Information about High Definition Compatible Digital
High Definition Compatible Digital, or HDCD is a patented encode-decode process, now under Microsoft, that improves the audio quality of standard Redbook audio CDs, while retaining backward compatibility with existing Compact disc players.
At over 4000 titles, HDCD-encoded releases constitute a fraction of the total CD commercial music catalog, but many popular artists insist on using HDCD for their new releases. A web site devoted to HDCD recordings can be found at the following location http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67082.
A number of universal CD and DVD players include HDCD decoding, and version 9 and above of the Windows Media Player software (on personal computers with a 24-bit sound card) are capable of decoding HDCD.
An HDCD-encoded CD usually, but not always, has the HDCD logo printed on the back cover.
New HDCD-encoded CDs are still being mastered and being added to various catalogs, and there is no additional cost for these HDCD recordings, unlike the higher price charged for newer digital audio formats based on higher bit-rate media such as Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD-Audio.
HDCD encoding places a control signal in the least significant bit of the 16-bit Red Book audio samples (a technique known as in-band signaling). The HDCD decoder in the consumer's CD or DVD player, if present, responds to the signal. If no decoder is present, the disc will be played as a regular CD.
In itself, the use of the first bit in the dithered least significant bit stream does not degrade sound the quality on a non-HDCD player; it only decreases the signal-to-noise ratio by a minuscule amount. HDCD Peak Extension, if chosen in HDCD mastering, will apply compression to the peaks which will be audible in playback on a non-HDCD system which does not apply the approriate expansion curve. But because of the superior A to D converters used in the Model One or Model Two HDCD encoders, CDs mastered in HDCD will sound better on any player -- HDCD or not.
HDCD provides several digital features, which the audio mastering engineer controls at his/her own discretion. They include:
In 2000, Microsoft acquired the company and all of its intellectual property assets.
There have been a number of CD and DVD players and processors over the years that were capable of properly decoding the information from HDCDs. Some of the "higher-end" CD players included those from California Audio Labs (USA), Mark Levinson/Madrigal (USA), Cary (USA), Naim (England), Linn (Scotland), Classe (Canada), A&R Cambridge Ltd (ARCAM) (England), Rotel (Japan) and Cayin-Spark (China). Outboard DACs (digital to analog converters) were produced by Manley Labs, Classe, Mark Levinson and others. Manley Labs also made a unique component called "the Wave," which was a tube-based preamplifier that featured digital inputs for HDCD processing. In 1998 Burr-Brown (now part of Texas Instruments) and Sanyo Electronics of Japan introduced low cost D to A converters with HDCD decoding included, allowing HDCD to be used in CD and DVD players in the $100 range. And the HDCD algorithms were included in DVD chips from many IC makers including Motorola and C-Cubed, allowing HDCD to be offered by such mass-market DVD player makers such as Panasonic. As of 2007, many new DVD and CD players continue to feature HDCD capability, notably some from Denon, Marantz, and NAD. And HDCD titles and hardware continue to be made available to the general public, not just "High-End" audio fans, while DVD audio and SACD remain in very limited production and cost more than CDs.
Some labels record and release only HDCDs. Reference Recordings has produced many classical CDs in the HDCD format, which include new releases and have won numerous awards. Linn Recordings has a number of hybrid HDCD / SACDs, and also seem to enjoy a good reputation amongst music enthusiasts.
As far as "mainstream" popular artists, The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, Mark Knopfler, King Crimson, Van Halen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Mike Oldfield have quite a few of their albums that have been released on HDCDs. As of January 2007, there are roughly the same number of titles released on SACDs as there are on HDCDs (4000 or so at last count).
This feature must be enabled by changing a "Properties" setting of the Speakers involving 24-bit audio. The path to this setting is:
At over 4000 titles, HDCD-encoded releases constitute a fraction of the total CD commercial music catalog, but many popular artists insist on using HDCD for their new releases. A web site devoted to HDCD recordings can be found at the following location http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67082.
A number of universal CD and DVD players include HDCD decoding, and version 9 and above of the Windows Media Player software (on personal computers with a 24-bit sound card) are capable of decoding HDCD.
An HDCD-encoded CD usually, but not always, has the HDCD logo printed on the back cover.
New HDCD-encoded CDs are still being mastered and being added to various catalogs, and there is no additional cost for these HDCD recordings, unlike the higher price charged for newer digital audio formats based on higher bit-rate media such as Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD-Audio.
