Potentially on the market in three years, European patents have been filed for a high definition vinyl technology.
Making the vinyl 30% greater volume would allow 30% more capacity, which would double the fidelity of a contemporary piece of vinyl. The patent has been filed by Rebeat Digital, which shared them with Digital Music News this week, and looks at 3D topographical technology in the creation of the product.
“HD Vinyl,” for now, is only a working title for the product, but the idea behind it is to 3D print, combined with laster inscribe, new vinyls. With this approach, not only would the sound quality be improved, but the time it would take to produce the vinyl would be reduced.
Though not a traditional “vinyl” record, the product would look and feel like a vinyl and also have the ability to play on all existing turntables, including forthcoming HD turntables. The Austrian company looks to secure financing, as well as additional patents in more territories including the US.
Of the product and technology behind it, Rebeat’s CEO, Guenter Loibl, says: “We adjust the distance of the grooves, we correct the radial/tangential errors, and we optimise the frequencies. You could say we ‘master’ the topographical data, which is a totally different approach.”
