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Abstract

A voice quality performance evaluator includes an interface, memory, processing circuitry and may include a network interface. The interface is adapted to couple to a voice transmission path under test. The memory couples to the interface and is adapted to store an original voice sample and a modified voice sample. The processing circuitry couples to the interface and to the memory, retrieves the original voice sample from the memory and transmits the original voice sample to the voice transmission path under test via the interface. The processing circuitry also receives the modified voice sample via the interface from the voice transmission path under test. Finally, the processing circuitry compares the original voice sample to the modified voice sample in the frequency domain to evaluate the performance of the voice transmission path. In one construction, the voice quality performance evaluator includes a network interface that directs the communication network to complete the voice transmission path from and to the voice terminal. In one type of test that is performed by the voice quality performance evaluator, the voice transmission path includes only a vocoder of a voice terminal. However, in another type of test performed by the voice quality performance evaluator, the voice transmission path further includes a communication network. In one implementation, the original voice sample comprises a plurality of different voice samples. These plurality of different voice samples are separated by time markers. The time markers assist in allowing the voice quality performance evaluator to align the original voice sample and the modified voice sample prior to evaluating same. In performing its analysis, the voice quality performance evaluator divides the original voice sample and the modified voice sample into a plurality of time segments and performs an evaluation for each time segment. The voice quality performance evaluator then accumulates the evaluation for each time segment to produce an evaluation for the complete modified voice sample. Once the evaluation is complete, the voice quality performance evaluator may normalize the evaluation of the voice transmission path to other evaluations.

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