High dynamic range recording and playback for multilevel storage using differential sampling

A method comprising:

• sampling an input signal by a sampler to generate a first sample of an input signal at a first time instant;
• generating a second sample by an circuit, the second sample being the sampled input signal held at a second time instant;
• and
• generating a difference signal representing a difference between the first sample and the second sample by a differential amplifier, the difference signal being stored in a multilevel storage array, wherein the multilevel storage array stores an initial sample in a storage row.

A system comprising:

• a multilevel storage array;
• and
• an input circuit coupled to the multilevel storage array, the input circuit comprising:
• a sampler to sample an input signal, the sampler generating a first sample of an input signal at a first time instant,
• a circuit coupled to the sampler to generate a second sample, the second sample being the sampled input signal held at a second time instant, and
• a differential amplifier coupled to the circuit and the sampler to generate a difference signal representing a difference between the first sample and the second sample, the difference signal being stored in the multilevel storage array, wherein the multilevel storage array stores an initial sample in a storage row.