• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

BEST BUY FORUM: IS THE INSIGNIA PORTABLE PLAYER LEGIT?

S

Savage

Best Buy's product forum discussion board has an interesting issue going on: it appears that the much-touted Insignia portable HD Radio is widely unavailable, with store management clueless about when the radios will actually be in stores:

http://www.forums.bestbuy.com/bb/board/message?board.id=Audio_Systems&thread.id=484

As you can see, despite local ads for the HD portable, they're not available in Charlotte, Cleveland or San Fransisco. Store personnel have no information to offer and BB isn't answering e-mail inquiries.

Could this all be more HD hype about fictional "HD portables" concocted to support recent demands for the FM digital power increase? Inquiring minds want to know.
 
Savage said:
Could this all be more HD hype about fictional "HD portables" concocted to support recent demands for the FM digital power increase? Inquiring minds want to know.
Click to expand...

I'm not real big on conspiracy theories - but this rush to approve a highly questionable power increase without proper engineering analysis is alarming. It reminds me of how they ramrodded the system through in the first place, knowing that the AM system was horrendously flawed. Then they ramrodded the nighttime operation through even when the daytime system proved interference prone.

I suspect money being passed under the table. A lot of it ---- and if that is the case we are going to get a power increase on FM shoved through quickly and nobody will give a _____ about interference it causes. Those complaining will be marginalized or worse.

If you want more proof of conspiracy - whatever happened to "digitaldisaster.org"? Bought off is my guess. It disappeared long before hometown was shut down. If you are curious you can still read their material on one of those whole web archive services. It documented how present power levels would jam many FM frequencies. Not the sort of thing the power increase advocates want people reading. Here is an active link:

http://web.archive.org/web/20040926102459/http://digitaldisaster.org/

Tell your friends - make sure this valuable information doesn't die, and is distributed to as many interested parties as possible! Especially the FCC ----
 
Savage said:
Best Buy's product forum discussion board has an interesting issue going on: it appears that the much-touted Insignia portable HD Radio is widely unavailable, with store management clueless about when the radios will actually be in stores:
Click to expand...

There are more East coast locations with units. We had one bought in the DC area and it's been handed to FedEx this afternoon. No store in the SoCal area had one. Most managers are clueless about inventory, which is computer managed except for special "manager requests" (a manager in a city where a team is going for the finals in a big sport can do a widescreen promotion, get support money, and get more stock). Otherwise, the managers don't have much control.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Savage said:
Best Buy's product forum discussion board has an interesting issue going on: it appears that the much-touted Insignia portable HD Radio is widely unavailable, with store management clueless about when the radios will actually be in stores:
Click to expand...

There are more East coast locations with units. We had one bought in the DC area and it's been handed to FedEx this afternoon. No store in the SoCal area had one. Most managers are clueless about inventory, which is computer managed except for special "manager requests" (a manager in a city where a team is going for the finals in a big sport can do a widescreen promotion, get support money, and get more stock). Otherwise, the managers don't have much control.
Click to expand...

If there was one bought in the DC area perhaps it was a digital clock radio ;D did anyone actually see it before it was shipped? I think Savage hit it right on the head, sounds like another hoax perpetuated around the time of another in a long line of "big" announcements about HD radio which in fact turn out to be just another lie in the big Pile-O-Manure that surrounded HD radio. How long do the HD pushers think people are going to fall for the wolf cry? Are the managers really clueless or is it more likely that perhaps they really couldn't care less? If the past is any indication to these guys about how well HD products sell, perhaps most don't want to waste the space on junk that is known to not work nor sell?
 
KB1OKL said:
Are the managers really clueless or is it more likely that perhaps they really couldn't care less?
Click to expand...

Both. Why do you think these electronics chains are going belly up? They don't know what's in stock, or what the products they sell do. Insignia is a Best Buy house brand. They own it! It's like GM not knowing if they have any Impalas in stock. Whoops!

In the meantime, I did a quick online check and found 3 stores in the Boston area with these in stock, so KB can run down and buy an HD radio!
 
HD Radio is pathetic enough without conspiracy theories on this rollout!! ::)

More likely that its yet another marketing black-eye where they're heavily promoting a product that's had production glitches and is only trickling out of the factory in rural China.

As for BB employees not having a clue, that's no shocker. Ever visit with any of them? Aside from certain specialty areas (computers, high-end TVs, etc.) the average employee is merely a half step above someone at Burger King. Call them up and you get some kid who has no interest in radio in general and is clueless about HD Radio or IBOC.

Not to mention that Best Buy management has better things to train them on than something as obscure and niche (yes, niche) as HD Radio. No one has been buying, so they invest training resources elsewhere on more profitable ventures. Doesn't surprise me a bit.
 
TheBigA said:
KB1OKL said:
Are the managers really clueless or is it more likely that perhaps they really couldn't care less?
Click to expand...

