LPCM

LPCM stands for Linear Pulse Code Modulation, also referred to as Linear PCM. It is a digital audio encoding, using pulse code modulation (PCM) with linear quantization. PCM is a digital representation of an analog signal where the magnitude of the signal is sampled regularly at uniform intervals, then quantized to a series of symbols in a digital (usually binary) code. PCM has been used in digital telephone systems and LPCM is the standard form for digital audio on audio compact disks.

LPCM encoding is the default audio encoding for the Broadcast Wave Format (BWF), WAV and AIFF. It is one of the audio encodings permitted in Matroska.

Its nonlinear siblings are µ-law and A-law, which achieve better dynamic range at the same bitrate.