HDCD disks not labeled as HDCD?

[Shadowfax]

My CD Player is HDCD compatible and a red light is illuminated when it detects an HDCD Disk. I do not specifically search out HDCD versions but have purchased a few. But, I have several disks that light the HDCD light up even though nowhere on the disk or packaging does it state that it is HDCD Encoded.

I have read that there are many disks that are HDCD but due to the label not wanting to pay the royalties for that on the disk, they just don't say anything.

So my question is, Do Record Labels actually create HDCD Disks but not label them as such, or is there something else tripping the HDCD light on the player.

I can say that anything that does trip the light does sound better than most disks that don't.

What have you determined around this?

 

[Mike]

Were you able to find an answer? Seems odd to me. To even use the encoding, wouldn't they have to pay a royalty? Maybe, they didn't put it on the cd because it confused customers who would be thinking "oh my CD player won't play this" and therefore not purchase it.

 

[Feanor]

I have several CDs not so labeled that turned switched on the 'HDCD' light on my Assemblage DAC. I don't know why but I have heard that various labels or producers used HDCD encoding without crediting it on the CD packaging.

As I understand, the main (or only?) advantage of HDCD is that it expands the dynamic range to 20 bits.

My more recent DACs haven't had HDCD hardware decoding but I do use a Foobar2000 plug-in decoder.

 

[Shadowfax]

Mike,

No I did not find any answers. Maybe the Rotel identifies anything NOT standard redbook, but might not be HDCD.

We know almost all King Crimson disks are, but 2 I can list easily are

Carl Filipiak - Looking Forward Looking Back
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/4938681/a/looking+forward+looking+back.htm

Yokeshire - Masque of Shadows
http://www.allmusic.com/album/masque-of-shadows-mw0001892009/releases

Both of these disks, and others trip the light on the Rotel and have much better sound, but not a mention of HDCD.

 

[jdandy]

Brian.......It is extremely unlikely that your Rotel is identifying anything not standard Redbook and turning on the HDCD decoding light. HDCD encodes the equivalent of 20 bits worth of data in a 16-bit digital audio signal. Pacific Microsonics HDCD algorithms are built into decoding chips. The encoding requires specific digital flags to turn on the HDCD decoding. If this control signal is not detected, the HDCD decoder is not activated, nor is the HDCD indicator lit. When you see the HDCD light illuminated you are listening to a HDCD encoded compact disc.

After only five years in business Pacific Microsonics was purchased by Microsoft in 2000. This might have something to do with why HDCD labeling may or may not be displayed on packaging or compact discs that are HDCD encoded, but that is only a guess on my part.

 

[Bruce]

Mike,

We know almost all King Crimson disks are, but 2 I can list easily are

Carl Filipiak - Looking Forward Looking Back
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/4938681/a/looking+forward+looking+back.htm

Yokeshire - Masque of Shadows
http://www.allmusic.com/album/masque-of-shadows-mw0001892009/releases

Both of these disks, and others trip the light on the Rotel and have much better sound, but not a mention of HDCD.

The Knopfler CDs also uses the encoding

Bruce

 

[still-one]

I used to own a HDCD capable unit and I owned several discs where the light came on and there was no indication on the packaging that it was a HDCD. I believe there were more of these discs than we thought. I always thought most of the discs that were HDCD encoded sounded pretty good.