Another nail in the coffin

[R.F. Burns]

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/pres...=9&id=T0079072EN_US&left_menu_item=node__2255


BMW Makes HD Radio Standard ...
Share Print BMW Makes HD Radio Standard In 2010
01.04.2010
Press Release
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 1, 2010... BMW of North America, LLC today announced that the launch of the 2011 BMW 5 Series Sedan marks the first time BMW’s entire product line is equipped with standard digital HD Radio Technology entertainment systems. Most of the 2011 BMW model lineup featuring the upgraded technology started production this month and will be available at dealerships by June 2010.



HD Radio Technology enables exclusive HD2/HD3 channels – added sub-channels spun off the main radio frequency – which broadcast unique, new content for avid radio listeners in local markets. These channels are found directly adjacent to the main (HD1) station on the dial. Today, there are over 2,000 radio stations in the U.S. broadcasting with HD Radio Technology, more than 1,100 of which are airing the HD2/HD3 channels.



Superior sound quality is another one of the significant benefits of HD Radio technology. BMW customers hearing HD Radio broadcasts will experience CD-quality FM sound and FM-quality AM clarity with fewer static, pops or hisses.



BMW was one of the pioneering automotive OEMs to embrace HD Radio Technology by providing the entertainment upgrade as an option in select models in 2006. Since then, BMW has continued to expand its commitment by adding HD Radio Technology to more vehicles in its product lineup – and in 2007, BMW became the first automaker to offer factory-installed HD Radio receivers as an option across its entire product line, including the 3, 5, 6 and 7 Series, and the X3, X5 and Z4 models. In November 2008, BMW tested and validated the capability for broadcasting real-time traffic information via HD Radio stations.



For a complete, current list of HD Radio stations, please visit www.hdradio.com.



BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 336 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 90 MINI passenger car dealers, and 31 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.



Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:



www.bmwgroupna.com

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Wow, I'm impressed. Another rewritten iBiquity press release, full of the exact same lies that have been debunked so many times I've lost count. I guess they figure that lies repeated often enough somehow mysteriously morph into truth.

 

[Carmine5]

A friend of mine just bought a VW Tiguan S equipped with a top o' the line stereo system which has, among other features, HD Radio.

A few days ago he invited me along for a test drive. The first thing he does is plug in his iPod. The iPod's controls immediately appear on the in-dash touch screen. He pokes the screen a few times, we buckle up, he starts the engine and off we go.

A satisfied HD Radio owner--listening to his iPod.

They can put HD Radios in every car made, from the sublime to the ridiculous (I've heard their going in Ford Transit Connects). But I think it's safe to say that that, R.F., represents the real, on the ground consumer reaction to having HD Radio in a car.

c5

 

[hubcity]

A friend of mine just bought a VW Tiguan S equipped with a top o' the line stereo system which has, among other features, HD Radio.

A few days ago he invited me along for a test drive. The first thing he does is plug in his iPod. The iPod's controls immediately appear on the in-dash touch screen. He pokes the screen a few times, we buckle up, he starts the engine and off we go.

A satisfied HD Radio owner--listening to his iPod.

They can put HD Radios in every car made, from the sublime to the ridiculous (I've heard their going in Ford Transit Connects). But I think it's safe to say that that, R.F., represents the real, on the ground consumer reaction to having HD Radio in a car.

c5

So...what HD station might he have wanted to listen to? None? Well...whose fault is that?

Nobody wants to listen to HD Radio, FM, AM, Satellite, or an iPod (or 8-Track, for that matter) if there's nothing there for them to listen to.

 

[BRNout]

So...what HD station might he have wanted to listen to? None? Well...whose fault is that?

Nobody wants to listen to HD Radio, FM, AM, Satellite, or an iPod (or 8-Track, for that matter) if there's nothing there for them to listen to.

Likewise, even when there is something on HD that you want to hear, the technology is such that it drops out too often. The all or nothing nature of "digital" works to it's disadvantage when it comes to consuming the content while in motion.

I'll give you an example: WLS-FM HD-2 is a rebroadcast of WLS-AM, in stereo (at about the quality of a decent internet stream). If, after winning the lottery, I am in my new BMW X5 and feel like listening to Rush Limbaugh - I might well try to tune in via 94.7 HD-2. However, I can guarantee you that after a few minutes, I'll be switching to 890. Why? Because with every long underpass on the way downtown, with every big building in the city, and with every potential obstruction in the suburbs, I'll get annoying drop-outs. Yeah, you get frying-egg sounding static on the AM for a second while driving under high-voltage lines. However, the continuity is still there. With fabulous digital, it's not. Your radio re-locks and you have a few seconds of silence before the program pops back in. The power increase won't change this fact, it will only ease it a little in certain places that are now marginal.

This march to everything digital has not been thought through by all involved. Digital has some great advantages, but it also has big drawbacks. It's absurd on AM, but it's also somewhat unwieldy on FM too. Putting HD radios in every new plastic Obamacar may help the technology, but it won't change the fact that signals drop to zero for any reason that lock is lost. The little ripple of static on FM that you ignore as you motor on by becomes a two or three second bump of silence with HD. Progress indeed.

 

[Savage]

Our office manager just bought a 2010 Ford Focus. I thought that car was an econo-box at $19Kish MSRP until I took a ride in it with him. Holey moley - cruise/tilt/windows/heated leather seats, etc. It's loaded; what a value for the buck.

But the coolest thing is that freakin' SYNC system, fully integrated in the car's nav system and radio. It communicates via Bluetooth with the driver's iPhone, where Jim's music library of about 1000 songs is stored, and plays those tunes wirelessly through the sound system.

