High Fidelity Pure Audio

"Pure Audio" redirects here. For the digital radio manufacturer, see Pure (company).
HFPA Blu-ray
HFPA Blu-ray logo
Media typeBlu-ray
EncodingMenu screen
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC
Audio 2.0 or 5.1 Surround
Dolby TrueHD
DTS-HD Master Audio
LPCM[1]
Capacity25 GB (single-layer)
50 GB (dual-layer)
Read mechanism405 nm diode laser
Developed bySony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Universal Music

High Fidelity Pure Audio, occasionally abbreviated as HFPA, is a marketing initiative, spearheaded by Sony Music Universal Music Group, for audio-only Blu-ray optical discs.[2] Launched in 2013[3] as a potential successor to the compact disc (CD), it has been compared with DVD-Audio and SACD, which had similar aims.[4][2]

HFPA is encoded as 24-bit/96 kHz or 24-bit/192 kHz linear PCM ("high-resolution audio"), optionally losslessly compressed with Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio.[1]

HFPA discs are compatible with existing Blu-ray players.[5]

Pure Audio Blu-ray refers to a different initiative (but with some goals in common) launched by msm-studios in Germany in 2009.[4]

As of November 2019, Deutsche Grammophon is the most prolific publisher on the format, with Beethoven 250 having three Blu-ray audio discs.

  1. ^ a b Hill, Brad (4 July 2013). "Editorial: High Fidelity Pure Audio starting a noble but losing battle". Engadget. AOL Inc. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b Guttenberg, Steve. "Deja vu: Yet another high-resolution audio 'format'". CNET. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Universal Music, Dolby & QOL Support Pure Audio Group Launch". MESA Europe. Media & Entertainment Services Alliance. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Universal Music bets on consumer longing for quality with hi-fi Pure Audio". DVD & Beyond. Globalcom Limited. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  5. ^ "High Fidelity Pure Audio format brings hi-res audio to Blu-ray". 21 June 2013. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2016. Compatibility with any existing Blu-ray player or PS3 obviously gives HFPA an advantage over previous high-definition standards such as SACD.