High Definition Compatible Digital

Last updated
High Definition Compatible Digital
HDCD logo.svg
Media type Optical disc
CapacityTypically up to 700 MB
Read mechanism780 nm wavelength semiconductor laser
Developed by Pacific Microsonics Inc./Microsoft
UsageAudio storage
Extended from Red Book
Compact disc
Released1995;29 years ago (1995)

High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) is a proprietary audio encode-decode process that claims to provide increased dynamic range over that of standard Compact Disc Digital Audio, while retaining backward compatibility with existing compact disc players.

Contents

Originally developed by Pacific Microsonics, the first HDCD-enabled CD was released in 1995. [1] In 2000, the technology was purchased by Microsoft, and the following year, there were over 5,000 HDCD titles available. [2] Microsoft's HDCD official website was discontinued in 2005; by 2008, the number of available titles had declined to around 4,000. [1]

A number of CD and DVD players include HDCD decoding, and versions 9 and above of Microsoft's Windows Media Player on personal computers are capable of decoding HDCD.

HDCD is a favorite for several artists such as Neil Young, the Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead, all of whom have multiple titles (new and archival) in their catalogs reissued in this format. [3] [4]

Technical overview

HDCD encodes the equivalent of 20 bits worth of data in a 16-bit digital audio signal by using custom dithering, audio filters, and some reversible amplitude and gain encoding:

There is thus a benefit at the expense of a very minor increase in noise. [5]

The claim that the encoding process is compatible with ordinary CD players (without audible distortion) is disputed: not being able to decode the peak soft limiting, a normal CD player will output distorted peaks. [6]

History

HDCD technology was developed between 1986 and 1991 by "Prof." Keith O. Johnson and Michael "Pflash" Pflaumer of Pacific Microsonics Inc. It was made publicly available as HDCD-enabled audio CDs (often identifiable by the HDCD logo printed on the back cover) in 1995.

Between 1996 and 1999 Pacific Microsonics VP of OEM Sales, Steve Fields, made over 20 trips to Japan, visiting Sanyo, Burr-Brown Japan and major audio companies, with the intent of licensing the HDCD technology. In 1998, Burr-Brown (now part of Texas Instruments) and Sanyo Electronics of Japan introduced low-cost digital-to-analog converters with HDCD decoding included, allowing HDCD to be used in CD and DVD players in the $100 range. HDCD algorithms were included in DVD chips from many IC makers including Motorola and C-Cube, allowing HDCD to be offered by mass-market DVD player makers such as Panasonic and Toshiba.

In 2000, Pacific Microsonics folded and Microsoft acquired the company and all of its intellectual property. [7] [8] Microsoft discontinued the official HDCD website in 2005.

In January 2007, there were roughly the same number of titles available on SACD as on HDCD-encoded CDs.[ citation needed ]

Hardware players

A number of manufacturers offer players with HDCD capability. Some Panasonic DVD players and the Oppo line of players all feature HDCD decoding. [9] [10] Several Yamaha Blu-ray players [11] [12] as well as Emotiva CD players [13] decode HDCD.

Software players

Windows Media Player

Since version 9 of Microsoft's Windows Media Player (WMP) HDCD enabled CDs can be played on personal computers fitted with a 24-bit sound card. [14] [15]

With some HDCD discs and some DVD players using WMP, the first track may not be recognized as HDCD, but all subsequent tracks are. This is because HDCD has a control signal, and if the signal is not detected by WMP at the beginning of the song, the HDCD decoder is not activated.