Technical overview
HDCD encodes the equivalent of 20 bits worth of data in a 16-bit digital audio signal by utilizing custom dithering, audio filters, and some reversible amplitude and gain encoding; Peak Extend, which is a reversible soft limiter and Low Level Range Extend, which is a reversible gain on low-level signals.[1][2][3][4]HDCD encoding places a control signal in the least significant bit of the 16-bit Red Book audio samples (a technique known as in-band signaling). The HDCD decoder in the consumer's CD or DVD player, if present, responds to the signal. If no decoder is present, the disc will be played as a regular CD.
In itself, the use of the first bit in the dithered least significant bit stream does not degrade sound the quality on a non-HDCD player; it only decreases the signal-to-noise ratio by a minuscule amount. HDCD Peak Extension, if chosen in HDCD mastering, will apply compression to the peaks which will be audible in playback on a non-HDCD system which does not apply the approriate expansion curve. But because of the superior A to D converters used in the Model One or Model Two HDCD encoders, CDs mastered in HDCD will sound better on any player -- HDCD or not.
HDCD provides several digital features, which the audio mastering engineer controls at his/her own discretion. They include:
- Dynamic range compression and expansion, with which virtually 4 more bits of accuracy can be added to the musical signal.
- Precision digital interpolation filtering with multiple modes of operation, which can reduce alias distortion and temporal smearing, resulting in a more natural, open, and accurate sound reproduction.
History
HDCD technology was developed between 1986 and 1991 by Keith Johnson and Michael "Pflash" Pflaumer of Pacific Microsonics Inc. It was made publicly available as HDCD-enabled audio CDs in 1995.In 2000, Microsoft acquired the company and all of its intellectual property assets.
There have been a number of CD and DVD players and processors over the years that were capable of properly decoding the information from HDCDs. Some of the "higher-end" CD players included those from California Audio Labs (USA), Mark Levinson/Madrigal (USA), Cary (USA), Naim (England), Linn (Scotland), Classe (Canada), A&R Cambridge Ltd (ARCAM) (England), Rotel (Japan) and Cayin-Spark (China). Outboard DACs (digital to analog converters) were produced by Manley Labs, Classe, Mark Levinson and others. Manley Labs also made a unique component called "the Wave," which was a tube-based preamplifier that featured digital inputs for HDCD processing. In 1998 Burr-Brown (now part of Texas Instruments) and Sanyo Electronics of Japan introduced low cost D to A converters with HDCD decoding included, allowing HDCD to be used in CD and DVD players in the $100 range. And the HDCD algorithms were included in DVD chips from many IC makers including Motorola and C-Cubed, allowing HDCD to be offered by such mass-market DVD player makers such as Panasonic. As of 2007, many new DVD and CD players continue to feature HDCD capability, notably some from Denon, Marantz, and NAD. And HDCD titles and hardware continue to be made available to the general public, not just "High-End" audio fans, while DVD audio and SACD remain in very limited production and cost more than CDs.
Some labels record and release only HDCDs. Reference Recordings has produced many classical CDs in the HDCD format, which include new releases and have won numerous awards. Linn Recordings has a number of hybrid HDCD / SACDs, and also seem to enjoy a good reputation amongst music enthusiasts.
As far as "mainstream" popular artists, The Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, Mark Knopfler, King Crimson, Van Halen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Mike Oldfield have quite a few of their albums that have been released on HDCDs. As of January 2007, there are roughly the same number of titles released on SACDs as there are on HDCDs (4000 or so at last count).
