User`s guide
Modified Covariance Method
5-316
5Modified Covariance Method
Purpose Compute a parametric spectral estimate using the modified covariance 
method.
Library Estimation / Power Spectrum Estimation
Description The Modified Covariance Method block estimates the power spectral density 
(PSD) of the input using the modified covariance method. This method fits an 
autoregressive (AR) model to the signal by minimizing the forward and 
backward prediction errors in the least-squares sense. The order of the all-pole 
model is the value specified by the 
Estimation order parameter, and the 
spectrum is computed from the FFT of the estimated AR model parameters. 
The input is a sample-based vector (row, column, or 1-D) or frame-based vector 
(column only) representing a frame of consecutive time samples from a 
single-channel signal. The block’s output (a column vector) is the estimate of 
the signal’s power spectral density at N
fft
 equally spaced frequency points in 
the range [0,F
s
), where F
s
 is the signal’s sample frequency.
When 
Inherit FFT length from input dimensions is selected, N
fft
 is specified 
by the frame size of the input, which must be a power of 2. When 
Inherit FFT 
length from input dimensions
 is not selected, N
fft
 is specified as a power of 2 
by the 
FFT length parameter, and the block zero pads or truncates the input 
to N
fft
 before computing the FFT. The output is always sample-based.
See the Burg Method block reference for a comparison of the Burg Method, 
Covariance Method, Modified Covariance Method, and Yule-Walker Method 
blocks.
Examples The dspsacomp demo compares the modified covariance method with several 
other spectral estimation methods.










