The Jitter Bug

I've really been floored by the JVC XRCD. As I dig into what makes these disks so special, it has become quite clear JVC has taken an overall *process* view to the creation of these disks (which may be contrasted against a product design view - e.g. SACD, etc.). The result of standardizing the clock rate throughout the mastering & production process seems to have removed the jitter component *inherent in the disk itself.*

The upshot is interesting - in my view - because it reinforces the Redbook standard was not a fundamentally bad choice: in theory. The problem is it does not account for the variation in the end-to-end reproduction process. Thus, while a valid theoretical limit, in practice it is quite vulnerable to any weak link in the overall chain and is not robust enough to withstand less than a perfect manufacturing process.

But if you can control the entire reproduction chain, the result is quite respectable. I would like (though am not hopeful) to see this standard rolled out across the industry - paying $26 a disk sucks.