lookup\_offset]} in this codebook):

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

1) [last] = 0;

2) [index\_divisor] = 1;

3) iterate [i] over the range 0 ... [codebook\_dimensions]-1 (once for each scalar value in the value vector) \{

4) [multiplicand\_offset] = ( [lookup\_offset] divided by [index\_divisor] using integer

division ) integer modulo [codebook\_lookup\_values]

5) vector [value\_vector] element [i] =

( [codebook\_multiplicands] array element number [multiplicand\_offset] ) *

[codebook\_delta\_value] + [codebook\_minimum\_value] + [last];

6) if ( [codebook\_sequence\_p] is set ) then set [last] = vector [value\_vector] element [i]

7) [index\_divisor] = [index\_divisor] * [codebook\_lookup\_values]

\}

8) vector calculation completed.

\end{Verbatim}

\paragraph{Vector value decode: Lookup type 2}

Lookup type two specifies a VQ lookup table in which each scalar in

each vector is explicitly set by the \varname{[codebook\_multiplicands]}

array in a one-to-one mapping. Calculate [unpack] the

final values of a codebook entry vector from the entries in

\varname{[codebook\_multiplicands]} as follows (\varname{[value\_vector]}

is the output vector representing the vector of values for entry number

\varname{[lookup\_offset]} in this codebook):

\begin{Verbatim}[commandchars=\\\{\}]

1) [last] = 0;

2) [multiplicand\_offset] = [lookup\_offset] * [codebook\_dimensions]

3) iterate [i] over the range 0 ... [codebook\_dimensions]-1 (once for each scalar value in the value vector) \{

4) vector [value\_vector] element [i] =

( [codebook\_multiplicands] array element number [multiplicand\_offset] ) *

[codebook\_delta\_value] + [codebook\_minimum\_value] + [last];

5) if ( [codebook\_sequence\_p] is set ) then set [last] = vector [value\_vector] element [i]

6) increment [multiplicand\_offset]

\}

7) vector calculation completed.

\end{Verbatim}

\subsection{Use of the codebook abstraction}

The decoder uses the codebook abstraction much as it does the

bit-unpacking convention; a specific codebook reads a

codeword from the bitstream, decoding it into an entry number, and then

returns that entry number to the decoder (when used in a scalar

entropy coding context), or uses that entry number as an offset into

the VQ lookup table, returning a vector of values (when used in a context

desiring a VQ value). Scalar or VQ context is always explicit; any call

to the codebook mechanism requests either a scalar entry number or a

lookup vector.

Note that VQ lookup type zero indicates that there is no lookup table;

requesting decode using a codebook of lookup type 0 in any context

expecting a vector return value (even in a case where a vector of

dimension one) is forbidden. If decoder setup or decode requests such

an action, that is an error condition rendering the packet

undecodable.

Using a codebook to read from the packet bitstream consists first of

reading and decoding the next codeword in the bitstream. The decoder

reads bits until the accumulated bits match a codeword in the

codebook. This process can be though of as logically walking the

Huffman decode tree by reading one bit at a time from the bitstream,

and using the bit as a decision boolean to take the 0 branch (left in

the above examples) or the 1 branch (right in the above examples).

Walking the tree finishes when the decode process hits a leaf in the

decision tree; the result is the entry number corresponding to that

leaf. Reading past the end of a packet propagates the 'end-of-stream'

condition to the decoder.

When used in a scalar context, the resulting codeword entry is the

desired return value.

When used in a VQ context, the codeword entry number is used as an

offset into the VQ lookup table. The value returned to the decoder is

the vector of scalars corresponding to this offset.