Intel High Definition Audio (HD Audio or "Azalia") refers to the specification released by Intel in 2004 for delivering high-definition audio that is capable of playing back more channels at higher quality than previous integrated audio codecs like AC97. During development it had the codename Azalia.
Hardware based on Intel HD Audio specifications is capable of delivering 192 kHz/32-bit quality for two channels, and 96 kHz/32-bit for up to eight channels. However, as of 2008, most audio hardware manufacturers do not implement the full high-end specification, especially 32-bit sampling resolution.
