Well, it can be a bit confusing, but I'll try and summarize (and hopefully won't leave out too much!)...
CD: 16 Bit, 44.1KHz Sampling rate HDCD: 16 Bit, 44.1KHz Sampling rate for CD compatibility. Comprised of three elements, a one bit peak limiter, a three bit low level compressor, a very good digital reconstruction filter. To get the benefits of all three, a hardware based decoder is required. For the peak limiter and low level compressor it can be done in software as well (ie Windows media player). The digital control signals for HDCD, that control the audio expansion, are hidden in the lsb noise, so are preserved in any full resolution, or lossless compression format. DAD and DVD-V: (You didn't ask, but I'm throwing these in as well!). 16, 20, or 24 bit, 48K, or 96K sample rates, Stereo only (?), Linear PCM, can be ripped with correct software. Also Dolby Digital & DTS, lossy compression, stereo or 5.1, can be ripped with correct software. DVD-A or DVD-Audio: 16, 20, 24 bit, 44.1K, 48K, 88.2K, 96K, 192K Sample rates. Stereo or 5.1. Linear PCM (like CD's). High res rates are down sampled to 16/48K on digital outputs for copy management. No legal rippers, but the encryption has been cracked (through a hack to Windvd) if you do some digging. SACD: DSD or Direct Stream Digital, a different digital data technique, related to pulse width modulation. A different disk data format is used, based on DVD hardware, so ripping impossible with current gear (afaik). Stereo or 5.1 versions. Can be converted to Linear PCM or vice versa in software. Stereo SACD's are roughly equivalent of 20 bit 200K Linear PCM. Hope this helps! Dave -- DCtoDaylight ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DCtoDaylight's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7284 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=34142 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
