DigitaleAnalogWandlung

Digitale-Analog-Wandlung is the process of converting digital signals into continuous-time analog signals. It is a core function in audio playback, video systems, measurement equipment, and telecommunications, where a discrete numerical representation must be reproduced as a physical electrical signal.

In a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), each digital sample specifies a voltage level that the output should assume. The DAC produces a stair-step waveform that must be smoothed by a reconstruction low-pass filter to recover a continuous analog waveform.

Common DAC architectures include binary-weighted resistor networks, R-2R ladder networks, and delta-sigma converters. Delta-sigma designs use oversampling and noise shaping to achieve high effective resolution with relatively simple analog circuitry.

Key performance factors are resolution (bits), dynamic range, linearity, total harmonic distortion, and clock-related jitter. Quantization error and dithering affect signal quality; a reconstruction filter suppresses spectral images caused by sampling.

Digitale-Analog-Wandlung is implemented wherever digital data must be heard or seen as a continuous signal, such as in audio players, televisions, oscilloscopes, and test equipment. Interfaces like PCM streams, I2S, and S/PDIF feed the DAC.