All functions are voice-activated. The radio is excellent - even the AM section sounds great.

And: no sign of HD anywhere. The radio is good old analog.

 

[Carmine5]

A friend of mine just bought a VW Tiguan S equipped with a top o' the line stereo system which has, among other features, HD Radio.

A few days ago he invited me along for a test drive. The first thing he does is plug in his iPod. The iPod's controls immediately appear on the in-dash touch screen. He pokes the screen a few times, we buckle up, he starts the engine and off we go.

A satisfied HD Radio owner--listening to his iPod.

They can put HD Radios in every car made, from the sublime to the ridiculous (I've heard their going in Ford Transit Connects). But I think it's safe to say that that, R.F., represents the real, on the ground consumer reaction to having HD Radio in a car.

c5

So...what HD station might he have wanted to listen to? None? Well...whose fault is that?

Nobody wants to listen to HD Radio, FM, AM, Satellite, or an iPod (or 8-Track, for that matter) if there's nothing there for them to listen to.

Admittedly, my friend is from the latter half of the Gen X generation and, as we know, they just don't listen to terrestrial radio...period. But that's the point. Neither digital audio quality nor "stations between stations" is enticing him to give radio a try.

Instead, here are the features he prizes most about the stereo system in his Tiguan: iPod connectivity, Bluetooth so that he can stream Pandora using his Blackberry and an on-board GPS. To this day he has never listened to HD Radio (I just asked him).

Mr. Savage: it doesn't surprise me about the Ford Focus. Car critics have been heaping praise recently on Ford products, particularly the Edge and Fusion. They even like the Transit Connect. And there is a great deal of anticipation about the Chevy Volt. So it looks like Toyota's loss will be everyone else's gain, particularly with American carmakers.

c5

 

[satech]

Over on the automotive boards I'm hearing lots of complaints about factory equipped HD Radios having poor HD reception and annoying blending back and forth between digital and analog, with no way to force analog reception. And don't forget the early BMW radios which did not support the HD2/HD3 channels.

 

[BRNout]

So it looks like Toyota's loss will be everyone else's gain, particularly with American carmakers.

c5

Not to derail the thread (because I like where it's headed) but I must point out that Toyota's sales are up 41% in the past month (vs. Feb.). Granted, the [rare] sales incentives didn't hurt - but if people truly felt that Toyotas were unsafe they would not buy them at any price. Nonetheless, the real hot name out there right now is Ford and if you thought the Focus was nice, you should check out the Fusion! Sweeet - and still no HD!

 

[Play Freebird]

But the coolest thing is that freakin' SYNC system, fully integrated in the car's nav system and radio. It communicates via Bluetooth with the driver's iPhone, where Jim's music library of about 1000 songs is stored, and plays those tunes wirelessly through the sound system.

All functions are voice-activated. The radio is excellent - even the AM section sounds great.

Several years ago when the first HD Radio receivers were introduced, I wondered why none of them had a Bluetooth interface. Then, when Ford announced the SYNC system, I expected iBiquity would wake up and get the message that consumers like interoperability. But as far as I know, there's still no way to get HD receivers to "talk" with anything else, other than an iPod in a docking station.

If I were designing a digital radio system, one of my top priorities (other than keeping it out of the AM and FM analog bands) would be an "open source" ancillary data standard that could interface with smart phones and portable computers via Bluetooth or WiFi. Then, I would encourage broadcasters to come up with their own applications, for example, electronic coupons. Or, the coordinates of each local advertiser's store(s) could be transmitted during the spot, and sent to the navagation system at the push of a button.

Think of all the creative things that could be done if the datastream could be pulled out of the radio, but apparently iBiquity has everything locked down so tight that this is impossible.

 

[pocket-radio]

With Fords sync and Microsoft I believe they have a much bigger vision.

Ibiquity's vision is limited to selling HD radio systems and collecting licensing fees.

And the pesky consumers buy products for their reasons.

 

[R.F. Burns]

With Fords sync and Microsoft I believe they have a much bigger vision.

Ibiquity's vision is limited to selling HD radio systems and collecting licensing fees.

And the pesky consumers buy products for their reasons.

I don't have an argument. What you are getting is a peak into the end of OTA broadcasting as we know it. IBOC was never seen as anything other than a bridge between current analog terrstrial radio and the future which will be some form of wireless internet delivery. What that will mean is that unless you are a content provider, your facility will become worthless. Networks which currently syndicate programing will continue and people will be able to "tune" in to any one of the current providers to get their programs. On the other hand if you are a stand alone staton which currently distributes syndicated fare you will face building a local program lineup or see your business go under.

As an aside, what's funny is that after all of the complaints I've read on this board about the delay built in to HD radio due to buffering, those lawding the arrival of this alternate digital service will have to deal with even bigger delivery delays. ;D

 

[audioguy]

As an aside, what's funny is that after all of the complaints I've read on this board about the delay built in to HD radio due to buffering, those lawding the arrival of this alternate digital service will have to deal with even bigger delivery delays. ;D

I don't think that the complaint is primarily about the buffering or the delay. It is mostly about the lack of synchronization between the analog and digital signals. Secondarily, it is about how long it takes for a station to recover from a dropout, just as with DTV.

There is a concern about delay in connection with the broadcast of live sports events; I notice that some stations turn off their HD broadcasts during games apparently for this reason.

 

[tomservo]

All functions are voice-activated. The radio is excellent - even the AM section sounds great.

That's good to hear. My father's 2k1 Focus' AM section is terrible. It occasionally lets a little signal interfere with the engine noise.