What exactly is a PCM signal.

I know DD, DDEX, DTS, DTSES, etc and so fourth, but what exactly is a PCM signal?

just curious.


muzicman

"Pulse Code Modulation". It is the digital technology around which CD's were created to encode and store analog information in a digital format. So when you go into the DVD player's audio menu or the DVD discs audio menu and select the PCM track/setting, you are essentially selecting the digital stereo track. When this digital signal becomes "demodulated" it is converted back to the analog waveform. A very simplified but hopefully understandable definition.

Q

Thank you, that was a proficient explination, I know my reciever and dvd player or both compatable with PCM signals, ive just never come across one, and didnt know what it was. Is it not a widely used format? what if any are advantages? just curious once again.


muzicman

Q gave a good advice as always. I just want to add that PCM is digital signal in its rawest form after it has been converted from analog signal, which also make PCM a bandwidth hog. Unlike DD or DTS digital signal where some of information are thrown away (lossy format) to save bandwidth, PCM uses loss-less format (no information in omitted) which mean PCM require greater bandwidth to store than other formats (DD/DTS).