[Bryan T]

Hi all, this is my first post to Head-fi.

I know what SACD and DVD-A are, but can someone explain what HDCD and Redbook are? How prevalent are these different formats?

Thanks in advance,
Bryan

 

[Bolt]

Well, RedBook is the standard audio cd format so it's very easy to find

HDCD is an improved version of the standard cd featuring 20bit audio if I remember well, and I have never see one of those cd in stores here.

Hope this helped

 

[Bryan T]

Thanks for clarifying!

Why does everyone call them Redbook CDs? I'd never heard this term until I started reading head-fi and a few other audiophile sites.

Thanks again,
Bryan

 

[markl]

"Redbook CD" refers to any ordinary 16-bit CD you buy at the record store, and that you have in your collection now. HDCD is "High Def CD" which is an extra 2-bits worth of info encoded on *some* CDs that only special players with HDCD capability can play back in full 18-bit resolution. An HDCD is indistinguishable physically from a regular CD and will play on a Redbook CDP but only at 16-bit resolution. Some CDs in your collection (if it's large enough) probably support HDCD without your even being aware of it.

Mark

 

[ServinginEcuador]

I own an HDCD player, and as MarkL pointed out, sometimes the only way I know that a CD is encoded as HDCD is when the little red light comes on my CDP. Otherwise, there are the letter HDCD on at least one of my CDs that lets me know that it is an HDCD recording.

If you're looking at an HDCD player, make sure it uses the 200 series decoder chip. Much improved over the 100 series that is in my CDP. (I think it is a PCM100 or PM100 chip, not sure if I remember correctly.)

I've never heard an explanation as to why the name Redbook is used to describe a standard CD, it's just what you hear everyone calling it. Someone may know, but I haven't heard anyone here tell us why yet.

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

I know somebody knows the redbook story, I can't remember who it was though, Kelly???

 

[TravelLite]

Red Book just refers to the color of the hardcopy document cover used for the official Sony/Philips audio CD standard specifications. Yellow Book refers to CD-ROM standard specs, for example. Slang expressions really.

TravelLite

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Thanks for the clarification TravelLite. I never knew why they called it that, now I guess I do.

 

[fredpb]

International standards are put through reviews, committees, etc.

For example.

REDBOOK would mean it is the final approved version of a standard. It is the color of the document cover.

Orange would be a preliminary standard. Not really final, but not new either. Like 80 min cds could be Orange book while the 74 min ones exist in Redbook version.

They might start at "white papers" or just a thesis by someone or some company.

 

[nebuchadnezzar]

some info re:Redbook

pretty close Markl

some info re: HDCD