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Any HDRadio in San Diego users
- Thread starter SDRadio
- Start date
B
Bob_Hudson
Guest
But boy do I love the XM radio that came with my wife's new Honda Pilot. I may actually pay for that when the free three-month subscription runs out: never thought I'd get into satellite radio, but in a place like Southern California where FM's fade in out with every hill and valley, the stability of XM is great (and in the mountains and deserts when nothing else comes in it's really great). Plus the "Decades" channels are quite fun to have.
But HD? Heck, most radio stations can't figure out how to do attractive programming on one channel, let alone two and the above reception issues are the same with HD as with FM. And what's with DSC all the time on KGB HD?
But HD? Heck, most radio stations can't figure out how to do attractive programming on one channel, let alone two and the above reception issues are the same with HD as with FM. And what's with DSC all the time on KGB HD?
That's the problem, Bob. No real hook on HD multicast stations. I do like KPBS' Groove Salad and sometimes I'll sample DSC all day. However, just like drinking and driving, friends shouldn't let you drive while listening to HDRadio. It just isn't any good. I can listen to KPBS and the other stations fine in my driveway. Movin' on the road, only 94.1's multicast is OK. I can't get KSON; however I can get KBIG and KKGO from la LA just fine.
There's no real hook for HDRadio -- KOGO on HD is still KOGO. People are demanding better content not better binary.
Then there's the sales pitch by the big box stores. This week I went to short circuit city and was amazed to hear that I'll have to buy a subsciption. Likeways, fried electronics in San Marcos had a radio on display .... but can't listen to HDRadio in that area.
XM is WAY better. Plus, I love all those Cub games during the broadcast day. 60s on 6, Bluesville, and the Loft are my favorite places.
There's no real hook for HDRadio -- KOGO on HD is still KOGO. People are demanding better content not better binary.
Then there's the sales pitch by the big box stores. This week I went to short circuit city and was amazed to hear that I'll have to buy a subsciption. Likeways, fried electronics in San Marcos had a radio on display .... but can't listen to HDRadio in that area.
XM is WAY better. Plus, I love all those Cub games during the broadcast day. 60s on 6, Bluesville, and the Loft are my favorite places.
HD needs more power to work properly, and it's coming. Clear Channel, who happens to have a big stake in HD, is leading the fight to get the increase. 6 dB would do it, they're looking for 10. Now, considering how new the technology is, and how long it will take to penetrate the market to a significant degree, it's no surprise that the programming is less than jaw dropping. Why would anyone invest a bundle of money in something that has less than .01% (conjecture, not factual or supported by anything other than off the top of my head) of the market? That doesn't mean it's destined to fail, it just means it's going to be a L O N G time before it carries impact. This is still in the infancy stage, and it will eventually have it's followers and believers. If you look at the history of color TV and FM it also took many years for significant penetration of the market. HDTV has the benefit of being mandated, HD (IBOC) won't. The technology will exist in the future, though issues of penetration into smaller markets because of the licensing and physical plant expense will cause many of those operaters to look away for a long time to come. It's a proprietary system that can't be mandated, unlike HDTV, which is an open standard for which no licensing fees have to be paid. There will be TV stations that don't meet the cut off for HDTV that will go dark because they can't afford to convert. Hide and watch.
Now having said all of that, I do believe we could have done better. We also could have done better than NTSC with PAL, we also could have done better than the existing FM stereo system, but it's what we got stuck in our faces, and I don't even want to address AM Stereo, which held major competetive benefits but got derailed by the bitter fight over rights to the dollars that could have been won, so HD (IBOC) it is, like it or not. It comes down to how many choices we're going to have for our entertainment dollar, how many technology devices we're willing to use, what services we determine are worth our entertainment dollar, and what manufacturers package all of these things in one box (which I assure you is coming) and how high our consumer level of expenditure goes as all prices for living increase.
Maybe someday something will give and the free radio services will reign by default. Fill up your tank lately? That $13 a month covers the increase in the price of one or so fill ups.
It ain't easy folks.
