This is due to the fact that the audio is not converted from digital to analog, and then converted back to digital again. PCM technology allows for a uniform audio output quality with no distortion. However, the digitization process may differ from one device to another. Here, the digital signal is kept in its original form.įor example, a recording that had PCM encoding will be able to be played wherever a player capable of decoding the content is available. PCM is a form of digital audio that happens to be the most common way of transporting audio content for the purposes of either transmission or storage. Therefore, there is a need to constantly monitor the audio for quality control and/or ask the content providers to re-encode the audio to maintain the desired quality standards. The drawback of this system is that it is prone to electrical digital noise and distortion, producing an inconsistent and imperfect issue of the converted content. Outputs can be speakers, or DACs, or even another digital device. It is the simplest form of digital audio transfer as digital data is decoded without converting into analog. What is the difference between PCM and Bitstream? Which is better?īitstream audio makes use of the digital decoding process to convert the digital file into an analog signal. What Happens When You Choose Bitstream?.