Other software

In 2007, a member of the Doom9 forum authored a Windows CLI utility, hdcd.exe, [16] [ unreliable source? ] to extract and decode the HDCD data in 16-bit WAV files ripped from HDCD discs. This utility writes 24-bit WAV output files with four bits of padding per sample. The author of the utility decided not to make the source code publicly available as the HDCD technology is patented. [17]

Illustrate's dBpoweramp Music Converter, a Windows GUI program, has an HDCD DSP effect that acts as a front-end to the utility listed above. [18]

A plugin is available for foobar2000 that will decode HDCD data in any 16-bit PCM passed through it, resulting in a 20-bit PCM stream. [19]

FFmpeg's libavfilter includes an HDCD filter as of FFmpeg 3.1 (June 2016) that will convert 16-bit PCM with HDCD data to 20-bit PCM. [20]

An open-source HDCD decoder library exists as libhdcd. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

Windows Media Audio (WMA) is a series of audio codecs and their corresponding audio coding formats developed by Microsoft. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs. The original WMA codec, known simply as WMA, was conceived as a competitor to the popular MP3 and RealAudio codecs. WMA Pro, a newer and more advanced codec, supports multichannel and high-resolution audio. A lossless codec, WMA Lossless, compresses audio data without loss of audio fidelity. WMA Voice, targeted at voice content, applies compression using a range of low bit rates. Microsoft has also developed a digital container format called Advanced Systems Format to store audio encoded by WMA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compact Disc Digital Audio</span> Data format used for audio compact discs

Compact Disc Digital Audio, also known as Digital Audio Compact Disc or simply as Audio CD, is the standard format for audio compact discs. The standard is defined in the Red Book, one of a series of Rainbow Books that contain the technical specifications for all CD formats. CDDA utilises pulse-code modulation (PCM) and uses a 44,100 Hz sampling frequency and 16-bit resolution, and stores up to 80 minutes of stereo audio per disc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video CD</span> CD-based format meant for digital video distribution

Video CD is a home video format and the first format for distributing films on standard 120 mm (4.7 in) optical discs. The format was widely adopted in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Greater China, Central Asia and West Asia, superseding the VHS and Betamax systems in the regions until DVD-Video finally became affordable in the first decade of the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windows Media Player</span> Media player and media library application by Microsoft

Windows Media Player, is the first media player and media library application that Microsoft developed to play audio and video on personal computers. It has been a component of the Microsoft Windows operating system, including Windows 9x, Windows NT, Pocket PC, and Windows Mobile. Microsoft also released editions of Windows Media Player for classic Mac OS, Mac OS X, and Solaris, but has since discontinued them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Audio CD</span> Read-only optical disc for high-fidelity audio storage

Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the compact disc (CD) format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S/PDIF</span> Standardized digital audio interface

S/PDIF is a type of digital audio interface used in consumer audio equipment to output audio over relatively short distances. The signal is transmitted over either a coaxial cable using RCA or BNC connectors, or a fiber-optic cable using TOSLINK connectors. S/PDIF interconnects components in home theaters and other digital high-fidelity systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CD ripper</span> Software that convert tracks on a Compact Disc to standard computer sound files

A CD ripper, CD grabber, or CD extractor is software that rips raw digital audio in Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) format tracks on a compact disc to standard computer sound files, such as WAV or MP3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DVD-Audio</span> DVD format for storing high-fidelity audio

DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Direct Stream Digital</span> System for digitally encoding audio signals

Direct Stream Digital (DSD) is a trademark used by Sony and Philips for their system for digitally encoding audio signals for the Super Audio CD (SACD).

The following comparison of video players compares general and technical information for notable software media player programs.

WavPack is a free and open-source lossless audio compression format and application implementing the format. It is unique in the way that it supports hybrid audio compression alongside normal compression which is similar to how FLAC works. It also supports compressing a wide variety of lossless formats, including various variants of PCM and also DSD as used in SACDs, together with its support for surround audio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extended Resolution Compact Disc</span>

Extended Resolution Compact Disc (XRCD) is a mastering and manufacture process patented by JVC for producing Red Book compact discs. It was first introduced in 1995.

