in 2018, an austrian startup, rebeat innovation gmbh, received 4.8 million in funding to develop high definition vinyl records that purport to contain longer play times, louder volumes and higher fidelity than conventional vinyl lps. rebeat innovation, headed by ceo günter loibl, has called the format 'hd vinyl'. the hd process works by converting audio to a digital 3d topography map which is then inscribed onto the vinyl stamper via lasers, resulting in less loss of information. many critics have expressed skepticism regarding the cost and quality of hd records.