Microsoft Corp. today announced that high definition compatible digital (HDCD)-encoded CDs received 42 nominations for the 43rd annual GRAMMY Awards. HDCD recordings were nominated in 35 award categories and include works by such artists as Beck, Phish, Steely Dan and Emmylou Harris.
HDCD is a patented process for improving the fidelity of audio CDs that preserves vital musical information normally lost when analog-to-digital conversion takes place. It provides more dynamic range, a more focused 3-D sound stage, and natural musical and vocal timbre for the full body, depth, and emotion of the original performance. HDCD recordings can be played on standard consumer or computer CD players, although the greatest benefit is achieved with HDCD-equipped CD players. More than 5,000 HDCD albums have been produced to date, and more than 300 million individual HDCD CDs have been sold. Microsoft acquired the HDCD technology last year when it purchased Pacific Microsonics Inc., the developer of HDCD digital audio technology.
|