Last month, the Norwegian Culture Ministry published a report calling for the turnoff of all analog radio broadcast services in the country by 2017.
Domestic boosters of the plan claim that the switch to the Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) protocol represents “a tool for democratization and a vast increase in choice.” Although DMB is a different technology than HD Radio, the U.S. digital radio broadcasting standard, both suffer from a technologically-agnostic failure to provide qualitative improvements to existing analog radio service. Continue reading “Norway: New Vanguard of Digital Radio?”
Category: Digital Radio
"Persona Radio": FASTROAD to Nowhere
This is rich: the latest “feature” under development for the HD Radio protocol. Called “Persona Radio,” the scheme utilizes radical changes to the broadcast and reception infrastructure to allow for the conceptual distribution of “personalized” radio content. In theory, a listener “registers” with a station, inputting information like age, gender, location, and “mood,” and then the HD station offers them a menu of “personalized” content, including time-shifted audio, still images, text information, and (oh boy!) personalized coupons.
Some important qualifications have to be made about the “Persona Radio” project and its documentation so far: Continue reading “"Persona Radio": FASTROAD to Nowhere”
The Life and Times of Radio Engineering
Paul Thurst’s blog, Engineering Radio, is great new addition to the interwebs. Thurst is a working broadcast engineer. From personal experience, I’ve found that engineers are typically the most intelligent, grounded (no pun intended) and and eccentric folks at any radio station.
Today, many stations don’t even have their own engineers, and those still employed in the business often find themselves busting tail working for multiple employers, multiple stations, and without much respect.
I’ve never understood the latter: most radio station management and air talent are pretty clueless technologically, except for memorizing which buttons they need to push in the studio. If something goes awry, it’s a “crisis” – for which the engineer has to play counselor, diplomat, and technician. Broadcast engineers are the unseen and unheard heart of any radio station – without them, there would be dead air (or static). Continue reading “The Life and Times of Radio Engineering”
Digital Radio Mondiale Proponents Organize in U.S.
A new web site has been launched to provide information on the idea of promulgating the use of Digital Radio Mondiale in North America.
The site grew out of a four-year old mailing list which originally began as a place for listeners to post logs of DRM signals. Notably, the site contains a bibliography of journal articles written about the technology.
So far the group’s only superficially engaged in the change-process through comments on the reboot.fcc.gov site, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Continue reading “Digital Radio Mondiale Proponents Organize in U.S.”
The People v. HD Radio
It’s not quite going in that direction – yet – but another law firm has opened an inquiry into “defective” HD Radio receivers in high-end automobiles. The first firm on the scene, Keefe Bartels, is now soliciting consumer complaints about problems with HD Radio reception.
Details are few, but there’s always the chance – if a lawsuit is filed – that the plaintiffs could push for class-action status. Both firms appear to be working in concert. Continue reading “The People v. HD Radio”
Digital Radio Books of Note
There is now a mini-library of published books available on the subject of digital terrestrial radio broadcasting. Two are domestic and technical; the other two are more globally-oriented and critical. (I’m writing the domestic-critical book!)
First up is the oldest: The IBOC Handbook: Understanding HD Radio™ Technology is a must-read for any broadcast engineer saddled with the task of implementing HD on a broadcast station. Published by the National Association of Broadcasters and authored by David Maxson, the book is an excellent technical overview of the protocol as well as its potentials and pitfalls. (It’s also the only one of the books I’ve actually read yet.)
HD Radio Implementation: The Field Guide for Facility Conversion was written by Thomas Ray III, WOR’s chief engineer and (until recently) a very staunch proponent of HD Radio. If you’re a broadcast engineer faced with HD, this is the second book you should read – Maxson’s book explains the theory, while Ray’s book looks at the issue from the applied angle – how to not only just install, adjust, and maintain an HD signal, but also how to optimize the entire station’s air chain to accommodate it. Continue reading “Digital Radio Books of Note”
HD "Lawsuit" Gaining Traction?
An interesting observation noted by Keeping the Public in Public Radio, who referenced this post to a thread on a broadcast-related e-mail listserve about the possibilities of zinging iBiquity Digital Corporation with legal action, including the potential of bringing the company down as a result, written by someone who’s been following the potential litigation effort more closely than I:
Whether any of us believes there’s a chance the victims will win, the litigation will cost a fortune. The lawyers are looking for victims and witnesses. Since I’ve probably done more [HD reception] field testing than anyone…I’ve been asked to participate either as a witness or a complainant…. Continue reading “HD "Lawsuit" Gaining Traction?”
How Does iBiquity Stay Afloat?
Many have pooh-poohed the “investigatory action” by a law firm looking into the degraded reception characteristics of HD Radio receivers in certain models of high-end vehicles. The pre-suit, I will admit, is a fishing effort – but then again, some spelunking efforts actually make for justice.
This first quasi-legal shot-across-the-bow to HD Radio is not directed at the originators of the technology – iBiquity itself. But there are two ways in which, should this legal effort gain momentum, could hurt iBiquity badly: Continue reading “How Does iBiquity Stay Afloat?”
HD Radio Roundup
Lots has been happening since I started formally dissertating on the debacle that is HD Radio. Below is a collection of intriguing snippets and informed prognostication:
1. HD Radio Reception. Mediageek Paul Riismandel recently posted two articles on Radio Survivor dealing with real-world HD reception in a major market (in his case, Chicago), using a bottom-end (~$80) HD receiver. The results are not impressive. On FM, Paul sez,
I find that the technology of cramming a digital signal in next to analog one has too many compromises to be successful. The bandwidth for the HD channels is not enough to offer significantly better fidelity for the primary HD channel, and the leftover bandwidth available for HD2 and HD3 provides sound quality that does not surpass what is available online or on satellite radio. Importantly, tuning in a clear HD signal can be a very finicky process that can try one’s patience.
AM-HD engenders even less enthusiasm (love the graphic, BTW): “I consider HD Radio on AM to be mostly useless and not worth the effort. It’s especially not worth the loud digital hash noise I receive on my analog-only radios on the frequencies adjacent to the HD stations. It’s like a line of digital litter strewn across the AM radio highway.” Continue reading “HD Radio Roundup”
Translators: The Back Up Plan to HD?
Pity the poor FM translator: a book could be written about the way it has been used – and abused – over the years. Primarily just in this last decade. First, there was the religious broadcaster-led Great Translator Invasion; then, AM broadcasters asked for (and received) permission from the FCC to operate their own FM translator stations. Finally, some full-power FM stations that also happen to be running HD multicast streams are finding the analog translator a lucrative outlet for its previously digital-only content.
It is the latter two developments which concern us here, because both are direct offshoots of HD Radio. AM stations petitioned the FCC (via the NAB) to allow them to assemble clusters, if necessary, of FM translators to at least replicate their primary (protected) service coverage areas. Among the reasons given for this was the increasing level of interference on the AM band, part of which has been caused by the implementation of HD Radio. Continue reading “Translators: The Back Up Plan to HD?”