Q: What is HDCD?
A: High Definition Compatible
Digital, or HDCD, is a patented process for
delivering on CD more of the richness and
detail of the original microphone feed. When
listening to HDCD recordings, you hear more
dynamic range, a focused 3-D soundstage, and
more natural vocal and musical timbre.
You get the body, depth, and emotion of the
original performance
—not a flat, digital
imitation. HDCD-encoded CDs sound better
because they are encoded with 20 bits of
real musical information as compared with 16
bits for all other CDs. HDCD overcomes the
limitation of the 16-bit CD format by using
a sophisticated system to encode the
additional 4 bits onto the CD while
remaining completely compatible with the CD
format.
Q: Why should I
listen to HDCD-encoded CDs on a player with
HDCD decoding?
A: HDCD recordings will always sound
better than conventional CDs when played on
any CD player. You will hear fuller, richer
sound on all types of players, from
portables to high-end systems. This is why
so many top artists and engineers use HDCD.
To bring out the full bandwidth and superb
fidelity of HDCD recordings, a player with
HDCD decoding should be used. You will then
be able to hear the dynamic range and resolution
produced by decoded HDCD recordings. And,
best of all, the HDCD decoder chip used in
consumer products also contains the HDCD
high-precision digital filter that improves
the sound quality of all types of digital
audio recordings. This means that any A/V
receiver, CD player, and DVD player equipped with HDCD will
produce significantly better sound from your
entire collection of CDs and DVDs.
Q: Why does the
HDCD decoder chip improve the sound of all
CDs, DVDs, and MDs?
A: Every CD player has a digital
filter that is an integral part of its sound
reproduction electronics. In addition to
decoding HDCD recordings, the HDCD decoder
chip used in consumer products also contains
the HDCD high-precision digital filter that
improves the sound quality of all types of
digital audio recordings. This means that
any A/V receiver, CD player, and DVD player equipped with HDCD will
produce significantly better sound from your
entire collection of CDs and DVDs
—including
the non-encoded ones.
Q: How does a
player become an HDCD-equipped player?
A: Consumer electronics manufacturers
use HDCD decoder chips to provide HDCD
decoding and HDCD filtering on their
equipment. HDCD filtering is provided by IC
chips such as the PMD-100 and the PMD-200,
with the PMD-200 being the flagship decoding
chip. The PMD-200 is a 0.6-micron
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
that performs both HDCD decoding and digital
filtering. Pacific Microsonics also licensed
HDCD code for digital signal processor (DSP)
applications and custom integrated circuits.
HDCD decoder solutions are a worldwide
standard in high-fidelity audio systems,
with well over 100 models of HDCD-equipped
players having been manufactured. Leading
audio chip manufacturers including Analog
Devices, Motorola, and Sanyo, and others,
licensed the same HDCD technology used in
the PMD-series to develop HDCD chips for the
general audio market. These chips have
been used in a wide range of playback
products such as DVD players, A/V receivers,
mini-component systems, and CD players,
changers, and portables.
Q: How do CDs
become HDCD?
A: Mastering engineers all over the
world use Pacific Microsonics' professional
Model One and Model Two HDCD Processors to
produce HDCD recordings. The HDCD Processor
is a two-channel analog-to-digital (A/D) and
digital-to-analog (D/A) converter, and
digital processor with more than 200
millions of instructions per second (MIPS)
in computing power.
Q: How can I
identify an HDCD-encoded CD?
A: Virtually all CDs mastered with
HDCD have the HDCD logo on the back of the
album cover and on the CD itself. When you
play an HDCD CD on a player with HDCD
decoding capability, a light comes on
telling you that you are listening to an
HDCD recording.
Q: Where can I buy
HDCD-encoded CDs?
A: HDCD CDs are available from any CD
retailer including such websites as
Amazon,
ArkivMusic, and
Reference Recordings.
Players and Equipment
Q: Do I need an
HDCD amplifier (in addition to an HDCD CD
player) to take full advantage of HDCD
technology or will a regular amplifier work
as well?
A: You do not need an HDCD amplifier
if you have an HDCD CD player. Just connect
the analog outputs from an HDCD CD player to
any amplifier or receiver. To decode an HDCD
recording, an HDCD amplifier needs a digital
signal from a CD player, which it decodes
and then converts to analog.
Q: Do I need an
HDCD receiver (in addition to the HDCD
player) to take full advantage of HDCD
technology or will a regular receiver work
as well?
A: You need an HDCD CD player or an
HDCD receiver for HDCD to work, not both.
However, for a non-HDCD CD player to work
with an HDCD receiver, it must have a
digital output that is connected to the HDCD
receiver, which then decodes the signal. The
analog outputs of a non-HDCD CD player
cannot be decoded.
Q: What is the
difference between HDCD and Super Bit
Mapping (SBM)? Which is better?
A: Dither is used in all modern
digital recording systems to reduce
distortion when professional-format 20-bit
or 24-bit signals are converted to 16 bits
for CD release. SBM is simply a brand name
for a type of dither. It cannot deliver more
than 16-bit performance and has no playback
decoding. HDCD uses very advanced dither
and, in addition, has technology that allows
up to 20-bit performance when an HDCD player
is used.
Q: Normally when I
play an HDCD recording, I hear a relay click
and the HDCD light comes on. With some CDs,
the HDCD light comes on but I don't hear the
click. What does this mean?
A: This is normal. When an HDCD
recording is made, the mastering engineer
has several HDCD encoding options that are
used depending upon the type of music. One
of those options is Peak Extend, which
provides more resolution with music that has
sudden peak levels. Depending upon whether
Peak Extend was used, you may hear a relay
click at the beginning of some HDCD
recordings with certain HDCD players.
Q: My CD doesn't
have the HDCD logo on the packaging. Is it
HDCD or not?
A: Some HDCD recordings do not
include the HDCD logo due to the artwork for
the album being completed prior to the
mastering process. You can rely on the HDCD
light on your CD player or D-A converter as the final test as
to whether an album is an HDCD recording or
not. Or you can look at our HDCD recordings
list
here.
Q: I'd like to see
a specific song or artist remaster his
recordings in HDCD. Can you help?
A: Our best suggestion is to
contact the label and encourage it to issue
the release in HDCD format.
