Speech Encoding by a Stack Algorithm

A metric-first tree coding algorithm, similar to the stack algorithm, is used to encode voiced speech. From experimental evidence, it is shown how to optimize the algorithm's performance with respect to the algorithm's storage, execution time, and number of tree branches searched per symbol released as output. For each of these, the optimal parameterizing of the algorithm differs markedly. Similarities are pointed out between our results for speech and earlier theoretical results for the binary i.i.d, source with Hamming distortion measure. Comparisons to the
M
algorithm are made.