Now having said all of that, I do believe we could have done better. We also could have done better than NTSC with PAL, we also could have done better than the existing FM stereo system, but it's what we got stuck in our faces, and I don't even want to address AM Stereo, which held major competetive benefits but got derailed by the bitter fight over rights to the dollars that could have been won, so HD (IBOC) it is, like it or not. It comes down to how many choices we're going to have for our entertainment dollar, how many technology devices we're willing to use, what services we determine are worth our entertainment dollar, and what manufacturers package all of these things in one box (which I assure you is coming) and how high our consumer level of expenditure goes as all prices for living increase.
Maybe someday something will give and the free radio services will reign by default. Fill up your tank lately? That $13 a month covers the increase in the price of one or so fill ups.
It ain't easy folks.
RadeoEngineer said:
It ain't easy folks ... and your comments are on target. At what price with the 6 or 10 give us? The db will be the hash served on the splatter of AM radio? You're very right: infancy. I have a fancy radio all dressed up for .... well, too early to the party. If you listen to the spots about the radio-within-a-radio you'll wonder if you are missing it. My non-radio-industry friends ask me if HDRadio is worth it. Not where I live in Oceanside. where I work in SAn Diego by the airport ... you betcha. City grade signal is best. Most stations that broadcast from La Jolla: Encinitas is the demark line north. KPBS FM has a great signal where I work too; and they are further south.
I am an XM radio subscriber; I have the old fashioned XM2Go that gives me five hours of record time (sort of like a digital recorder on a timer -- perfect for Coast to Coast AM). With my family plan, it's about $100 a year. Worth it. I often wish they would have a zydoco music channel ... that's about the only spectrum not covered.
Regardless, RadioEngineer, your comments are on target.
G-Dawg, even with HDRadio's publicity push, the box sellers sales weasels don't know enough .... about the technology.
See you on the radio .... or stay tuned .....
[/quote]
It ain't easy folks ... and your comments are on target. At what price with the 6 or 10 give us? The db will be the hash served on the splatter of AM radio? You're very right: infancy. I have a fancy radio all dressed up for .... well, too early to the party. If you listen to the spots about the radio-within-a-radio you'll wonder if you are missing it. My non-radio-industry friends ask me if HDRadio is worth it. Not where I live in Oceanside. where I work in SAn Diego by the airport ... you betcha. City grade signal is best. Most stations that broadcast from La Jolla: Encinitas is the demark line north. KPBS FM has a great signal where I work too; and they are further south.
I am an XM radio subscriber; I have the old fashioned XM2Go that gives me five hours of record time (sort of like a digital recorder on a timer -- perfect for Coast to Coast AM). With my family plan, it's about $100 a year. Worth it. I often wish they would have a zydoco music channel ... that's about the only spectrum not covered.
Regardless, RadioEngineer, your comments are on target.
G-Dawg, even with HDRadio's publicity push, the box sellers sales weasels don't know enough .... about the technology.
See you on the radio .... or stay tuned .....
[/quote]
Late yesterday afternoon I was at Grossmont Center and walked into Radio Shack to see if they had an HD radio set. Well, they did, but the sales weasel there was very honest didn't really understand what it was nor could he get the radio to work. Within about 1 minute I figured out this really good Boston radio and was able to get 101.5 KGB and their second signal. None of the Cheap Channel stations would come iin (mostly because of the traditionally bad FM radio reception in that neck of the woods) and in that I was inside a store, etc. The sound was GREAT, although i was rather surprised that one Boston radio receiver with HD had better reception than the other.
It ain't easy folks ... and your comments are on target. At what price with the 6 or 10 give us? The db will be the hash served on the splatter of AM radio? You're very right: infancy. I have a fancy radio all dressed up for .... well, too early to the party. If you listen to the spots about the radio-within-a-radio you'll wonder if you are missing it. My non-radio-industry friends ask me if HDRadio is worth it. Not where I live in Oceanside. where I work in SAn Diego by the airport ... you betcha. City grade signal is best. Most stations that broadcast from La Jolla: Encinitas is the demark line north. KPBS FM has a great signal where I work too; and they are further south.