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player 9, 10 or 11 running on Windows XP and Windows Media Player 11 running on Windows Vista are all capable of decoding and playing HDCDs on personal computers with a 24-bit sound card installed. [1] [2] This is currently the only purely software-based HDCD decoder available.This feature must be enabled by changing a "Properties" setting of the Speakers involving 24-bit audio. The path to this setting is:
- Tools - Options - Devices - Speakers - Properties - Performance
References
1. ^ What is HDCD?. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
2. ^ HDCD Encoder System. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
3. ^ Process Overview. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
4. ^ AES Paper. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
2. ^ HDCD Encoder System. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
3. ^ Process Overview. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
4. ^ AES Paper. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
External links
- HDCD link at Microsoft (was www.hdcd.com)
- Pacific Microsonics acquisition by Microsoft
- Growing user-compiled HDCD list
- Another HDCD database
- Patent 5,479,168
- Patent 5,872,531
- Reference Recordings - Home of "Prof" Johnson's HDCD recordings
- Brochure of Model Two HDCD Processor (Encoder)
Audio format | |
|---|---|
| Analog |
Phonograph cylinder (1877) •
Gramophone record (1895) •
Wire recording (1898) •
Reel-to-reel tape (1940s) •
SoundScriber (1945) •
Gray Audograph (1945) •
Dictabelt (1947) •
Microgroove record (1948) •
RCA tape cartridge (1958) •
Fidelipac (1959) •
Stereo-Pak (1962) •
Compact Cassette (1963) and cassette single (1982) •
Stereo 8 (1964) •
PlayTape (1966) •
Mini Cassette (1967) •
Microcassette (1969) •
Steno-Cassette (1971) •
Elcaset (1976) •
Picocassette (1985)
|
| Digital |
Soundstream (1976) •
3M (1979) •
X80/ProDigi (1980) •
DASH (1982) •
Compact Disc (1982) •
Digital Audio Tape (1987) •
ADAT (1991) •
MiniDisc (1991) •
Digital Compact Cassette (1992) •
Extended Resolution Compact Disc (1995) •
High Definition Compatible Digital (1995) •
5.1 Music Disc (1997) •
Super Audio CD (1999) •
DVD-Audio (2000)
|
patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a patentee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an invention.
The procedure for granting patents, the requirements placed on the patentee and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely
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The procedure for granting patents, the requirements placed on the patentee and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely
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An encoder is a device used to change a signal (such as a bitstream) or data into a code. The code may serve any of a number of purposes such as compressing information for transmission or storage, encrypting or adding redundancies to the input code, or translating from one code
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Microsoft Corporation
Public (NASDAQ: MSFT )
Founded Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (April 4 1975)[1]
Headquarters Redmond, Washington, United States
Key people Bill Gates, Co-founder and Executive Chairman ;
Paul Allen, Co-founder ;
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Public (NASDAQ: MSFT )
Founded Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (April 4 1975)[1]
Headquarters Redmond, Washington, United States
Key people Bill Gates, Co-founder and Executive Chairman ;
Paul Allen, Co-founder ;
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Compact Disc Digital Audio
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: 2 channels of PCM audio, each signed 16-bit values sampled at 44100 Hz
Capacity: up to 700 MB
Read mechanism: 780 nm wavelength semiconductor laser
Developed by: Sony & Philips
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Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: 2 channels of PCM audio, each signed 16-bit values sampled at 44100 Hz
Capacity: up to 700 MB
Read mechanism: 780 nm wavelength semiconductor laser
Developed by: Sony & Philips
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Compact Disc
The closely spaced tracks on the readable surface of a Compact Disc cause light to diffract into a full visible colour spectrum
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: Various
Capacity: Typically up to 700 MB
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The closely spaced tracks on the readable surface of a Compact Disc cause light to diffract into a full visible colour spectrum
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: Various
Capacity: Typically up to 700 MB
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In technology, especially computing (irrespective of platform), a product is said to be backward compatible (or downward compatible) when it is able to take the place of an older product, by interoperating with other products that were designed for the older product.
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A Compact Disc player (often written as compact disc player), or CD player, is an electronic device which plays audio Compact Discs. CD players are often installed into home stereo systems, car audio systems, and personal computers.
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Windows Media Player (WMP) is a digital media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows
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Computer software is a general term used to describe a collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation that perform some task on a computer system. [1]
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personal computer (PC) is a computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals.
It is unknown who coined the phrase with the intent of a small affordable computing device but John W.
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It is unknown who coined the phrase with the intent of a small affordable computing device but John W.
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Sound Card
A Sound Blaster Live! Value card, a typical present-day PCI sound card
Connects to:
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A Sound Blaster Live! Value card, a typical present-day PCI sound card
Connects to:
- Motherboard via one of
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Super Audio CD
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: Digital (DSD)
Capacity: up to 7.95 GiB
Read mechanism: 650 nm laser
Developed by: Sony & Philips
Usage: Audio storage
Super Audio CD (SACD
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Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: Digital (DSD)
Capacity: up to 7.95 GiB
Read mechanism: 650 nm laser
Developed by: Sony & Philips
Usage: Audio storage
Super Audio CD (SACD
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DVD-Audio
The Flaming Lips' CD and DVD release of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, one of the first major albums to employ the DVD-Audio format.
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: Meridian Lossless Packing or uncompressed LPCM
Capacity: up to 8.
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The Flaming Lips' CD and DVD release of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, one of the first major albums to employ the DVD-Audio format.
