| Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) | |
|---|---|
| Filename extension | .amr, .3ga |
| Internet media type | audio/amr, audio/3gpp, audio/3gpp2 |
| Initial release | 23 June 1999 (1999-06-23)[1][2] |
| Latest release | 14.0.0 17 March 2017; 8 years ago (2017-03-17) |
| Type of format | Lossyaudio |
| Open format? | Yes |
| Free format? | No |
TheAdaptive Multi-Rate (AMR,AMR-NB orGSM-AMR)audio codec is anaudio compression format optimized forspeech coding. AMR is a multi-ratenarrowband speechcodec that encodes narrowband (200–3400 Hz) signals at variable bit rates ranging from 4.75 to 12.2 kbit/s with toll quality[3] speech starting at 7.4 kbit/s.[4]
AMR was adopted as the standard speechcodec by3GPP in October 1999 and is now widely used inGSM[5] andUMTS. It useslink adaptation to select from one of eight different bit rates based on link conditions.
AMR is also a file format for storing spoken audio using the AMR codec. Many modern mobile telephone handsets can store short audio recordings in the AMR format, and bothfree and proprietary programs exist (seeSoftware support) to convert between this and other formats, although AMR is a speech format and is unlikely to give ideal results for other audio. The commonfilename extension is.amr. There also exists another storage format for AMR that is suitable for applications with more advanced demands on the storage format, like random access or synchronization with video. This format is the 3GPP-specified3GPcontainer format based on ISO base media file format.[6]
The frames contain 160 samples and are 20 milliseconds long.[1] AMR uses various techniques, such asACELP,DTX,VAD andCNG. The usage of AMR requires optimized link adaptation that selects the best codec mode to meet the local radio channel and capacity requirements. If the radio conditions are bad,source coding is reduced andchannel coding is increased. This improves the quality and robustness of the network connection while sacrificing some voice clarity. In the particular case of AMR this improvement is somewhere around S/N = 4–6 dB for usable communication. The new intelligent system allows the network operator to prioritize capacity or quality per base station.
There are a total of 14 modes of the AMR codec, eight are available in afull rate channel (FR) and six on ahalf rate channel (HR).
| Mode | Bitrate (kbit/s) | Channel | Compatible with |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMR_12.20 | 12.20 | FR | ETSI GSM enhanced full rate |
| AMR_10.20 | 10.20 | FR | |
| AMR_7.95 | 7.95 | FR/HR | |
| AMR_7.40 | 7.40 | FR/HR | TIA/EIA IS-641 TDMA enhanced full rate |
| AMR_6.70 | 6.70 | FR/HR | ARIB 6.7 kbit/s enhanced full rate |
| AMR_5.90 | 5.90 | FR/HR | |
| AMR_5.15 | 5.15 | FR/HR | |
| AMR_4.75 | 4.75 | FR/HR | |
| AMR_SID | 1.80 | FR/HR |
AMR codecs incorporate severalpatents ofNokia,Ericsson,NTT and VoiceAge,[7][8] the last one being theLicense Administrator for the AMRpatent pools. VoiceAge also accepts submission of patents for determination of their possible essentiality to these standards.[9][10]
The initial fee for professional content creation tools and "real-time channel" products is US$6,500.[when?] The minimum annual royalty is $10,000, which, in the first year, excludes the initial fee. Per-channel license fees fall from $0.99 to $0.50 with volume, up to a maximum of $2 million annually.[7][8]
In the category of personal computer products, e.g., media players, the AMR decoder is licensed for free. The license fee for a sold encoder falls from $0.40 to $0.30 with volume, up to a maximum of $300,000 annually. The minimum annual royalty is not applied to licensed products that fall under the category of personal computer products and use only the free decoder.[7][8]
More information: