Digital Radio...

[Mark_Ericson]

With all the recent ado about WCBS switching and the fact that they want to put their digital buzz saw on 100.9 and 101.3, the question arises of where the heck do you find a digital radio? I still cannot find an in-home receiver for sale ANYWHERE. Yamaha's supposed to be coming out with one that costs $1800, and I saw another that will retail for $600. At those prices, I don't see how K-Rock 2 and WCBS Oldies could gain OTA listenership even if they were to put them on the streams. On top of the price, both receivers are HUGE--not the kind that could be easily taken with you.

And the internet streams don't make sense when people are in their CARS and want this programming.

I could see them trying to pull something like this maybe 5 years down the road, once they actually HAVE HD transmitters for their stations and there are inexpensive, easy to transport HD radios around, but to do this now?

- Trip<P ID="signature">______________
Visit my website, www.rabbitears.info! It's eventually going to be your one resource for television info! Digital television, histories, and technical information for the entire USA from one source!</P>

 

[rockthisworld]

> With all the recent ado about WCBS switching and the fact
> that they want to put their digital buzz saw on 100.9 and
> 101.3, the question arises of where the heck do you find a
> digital radio?

I don't know if it's home or auto, but Crutchfield has been selling HD Radio equipment for awhile.<P ID="signature">______________
--Scott
Eastern NC & Raleigh/Greensboro Moderator</P>

 

[Robert Bass]

Expect to see quite a few HD / IBOC Receivers later this year. A few manufacturers debuted their products at NAB2005 Convention.

http://preview.beradio.com/iboc_update/iboc_update_051105/

R


> With all the recent ado about WCBS switching and the fact
> that they want to put their digital buzz saw on 100.9 and
> 101.3, the question arises of where the heck do you find a
> digital radio? I still cannot find an in-home receiver for
> sale ANYWHERE. Yamaha's supposed to be coming out with one
> that costs $1800, and I saw another that will retail for
> $600. At those prices, I don't see how K-Rock 2 and WCBS
> Oldies could gain OTA listenership even if they were to put
> them on the streams. On top of the price, both receivers
> are HUGE--not the kind that could be easily taken with you.
>
> And the internet streams don't make sense when people are in
> their CARS and want this programming.
>
> I could see them trying to pull something like this maybe 5
> years down the road, once they actually HAVE HD transmitters
> for their stations and there are inexpensive, easy to
> transport HD radios around, but to do this now?
>
> - Trip
>

 

[Rocco]

While you're in that "changing mode", you might check out XM and Sirius Satellite Radio instead? (no commercials on the music channels, 120 channels of choices, no changing stations going from coast-to-coast, and many channels having well-known brand names).

How many listeners will now consider such a change, now that we're about to get them into a similar "changing mode"?

This concerns me very much.

 

[westlife]

> I don't know if it's home or auto, but Crutchfield has been
> selling HD Radio equipment for awhile.

And nobody's been buying it. Even most of the people who work for stations broadcasting IBOC don't have IBOC receivers!

<P ID="signature">______________

</P>

 

[k9ez]

> > I don't know if it's home or auto, but Crutchfield has
> been
> > selling HD Radio equipment for awhile.
>
> And nobody's been buying it. Even most of the people who
> work for stations broadcasting IBOC don't have IBOC
> receivers!
>


Because we cant get them. The back order seems to be forever. Lord knows why.

 

[RyanCA]

> > > I don't know if it's home or auto, but Crutchfield has
> > been
> > > selling HD Radio equipment for awhile.
> >
> > And nobody's been buying it. Even most of the people who
> > work for stations broadcasting IBOC don't have IBOC
> > receivers!



Why would the majority of people "want" to buy it when they can spend that money on Sirius/XM, get their oldies or whatever commerical free? And whatever Secondary music channels pop up like on WCBS-FM arent going to be any good unless people are listening and buying the receivers, therefore the channels will probably be ran on the cheap because NOBODY will be listening. There all buying Sirius/XM!

 

[jcolletta275]

> > > > I don't know if it's home or auto, but Crutchfield has
>
> > > been
> > > > selling HD Radio equipment for awhile.
> > >
> > > And nobody's been buying it. Even most of the people
> who
> > > work for stations broadcasting IBOC don't have IBOC
> > > receivers!
>
>
>
> Why would the majority of people "want" to buy it when they
> can spend that money on Sirius/XM, get their oldies or
> whatever commerical free? And whatever Secondary music
> channels pop up like on WCBS-FM arent going to be any good
> unless people are listening and buying the receivers,
> therefore the channels will probably be ran on the cheap
> because NOBODY will be listening. There all buying
> Sirius/XM!

Just as I and many others on this board have been predicting since IB(A)C was introduced: it's the new AM Stereo. Nobody wants it because it's already obsolete.
<P ID="signature">______________
"Get educated. Read stuff on the web and believe all of it."
-- Phil Hendrie</P>

 

[BoardmanDJ]

How many years was ESPN around before you saw it on your local cable company? Remember when car radios only had AM?

Things need to exist before they can be recieved in a regular basis. In 2006 GM will begin ofering HD radio on their receivers. In another decade it will be standard I'm sure.
In the meantime, there is a "buzz" being created, and a few people will be shelling out 4 times the money to get yesterdays technology. A good example of this is HDTV. Many people bought HDTV's and now sit around and complain that not every show on every station is in 1080I digital splendor.



> With all the recent ado about WCBS switching and the fact
> that they want to put their digital buzz saw on 100.9 and
> 101.3, the question arises of where the heck do you find a
> digital radio? I still cannot find an in-home receiver for
> sale ANYWHERE. Yamaha's supposed to be coming out with one
> that costs $1800, and I saw another that will retail for
> $600. At those prices, I don't see how K-Rock 2 and WCBS
> Oldies could gain OTA listenership even if they were to put
> them on the streams. On top of the price, both receivers
> are HUGE--not the kind that could be easily taken with you.
>
> And the internet streams don't make sense when people are in
> their CARS and want this programming.
>
> I could see them trying to pull something like this maybe 5
> years down the road, once they actually HAVE HD transmitters
> for their stations and there are inexpensive, easy to
> transport HD radios around, but to do this now?
>
> - Trip
>

 

[jegrant]

> > Why would the majority of people "want" to buy it when
> > they
> > can spend that money on Sirius/XM, get their oldies or
> > whatever commerical free? And whatever Secondary music
> > channels pop up like on WCBS-FM arent going to be any good
> > unless people are listening and buying the receivers,
> > therefore the channels will probably be ran on the cheap
> > because NOBODY will be listening. There all buying
> > Sirius/XM!

I have started to think that the AM/FM (terrestrial radio) industry should have lobbied for the inclusion of HD Radio tuners in all satellite radios if they wanted to survive. As it stands, when I already have my XM radio - what is the incentive to go buy a new expensive HD Radio with fewer channels?

 

[Rocco]

Here's something else: I think that Infinity, Clear Channel, Entercomm, and Emmis are doing the opposite of what they should be doing. In many of their markets they have the top stations. Now they're thinking about putting up competing stations so they won't have the top stations anymore? I don't get that at all. Having the top stations in demos means many more bucks from agencies than being say number 2 in the same demo. If they have the top stations in the money demographics, they want to change that? I just don't get it.

 

[Mark_Ericson]

> How many years was ESPN around before you saw it on your
> local cable company? Remember when car radios only had AM?
>
> Things need to exist before they can be recieved in a
> regular basis. In 2006 GM will begin ofering HD radio on
> their receivers. In another decade it will be standard I'm
> sure.
> In the meantime, there is a "buzz" being created, and a few
> people will be shelling out 4 times the money to get
> yesterdays technology. A good example of this is HDTV.
> Many people bought HDTV's and now sit around and complain
> that not every show on every station is in 1080I digital
> splendor.

I, of course, have not one but two digital TV tuners and have had one since spring 2003. Note that the first digital station came on the air in this area in April 2002, and only 2 stations were in HD when I got my tuner. ABC wasn't even on the air, PBS was SD with no audio (and unwatchable on channel 3), Fox/WB were SD and way way too bright, and PAX was only on 3 hours a day.

The moment WVTF turns on the HD buzz saw (WVTU and WVTW in Charlottesville are already in HD IIRC) I want to be able to decode that buzz saw. See if it's as good as everyone claims. If it's going to destroy stuff on either side, I at least want to be able to hear what's doing the destroying.

- Trip<P ID="signature">______________
Visit my website, www.rabbitears.info! It's eventually going to be your one resource for television info! Digital television, histories, and technical information for the entire USA from one source!</P>