I am an XM radio subscriber; I have the old fashioned XM2Go that gives me five hours of record time (sort of like a digital recorder on a timer -- perfect for Coast to Coast AM). With my family plan, it's about $100 a year. Worth it. I often wish they would have a zydoco music channel ... that's about the only spectrum not covered.
Regardless, RadioEngineer, your comments are on target.
G-Dawg, even with HDRadio's publicity push, the box sellers sales weasels don't know enough .... about the technology.
See you on the radio .... or stay tuned .....
[/quote]
Late yesterday afternoon I was at Grossmont Center and walked into Radio Shack to see if they had an HD radio set. Well, they did, but the sales weasel there was very honest didn't really understand what it was nor could he get the radio to work. Within about 1 minute I figured out this really good Boston radio and was able to get 101.5 KGB and their second signal. None of the Cheap Channel stations would come iin (mostly because of the traditionally bad FM radio reception in that neck of the woods) and in that I was inside a store, etc. The sound was GREAT, although i was rather surprised that one Boston radio receiver with HD had better reception than the other.
Radio-Shux is like that with everything! They don't know anyting about anything. They are no longer good for the stuff that they were opened for, bulidng stuff. They hire buger-flippers and train them how to sell stuff. Nevermind HD radio, if they are as bad in San Diego as they are here, I don't see Radio-Shock lasting for much longer as a store...
Media Hack Chris | SDR said:
Best Buy is a nightmare with the installs.
D
doublecashkgb
Guest
Yep, Blame the stores, when the real blame is a lame technology. There is no customer passion
for HD Radio. Stick a fork in it.
for HD Radio. Stick a fork in it.
B
Bob_Hudson
Guest
doublecashkgb said:
Yeah, it reminds me of those ads I see for local TV news in HD ----- mediocre programming with higher fidelity.
Most programming in HD (whether audio or video HD) is like the restaurant where it is said, "The food is lousy, but at least the portions are big!"
I hate to sound like a nonbeliever, but a cleaner signal is not saving the good ship radio. Especially when the investment in technology for the average consumer is not only unreasonable, but somewhat questionable. In Boise, ID two stations have committed to HD programming, and those are public stations. I just think by the time there can be a saturation point, it will be too late.
They're 200 to 300 dollars on Amazon. How can anyone convince me their money wouldn't be better served in an investment such as an Ipod/Xbox/PSP?
Oh, music in the car? Satellite Radio's got that covered. It's about the same price. Oh, and localism is gone, but you get 100 + channels, something only a market like Los Angeles could do if all stations used their sidebands. Which they don't. Not yet anyway. Because no one has an HD radio. So you see where this is going, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCw6zVhUmLM
From 1:15 to 3:00 on this clip, Howard Stern 20 years in advance calls it. He's talking about another "amazing technology" that was going to revolutionize radio, which of course never happened. See if you can guess it before Letterman brings it up. And then notice exactly how "hd radio" could be placed over it.
sk-
Ok, done bashing. Choo Choo.
They're 200 to 300 dollars on Amazon. How can anyone convince me their money wouldn't be better served in an investment such as an Ipod/Xbox/PSP?
Oh, music in the car? Satellite Radio's got that covered. It's about the same price. Oh, and localism is gone, but you get 100 + channels, something only a market like Los Angeles could do if all stations used their sidebands. Which they don't. Not yet anyway. Because no one has an HD radio. So you see where this is going, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCw6zVhUmLM
From 1:15 to 3:00 on this clip, Howard Stern 20 years in advance calls it. He's talking about another "amazing technology" that was going to revolutionize radio, which of course never happened. See if you can guess it before Letterman brings it up. And then notice exactly how "hd radio" could be placed over it.
sk-
Ok, done bashing. Choo Choo.
B
Bob_Hudson
Guest
whateverkallao said:
I thought i would not like satellite radio, but the XM radio in our Honda Pilot is great - we can drive all over Southern California from the ocean through the mountains to the desert and listen to the same station: on FM I can't listen to the same station from Oceanside to Escondido without it fading in and out (mostly out). Plus the programming choices are excellent to say nothing of the presentation - it's so much more alive than any of the local stations.
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