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Another obituary for HD Radio
- Thread starter JohnnyElectron
- Start date
Matt gave 5 reason why HD is failing but he forgot to include the most real and important one: HD radio just doesn't work well, the range is abysmal, how do all these supposed informed pundits miss this? Haven't any of them actually listened to an HD radio drop in and out? Haven't they ever read any of the car and truck forums where people write in and complain about shutting off HD because of the poor performance? Then you read all the baloney that ibiquity tells these poor people who own the cars: The antenna cable in the truck is bad, come on! Give me a break. How long is this sham going to go on? If HD radio ever actually becomes the new form of radio, that will prove that marketing triumphs over function every time.
By the way this is GM's appeasement of ibiquity so they won't get the pants sues off them:
from Radio World:
Exclusive: GM Says It’s “Tweaking” HD Radio Implementation
Haha!
"General Motors is focused on tweaking its implementation of HD Radio in some models — that’s why the automaker removed it from five models for the 2015 model year: the Chevy Traverse, Chevy Silverado truck, Buick Enclave and Regal as well as the Chevy Impala. However the goal is to bring the technology to more GM models.
GM Manager Engineering & Safety Communications Jennie Ecclestone tells Radio World that “based on customer feedback we had received on our initial HD Radio application, we decided to refine this technology and removed it from some vehicles.”
more at:
http://www.radioworld.com/article/exclusive-gm-says-it’s-“tweaking”-hd-radio-implementation/272153
I already posted my thoughts on this in the BuzzStream. But here it is for this board:
When I read the tease in the blog about "copying Apple," I agreed. Then I read the blog, and he missed the point.
Have you ever been to a Developers Conference? Have you ever seen how many people attend? Consider if the same thing happened for radio.
The problem with HD Radio, and the reason why no one cares, is because it's a closed technology, and the company refuses to open it to outside developers. Saving HD Radio won't save radio in general. It will just save iBiquity. A profit-making company that has focused on demanding its royalty up front, demanding manufacturing royalties based on the price of the entire device, not the chip, and has kept its technology closed and private from other inventors who might be able to improve it.
In that way, the industry is better off waiting for the patent to expire before doing anything. Then the royalty thing will be off the table, and the public will be able to fix HD Radio without making iBiquity rich. Until then, this is a private iBiquity problem, which THEY need to fix if they intend to remain in business.
I don't think it was a complete coincidence that the explosion of FM took place after the Armstrong patent ran out, and the family's lawsuit against RCA was settled. I expect the same thing to happen with this, although it may be too late.
When I read the tease in the blog about "copying Apple," I agreed. Then I read the blog, and he missed the point.
Have you ever been to a Developers Conference? Have you ever seen how many people attend? Consider if the same thing happened for radio.
The problem with HD Radio, and the reason why no one cares, is because it's a closed technology, and the company refuses to open it to outside developers. Saving HD Radio won't save radio in general. It will just save iBiquity. A profit-making company that has focused on demanding its royalty up front, demanding manufacturing royalties based on the price of the entire device, not the chip, and has kept its technology closed and private from other inventors who might be able to improve it.
In that way, the industry is better off waiting for the patent to expire before doing anything. Then the royalty thing will be off the table, and the public will be able to fix HD Radio without making iBiquity rich. Until then, this is a private iBiquity problem, which THEY need to fix if they intend to remain in business.
I don't think it was a complete coincidence that the explosion of FM took place after the Armstrong patent ran out, and the family's lawsuit against RCA was settled. I expect the same thing to happen with this, although it may be too late.
Yes, who cares? I don't think there's going exactly to be a stampede to improve it
And.. when does the patent expire?
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One thing that wasn't reported in the original GM removes HD story is that GM is actually putting HD radio in more models to make up for the removal from others. So there is not expected to be a major net change in the number of GM vehicles that offer HD radio.
But that didn't make good fodder for the HD haters, so no one bothered to report it.
Patents last for 20 years. From what I've read, there are a lot of people who'd like to improve it.
Maybe it wasn't reported because it is not true? I haven't read that anywhere, I have read that they are continuing putting it in some models which already had it. If GM were putting the hashmaker into new model cars to make up for their being taken out of discerning buyers cars don't you think ibiquity would be trumpeting that from the high heavens right about now as they trumpet all their false positive spin? You could see old propeller planes with banners behind them over every metropolitan city with writers everywhere.
Some more about this situation from our old friend:
http://diymedia.net/wordpress/2014/09/02/gm-backs-away-from-hd-industry-yawns/
Is that even possible? There's only so much excrement you can stuff into those sideband-sacks.
D
diymedia
Guest
Paging Mr. Hardis....
Is that even possible? There's only so much excrement you can stuff into those sideband-sacks.
I agree...that's why AM spacing needs to be fixed as well.
As we've discussed in other threads, if the FCC is really serious about fixing AM, there are a few things it could do. If it was willing to actually do something.
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
Why would the FCC bother regulating radio? They have more important things to do, like making sure there is adequate minority ownership.
How good a job have they done there?
There are stations that have the HD off for weeks or months and no one complains. When I complained about an HD2 I like being off the air, it fell on deaf ears. How are HD2 stations supposed to build an audience if they aren't reliable?
A station had its HD exciter fail years ago and they never replaced it.
Just recently, a station had its HD off for weeks because the AC was broken at the transmitter site. No one complained. If the main transmitter had to be shut down or even have a power reduction, you bet the AC would have been fixed immediately. And the engineer would be working in the sweltering heat to do whats necessary to keep the station on the air. He would refuse to work in the heat to keep the HD transmitter on.
A station had its HD exciter fail years ago and they never replaced it.
Just recently, a station had its HD off for weeks because the AC was broken at the transmitter site. No one complained. If the main transmitter had to be shut down or even have a power reduction, you bet the AC would have been fixed immediately. And the engineer would be working in the sweltering heat to do whats necessary to keep the station on the air. He would refuse to work in the heat to keep the HD transmitter on.
Yes that happens here too, a local station here goes off every two or three months, so I have stopped posting about it! But I think that the fact that no stations get complaints is kind of telling, if no one complains either no one is listening to it or..... no one cares. Either way why waste all that electricity for no one?
Obviously there was a commitment made at one point to carry this service, although I personally don't know what that commitment was. So they have to at least make an effort to carry out the terms of the commitment.
Really? A contract?
I said a commitment. That's what the Alliance was. No?
Those with the biggest commitment are the groups in the HD Radio Alliance. Many of the Alliance groups are investors in iBiquity. As it states on the iBiquity website, "investors include 15 of the nation's top radio broadcasters, including Clear Channel and CBS Radio".
If the Alliance groups drop it, then iBiquity wouldn't be able to sell HD to any more broadcasters.
If the Alliance groups drop it, then iBiquity wouldn't be able to sell HD to any more broadcasters.
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