Xref: utzoo rec.audio:17667 sci.electronics:9168
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!mitel!sce!cognos!dgbt!barry
From: barry@dgbt.uucp (Barry McLarnon DGBT/DIP)
Newsgroups: rec.audio,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Why 44.1KHz?
Message-ID: <1323@dgbt.uucp>
Date: 18 Dec 89 16:50:23 GMT
References: <2729@radio.oakhill.UUCP>
Organization: CRC, Ottawa CANADA
Lines: 22

From article <2729@radio.oakhill.UUCP>, by charlie@oakhill.UUCP (Charlie Thompson):
> I know where 44.056 KHz comes from for audio sample rate....
> but why was 44.1 KHz ever chosen? What 'magic' number is 44.1 related to??

According to the Audio Engineering Handbook, the choice of 44.1 for CDs
relates to its earlier usage for PCM digital audio tape recorders based
on videotape recorders.  These recorders record 3 words per line, and the
sample rate was chosen so that an integral number of lines would be used,
compatible with both the NTSC (525 line/30 Hz) and CCIR (625 line/25 Hz)
systems, viz:

3 X 490 X 30 Hz (NTSC) = 3 X 588 X 25 Hz (CCIR) = 44.1 kHz

> -Thanks,
> C.D.T.  

Barry

-- 
Barry McLarnon    Communications Research Center    Ottawa, ON   Canada
UUCP: ...utzoo!bnr-vpa!bnr-rsc!dgbt!barry   INTERNET:  barry@dgbt.crc.dnd.ca
Compu$erve: 71470,3651     Packet radio:  VE3JF @ VE3JF