Dolby Digital Plus, also known as Enhanced AC-3, is a digital audio compression scheme developed by Dolby Labs for the transport and storage of multi-channel digital audio. It is a successor to Dolby Digital (AC-3), and has a number of improvements over that codec, including support for a wider range of data rates, an increased channel count, and multi-program support, as well as additional tools (algorithms) for representing compressed data and counteracting artifacts. Whereas Dolby Digital (AC-3) supports up to five full-bandwidth audio channels at a maximum bitrate of 640 kbit/s, E-AC-3 supports up to 15 full-bandwidth audio channels at a maximum bitrate of 6.144 Mbit/s.

Adaptive differential pulse-code modulation (ADPCM) is a variant of differential pulse-code modulation (DPCM) that varies the size of the quantization step, to allow further reduction of the required data bandwidth for a given signal-to-noise ratio.

Super Bit Mapping (SBM) is a noise shaping process, developed by Sony for CD mastering.

The following comparison of audio players compares general and technical information for a number of software media player programs. For the purpose of this comparison, "audio players" are defined as any media player explicitly designed to play audio files, with limited or no support for video playback. Multi-media players designed for video playback, which can also play music, are included under comparison of video player software.

Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a method used to digitally represent analog signals. It is the standard form of digital audio in computers, compact discs, digital telephony and other digital audio applications. In a PCM stream, the amplitude of the analog signal is sampled at uniform intervals, and each sample is quantized to the nearest value within a range of digital steps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Video CD</span> Video CD-based optical disc format

Super Video CD is a digital format for storing video on standard compact discs. SVCD was intended as a successor to Video CD and an alternative to DVD-Video, and falls somewhere between both in terms of technical capability and picture quality.

References

  1. 1 2 "Home Technology eMagazine - Classic Home Toys Installment #19 The Final CD Format: HDCD". HomeToys. 30 November 2008. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. ↑ "HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital) from Pacific Microsonics". TimeForDVD.com. 23 February 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  3. ↑ List of HDCD-encoded compact discs (with technical details) at HydrogenAudio wiki
  4. ↑ List of known HDCD compact discs (names only) at Head-Fi.org
  5. ↑ Johnson, Keith O.; Pflaumer, Michael W. (1996-11-01). "Compatible Resolution Enhancement in Digital Audio Systems" . Audio Engineering Society. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  6. ↑ "The HDCD Enigma". Audiomisc.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  7. ↑ US 5479168,Johnson, Keith O.&Pflaumer, Michael W.,"Compatible signal encode/decode system",published 1995-12-26, assigned to Pacific Microsonics Inc.
  8. ↑ US 5872531,Johnson, Keith O.&Pflaumer, Michael W.,"Signal encode/decode system",published 1999-02-16, assigned to Pacific Microsonics Inc.
  9. ↑ "Universal Network 3D Blu-ray Players - Buy Direct from the Manufacturer". OPPO Digital. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  10. ↑ "Unofficial OPPO UDP-203 Frequently Asked Questions". AVSForum. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  11. ↑ "Yamaha BD-A1060 Universal Blu-Ray Player Review". Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  12. ↑ "2 new Yamaha uni players - including one with balanced analog outputs". Steve Hoffman Music Forums. 2016-07-16. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  13. ↑ "Emotiva ERC-3 Differential Reference CD Player/Digital Transport Review". Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. 2014-09-02. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  14. ↑ "Features of Windows Media Player 9 Series". Microsoft.com. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  15. ↑ "Smart Jukebox Features". Microsoft.com. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  16. ↑ utility
  17. ↑ "HDCD Software Decoder - Doom9's Forum". Forum.doom9.org. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  18. ↑ dBPoweramp's DSP Effects page ; dBpoweramp's local help file
  19. ↑ "foobar2000 HDCD decoder component". Foobar2000.org. 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  20. ↑ "June 27th, 2016, FFmpeg 3.1 "Laplace"". FFmpeg.org. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  21. ↑ "libhdcd - An HDCD decoder library". GitHub . Retrieved 21 August 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.