Pacific Microsonics Announces HDCDÆ For DolbyÆ Digital Audio Format
Pacific Microsonics announced that producers, engineers and record labels can now use Pacific Microsonics HDCDÆ technology for DolbyÆ Digital releases. ""Dolby has extended the capabilities of Dolby Digital encoding to allow the use of HDCD technology. We are pleased to provide consumers with a further opportunity to experience the top-level fidelity of Dolby Digital Surround Sound,"" said John Kellogg, Dolby's General Manager of Multichannel Music Production. ""Many of the artists and mastering engineers we work with use HDCD, and this high resolution recording process effectively showcases the ability of Dolby Digital to provide reproduction with both wide dynamic range and a transparent 3-D soundstage."" ""While HDCD technology has enjoyed considerable success in the Compact Disc market, the HDCD brand represents a family of technologies that can realize the full potential of all digital audio formats. The application of HDCD to Dolby Digital is an excellent example of this,"" said Bennet Goldberg, President of Pacific Microsonics. ""Pacific Microsonics is very pleased to be working with an industry leading company like Dolby Laboratories that shares our passion for sound quality."" Recording engineers will use Pacific Microsonics Model Two HDCD processors to generate HDCD high resolution, low distortion digital signals that will then be encoded using the Dolby AC-3 algorithm to produce a Dolby Digital/HDCD recording. Embodied in these releases will be the sonic benefits of HDCD high resolution analog-to-digital conversion, HDCD dynamic decimation filtering, and HDCD high frequency dither. About Pacific Microsonics HDCD Developed by Pacific Microsonics, HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital) is a patented family of technologies that deliver the full richness and detail of the original performance through all digital audio release formats. By correcting distortions found in current digital recording technology, HDCD A/D conversion, dynamic digital filtering, dither and amplitude encoding/ decoding provide extended dynamic range, a focused 3-D sound stage, and extremely natural musical timbre. HDCD CD, DVD or Internet distributed digital recordings offer improved sound quality with any playback system, and when reproduced on HDCD equipped systems, have the potential to provide 20-bit or greater sound quality from all digital audio release formats. Over 4,500 different HDCD CD titles have been recorded and over 250 million HDCD CDs have been sold. HDCD encoded CDs are available at all music retail stores including Tower, HMV, Virgin, The Wherehouse and from Internet music stores like Amazon.com, CDNOW.com as well as Pacific Microsonics' Internet Music Store (www.hdcd.com). There are more than 100 different HDCD-equipped CD players, DVD players and A/V receivers now available from world-leading consumer electronics companies including Toshiba, Denon, Harman Kardon, Kenwood, Linn, Madrigal (Mark Levinson), Marantz, Rotel, Sansui and Arcam. About Dolby Laboratories Dolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion-picture sound, consumer entertainment products and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco, Calfornia with European headquarters in England, the privately held company also has offices in New York; Los Angeles, California; Shanghai and Tokyo.