Both. Why do you think these electronics chains are going belly up? They don't know what's in stock, or what the products they sell do. Insignia is a Best Buy house brand. They own it! It's like GM not knowing if they have any Impalas in stock. Whoops!

In the meantime, I did a quick online check and found 3 stores in the Boston area with these in stock, so KB can run down and buy an HD radio!
Click to expand...

Did you call them to find out if they really have them? It's more like GM not knowing if they have an air cleaner screw for a 94 Cutless. HD radios are an already proven bomb, do you think they're actually going to waste any more time or space on something which they know is going to just sit and gather dust until it's finally just about given away on closeout?
 
KB1OKL said:
do you think they're actually going to waste any more time or space on something which they know is going to just sit and gather dust until it's finally just about given away on closeout?
Click to expand...

Let me say it again: Insignia is a house brand. It's like buying a Kenmore appliance at Sears or Arizona jeans at JC Penny.
 
TheBigA said:
KB1OKL said:
do you think they're actually going to waste any more time or space on something which they know is going to just sit and gather dust until it's finally just about given away on closeout?
Click to expand...

Let me say it again: Insignia is a house brand. It's like buying a Kenmore appliance at Sears or Arizona jeans at JC Penny.
Click to expand...

There are many Insignia products and I'm sure a known anchor like HD is not getting top priority at Best Buy, in fact I would bet it is getting purposely ignored if more than a few actually exist which is highly doubtful. It's just more malarkey from the B.S. Gang.
 
TheBigA said:
So instead of talking out of your butt, why not take a ride to South Bay and see if you're right?
Click to expand...

Well there A, if you send me the 50 bucks to waste on the expensive cigarette lighter/pocket warmer and gas money to get there I would.......... probably not waste the trip.
 
KB1OKL said:
If there was one bought in the DC area perhaps it was a digital clock radio ;D did anyone actually see it before it was shipped?
Click to expand...

Yes, a friend of one of us who is a broadcast engineer went in, and found it. He then called us to se if we wanted one, too. It's exactly like the one in the Best Buy web description... we are going to open it to see if it is using the samsung chip or the other one.
 
Savage said:
Could this all be more HD hype about fictional "HD portables" concocted to support recent demands for the FM digital power increase? Inquiring minds want to know.
Click to expand...

1) Over the past 24 hours, the product has been put on shelves in Best Buy stores in the Washington, DC area. By late this afternoon I had no problem ordering one on-line for in-store pick-up.

2) With respect to the FCC proceeding on power increase, yes -- iBiquity was using portable devices as an excuse. They wrote, "The upcoming introduction of portable HD Radio products this fall has greatly increased the urgency for Commission action on this issue." That is, the reason the FCC shouldn't wait for the NPR test report is that a power increase was needed immediately to make these devices useful. Well, I think they will quickly be proven wrong, and in time for Reply Comments. My initial read is that this new devices works just fine, thank you, at current power levels, indoors, in the outer suburbs. I got "5 bars" of signal strength on a bunch of DC stations running IBOC.

- Jonathan
 
jhardis said:
Savage said:
Could this all be more HD hype about fictional "HD portables" concocted to support recent demands for the FM digital power increase? Inquiring minds want to know.
Click to expand...

1) Over the past 24 hours, the product has been put on shelves in Best Buy stores in the Washington, DC area. By late this afternoon I had no problem ordering one on-line for in-store pick-up.

2) With respect to the FCC proceeding on power increase, yes -- iBiquity was using portable devices as an excuse. They wrote, "The upcoming introduction of portable HD Radio products this fall has greatly increased the urgency for Commission action on this issue." That is, the reason the FCC shouldn't wait for the NPR test report is that a power increase was needed immediately to make these devices useful. Well, I think they will quickly be proven wrong, and in time for Reply Comments. My initial read is that this new devices works just fine, thank you, at current power levels, indoors, in the outer suburbs. I got "5 bars" of signal strength on a bunch of DC stations running IBOC.

- Jonathan
Click to expand...

How far are you located from this "bunch of DC stations running IBOC? How many is a bunch? Not trying to be rude just factual.
 
Perhaps the battery recharge life is already reaching it's limit. Not replaceable, so it's time for another new HD radio! :D
 
Okay...first of all, don't shoot the messenger (your aim isn't that good.) I'm reporting what was going on, on a Best Buy consumer blog. I didn't make it up. There appeared (appears) to have been an issue with availability in several large markets. Indeed, maybe it's being corrected.

My point: why advertise this wonderful new watershed (for HD) product before knowing whether or not they were available? New Black Eye #1 for HD Radio.

Black Eye #2 goes like this: if "new portable devices" are absolutely critical to near-term success for HD Radio, why make the marketing effort so desperately dependent on a retailer (BB) who apparently doesn't know about the product, hasn't educated its sales force and could care less whether they actually sell them?

I note your criticism of BB personnel sales acumen and suspect you're correct. So all the local hype and promotion in those selected markets would appear to be self-defeating. Let's try some common sense here.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom