Overview
CW-HDCD
A Windows command-line utility for detecting HDCD signalling and carrying out HDCD-aware conversion or preservation workflows.
Features
- HDCD signalling detection before conversion
- Dedicated scan workflow
- No converted output created when valid signalling is absent
- HDCD-preservation workflow
- WAV / RF64 PCM16 handling
- FLAC output workflows with runtime libFLAC support
- Windows x64 and x86 release builds
Practical comparison
How CW-HDCD differs
Many audio converters will process a 16-bit source without first establishing whether meaningful HDCD signalling is actually present. CW-HDCD makes that distinction part of the normal workflow.
Detection before conversion
The converter can verify HDCD signalling before creating a decoded or preserved output, reducing the chance of silently treating ordinary PCM as HDCD.
Compared with passive metadata-style checks
The workflow is based on the audio signalling itself rather than assuming a disc or filename labelled HDCD is sufficient evidence.
Preservation as well as conversion
A preservation path is available for workflows where maintaining HDCD-bearing PCM is preferable to decoding it immediately.
Command line
Command examples
Scan for HDCD
Check the source for valid HDCD signalling without performing a normal conversion.
C:\> cw-hdcd.exe input.wav --scanConvert to FLAC
Run the standard HDCD-aware conversion workflow.
C:\> cw-hdcd.exe input.wav output.flacPreserve HDCD
Retain HDCD-bearing PCM in the output workflow rather than performing the normal decode path.
C:\> cw-hdcd.exe input.wav output.flac --preserve-hdcdProject notes
The no-HDCD guard is deliberate: when the expected signalling is absent, the normal conversion path stops before creating an output file.
Downloads
Verification
Release downloads can be verified independently using the published SHA-256 checksum and Windows digital signature.