FreeLists / opendtv / [opendtv] Re: New French HDTV trials

["Barry Wilkins" <barry.barrywilkins@xxxxxxxxx>]

Yes, all terrestrial receivers will be HD capable as I understand.

Regarding Australia and digital radio, they recently mandated DAB+ which is
supposed to be fully operational in all states by 2009. We are half way
through a 1 year trial of DAB (Eureka 147) in Auckland and Wellington
(November finish) but the understanding is we will use DAB+ as well  when
the receivers become available.

Regards
Barry

On 6/10/07, Albert Manfredi <bert22306@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Barry Wilkins wrote:
>
> >Regarding the retrofitting, we won't be doing that as we
> >are incorporating H.264 in the terrestrial format from go(early
> >next year). We will be going HD on this platform for some
> >content.
>
> Good move. I'm taking this to mean that all receivers will be compatible
> with an HD bitstream as well.
>
> >What has been the general feedback on IBOC in the US? Is
> >there more interest in satellite radio (Sirius)?
>
> I'm trying to gauge that myself. IBOC, which is marketed as "HD Radio," is
> fairly well advertized. It must be doing well enough, because Sangean has
> already updated their brand new HDT-1 stereo tuner to accommodate the
> complaints they got. Amazing. It was first introduced in mid-December of
> 2006. The updated version includes a digital audio output, bigger remote,
> variable intensity in the display, and the display turns off when the unit
> is turned off. And, interestingly enough, it also allows "forced analog
> reception," something I was wondering about recently. You can force it to
> stay with the analog channel, rather than quickly switch over to digital.
>
> I am impressed with the Sangean folk for responding so fast and so
> thoroughly to consumer comments.
>
> >I understand from one comment I heard that Canada did not take
> >on IBOC because "It simply doesn't work" By this I took it to mean
> >interference and extended bandwidth problems.
>
> Don't know what that refers to. I would think the only "doesn't work"
> might
> apply to the fact that in hybrid mode, which so far is effectively
> mandated
> by the FCC, the digital signal is 23 dB down in the FM band (and 25 to 35
> dB
> down in AM band). So in fact, it doesn't work as reliably as analog FM.
> One
> can't expect it to, at such reduced power. In my home system, it works
> very
> well. In cars, I'm not so sure. The "main channel" no doubt works fine,
> because it can always fall back on the FM analog, but trying to receive
> the
> digital-only multicasts in a car might be touchy.
>
> And I'm amazed by how good the codec is. In hybrid mode, you only get 98.4
> Kb/s for digital stations in the FM band (and up to 123 Kb/s in "extended
> hybrid mode," which is now permitted), and that sounds really very good to
> me. Over a real stereo, not just on a table radio. And in the AM band, it
> sounds so much better than the analog that it's startling. AM band IBOC in
> hybrid mode gives you from 20 Kb/s to 56 Kb/s depending on the exact mode
> they use.
>
> >Radio New Zealand International has also embraced DRM for our
> >SW service to the general pacific region and I believe this can be
> >picked up in the US and Europe also. Does the US employ DRM
> >for SW broadcasts?
>
> I don't think so. But SW is not very popular in the US. Mostly religious
> programming, and important SW broadcasters of the past, like BBC, have
> quit
> transmitting to North America in SW.
>
> I think one of the bif reasons for DRM is to give the AM band a second
> lease
> on life, and IBOC also does that. And by the way, the DRM spec has been
> extended to 120 MHz, which would make it a candidate for digital radio in
> the FM band, which DAB does not cover. All very overlapping and confusing.
>
> Australia is tesing IBOC, I've read.
>
> Bert
>
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