[opendtv] Status of HD Radio
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 12:42:29 -0400
I've been trying to figure out what the story has been with HD Radio, in
the past year or so. This article is no doubt biased, but it's the best
I could come up with. My personal experience with it, at home (don't
have it in the car), has been just great. Good sound, nice multicasts.
Not that I believe this is necessarily the best way to get digital radio
out there. Its main advantage is that it comes as a complete package for
promoting an easy transition strategy. But I think that in principle,
the same effect could be achieved with the updated DRM standard (which
includes the FM band), only that approach would require more
coordination.
I've seen various comments about the fact that HD Radio in the AM band,
at night, has been creating interference. Duh! That's why I wondered why
the FCC started allowing this, last year. It seems that some radio
stations that had begun transmitting HD Radio, in the AM band, at night,
have stopped doing so.
The reason for the interference is obvious. In the AM band in hybrid
mode, an HD Radio station has sidebands out to +/- 15 KHz of band
center, as opposed to only +/- 5 KHz for the analog signal *and* for the
channel assignment. Obviously, if these sidebands travel long distances,
as they do at night, they will create all manner of noise in any market
that uses the two adjacent frequencies assignments above and below the
offending station. Add up sideband energy from enough stations, and the
noise will become intrusive.
No problem like that in the FM band, though. And that AM interference
should hardly be considered a problem with the standard. In fact, in
digital-only mode, HD Radio in the AM band would revert back to +/- 5
KHz, or optionally +/- 10 KHz. Perhaps AM stations could consider using
all-digital mode at night?
I also saw somewhere that the target radio audience is 18 to 24 year
olds.
Bert
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http://radiopd.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/hd-radio-update/
Posted on April 22, 2008 by Scott Sands
Here's the latest news about HD Radio from the iBiquity team, without
comment
HD Radio(tm) broadcasting kicked off the second quarter with a great NAB
Show in Las Vegas last week, which included an announcement by Toyota's
Scion that it will factory install HD Radio technology in its vehicles.
At the same time, more than half way around the world in Shenzhen,
China, more than 250 sourcing, design and manufacturing partners
attended our twice-yearly HD Radio business and technology update
conference.
Here's more of the exciting news since our last communication. Click on
the links to get the full stories:
In the first HD Radio announcement from a Japanese automotive
manufacturer, Toyota Scion said that it will include HD Radio
technology.
"Cool" was the word for HD Radio broadcasting at the NAB Show. Radio
World gave iTunes Tagging for HD Radio technology its "Cool Concept"
award and its "Cool Stuff" award to iBiquity, Broadcast Electronics,
Continental Harris, Nautel and the NAB for their Embedded Exporter.
At an NAB press conference, the six organizations announced the Embedded
Exporter, which resulted from this unprecedented partnership to
accelerate the commercial development of products based on
next-generation HD Radio transmission technology. The new embedded
exporter will reduce the size and cost of HD Radio broadcast solutions.
The HD Radio booth at the NAB convention was busy all week with
broadcasters from coast to coast and around the world. We featured 50 of
the new HD Radio receivers available today to home, office and car, as
well as advanced features such has conditional access,
targeted-advertising insertion capabilities and iTunes Tagging.
The NAB's FASTROAD (Flexible Advanced Services for Television & Radio On
All Devices) program awarded a contract to BIA Financial Network and
Broadcast Signal Lab to help develop an Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
for HD Radio technology - an interactive on-screen program schedule. The
project work has already begun and is expected to be completed by late
summer.
Broadcast equipment manufacturers, Deva (Bulgaria) and Elettronika
(Italy), became the first European broadcast equipment manufacturers to
announce that they will make and sell HD Radio broadcasting products.
In Shenzhen, China, iBiquity hosted its largest China business
conference to date, with over 250 consumer electronics industry
executives attending three training sessions and a 20-vendor HD Radio
Exhibition. Attendees, representing a wide range of radio receiver
brands and manufacturers, worked to accelerate HD Radio technology
rollout around the world.
Growing momentum in the HD Radio technology rollout was on display at
the Hong Kong Electronics Show, where a number of manufacturers had HD
Radio products on display. This highlights the increasing level of
global interest in HD Radio technology.
Here is a quick update of the basic facts about the status of HD Radio
technology development:
More than 1,667 HD Radio stations are on the air in the US.
More than 800 new HD2 or HD3 multicast channels are on the air.
More than 60 unique HD Radio SKUs are available.
More than 10,000 stores and online outlets offer HD Radio products.
Factory-installed HD Radio technology is available in all BMWs and
Minis.
Dealer-installed HD Radio technology is available on Ford, Lincoln and
Mercury vehicles.
Hyundai's Genesis will be equipped with HD Radio technology at
dealerships this summer.
Ford, Jaguar, Scion and Volvo have announced that HD Radio technology
will be a factory-installed feature in future models.
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