We might soon have HD vinyl to go with our HD Tidal streams.

Is 180g vinyl not good enough for you? Well, an Austrian company called Rebeat Digital  has announced it’s working on “high-definition vinyl” technology, which it claims results in longer playing times and a wider frequency range, and will reduce waiting times at the pressing plant.

According to Digital Music News, Rebeat’s process involves “3D-based topographical mapping combined with laser inscription technology” to burn the music directly to the stamper, which the company says results in a better product than the traditional vinyl pressing method as well as reducing the time it takes to produce a record by 60%.

Unlike the existing processes of scratching grooves into lacquer foil or manually scratching audio onto a copper plate, Rebeat claims the the HD process spends longer perfecting a computer-generated 3D modelled imprint before it reaches the manufacturing stage.

Rebeat CEO Guenter Loibl says: “We adjust the distance of the grooves, we correct the radial/tangential errors, and we optimize the frequencies. You could say we ‘master’ the topographical data, which is a totally different approach.”

If you’re concerned that HD vinyl will require the purchase of a new turntable, Rebeat says that the format is fully backwards compatible, though it will be “better realized on upcoming, HD-compatible turntables.”

Rebeat’s technology is a long way off. The company has only just filed a patent for the process, and its archaic website doesn’t exactly inspire confidence it will achieve the funding it needs to get the technology off the ground. For those looking for something to got with their overpriced Technics though, HD Vinyl could be the ultimate musical lifestyle accessory.

Unfortunately for Rebeat, the company already has competition in this area. Last month a company called Viryl announced it was developing a new generation of faster and more efficient vinyl presses. [via The Vinyl Factory]

Read next: Why vinyl hype is destroying the record

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