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: Meridian Lossless Packing or uncompressed LPCM
Capacity: up to 8.
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BIT is an acronym for:
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- Bannari amman Institute of Technology
- Bangalore Institute of Technology
- Beijing Institute of Technology
- Benzisothiazolinone
- Bilateral Investment Treaty
- Bhilai Institute of Technology - Durg
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Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise, used to randomize quantization error, thereby preventing large-scale patterns such as contouring that are more objectionable than uncorrelated noise.
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Compact Disc Digital Audio
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: 2 channels of PCM audio, each signed 16-bit values sampled at 44100 Hz
Capacity: up to 700 MB
Read mechanism: 780 nm wavelength semiconductor laser
Developed by: Sony & Philips
..... Click the link for more information.
Media type: Optical disc
Encoding: 2 channels of PCM audio, each signed 16-bit values sampled at 44100 Hz
Capacity: up to 700 MB
Read mechanism: 780 nm wavelength semiconductor laser
Developed by: Sony & Philips
..... Click the link for more information.
in-band signaling is the sending of metadata and control information in the same band, on the same channel, as used for data.
For example, when dialing a modern telephone, the telephone number is encoded and transmitted across the telephone line as Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency
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For example, when dialing a modern telephone, the telephone number is encoded and transmitted across the telephone line as Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency
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Signal-to-noise ratio (often abbreviated SNR or S/N) is an electrical engineering concept defined as the ratio of a signal power to the noise power corrupting the signal.
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Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master
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Dynamic range is a term used frequently in numerous fields to describe the ratio between the smallest and largest possible values of a changeable quantity, such as in sound and light.
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interpolation is a method of constructing new data points from a discrete set of known data points.
In engineering and science one often has a number of data points, as obtained by sampling or experiment, and tries to construct a function which closely fits those data points.
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In engineering and science one often has a number of data points, as obtained by sampling or experiment, and tries to construct a function which closely fits those data points.
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aliasing refers to an effect that causes different continuous signals to become indistinguishable (or aliases of one another) when sampled. It also refers to the distortion or artifact that results when a signal is sampled and reconstructed as an alias of the original
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Temporal can refer to:
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- of or relating to time
- Temporal database, a database recording aspects of time varying values
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1950s 1960s 1970s - 1980s - 1990s 2000s 2010s
1983 1984 1985 - 1986 - 1987 1988 1989
Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI
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1950s 1960s 1970s - 1980s - 1990s 2000s 2010s
1983 1984 1985 - 1986 - 1987 1988 1989
Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1988 1989 1990 - 1991 - 1992 1993 1994
Year 1991 (MCMXCI
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1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1988 1989 1990 - 1991 - 1992 1993 1994
Year 1991 (MCMXCI
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1992 1993 1994 - 1995 - 1996 1997 1998
Year 1995 (MCMXCV
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1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1992 1993 1994 - 1995 - 1996 1997 1998
Year 1995 (MCMXCV
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20th century - 21st century
1970s 1980s 1990s - 2000s - 2010s 2020s 2030s
1997 1998 1999 - 2000 - 2001 2002 2003
2000 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
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1970s 1980s 1990s - 2000s - 2010s 2020s 2030s
1997 1998 1999 - 2000 - 2001 2002 2003
2000 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
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Microsoft Corporation
Public (NASDAQ: MSFT )
Founded Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (April 4 1975)[1]
Headquarters Redmond, Washington, United States
Key people Bill Gates, Co-founder and Executive Chairman ;
Paul Allen, Co-founder ;
..... Click the link for more information.
Public (NASDAQ: MSFT )
Founded Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (April 4 1975)[1]
Headquarters Redmond, Washington, United States
Key people Bill Gates, Co-founder and Executive Chairman ;
Paul Allen, Co-founder ;
..... Click the link for more information.
intellectual property (IP) is an umbrella term for various legal entitlements which attach to certain names, written and recorded media, and inventions. The holders of these legal entitlements may exercise various exclusive rights in relation to the subject matter of the IP.
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NAIM AUDIO LIMITED
private limited company
Founded June 4, 1973
Headquarters Southampton Road, Salisbury, England, SP1 2LN, United Kingdom
Key people Paul Stephenson
Industry Manufacture TV & radio, sound or video
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private limited company
Founded June 4, 1973
Headquarters Southampton Road, Salisbury, England, SP1 2LN, United Kingdom
Key people Paul Stephenson
Industry Manufacture TV & radio, sound or video
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