HD Radio = Poor Man's Satellite Radio?

[Rocco]

Is this true? I'd like to start a discussion on this while keeping an open mind. (The subject line was a quote from a person who, in my little town, is supposed to be knowledgeable on new technologies).

 

[Rocco]

More to the point, I'm just trying to find out what's the difference between the two?

 

[R.F. Burns]

More to the point, I'm just trying to find out what's the difference between the two?

Satellite offers many more choices when it comes to music formats and sports coverage. If you are interested in listening to your local sports teams and don't do a lot of traveling outside of your area, then having access to al that sports isn't significant. Musically, both sats offer many more formats than does HD. However, for most people what HD offers will provide enough choices to satisfy you. At this point in HD we are about where we were 6 or 7 years ago with satellite. Cars radios are really just coming on the market so they aren't as available as you'd like. Not enough car companies offer HD as an option yet. That will change in the next year or so. The big difference is that both XM & Sirius require a monthly payment on top of any initial expense. No matter what they say you pay for the "free" service because the charges are included in the cost of the car. After that initial "free" period ends, both require a never ending monthly payment. Bills don't go down, they always go up, no matter what these companies promise. If they charged less per month on average over 20 years they would defy the laws of finance. I hope this provides some insight.

 

[PocketRadio]

Is this true? I'd like to start a discussion on this while keeping an open mind. (The subject line was a quote from a person who, in my little town, is supposed to be knowledgeable on new technologies).

"Satellite Radio vs. High-Definition Radio For the Layperson"

http://stereos.about.com/od/homestereotechnologies/a/radio.htm

“Sirius, XM, and HD: Consumer interest reality check”

“While interest in satellite radio is diminishing, interest in HD shows no signs of a pulse.”

http://www.hear2.com/2007/02/sirius_xm_and_h.html

Personally, I wouldn't invest in either one, because both may end up in the toilet.

 

[Rocco]

More to the point, I'm just trying to find out what's the difference between the two?

If you are interested in listening to your local sports teams and don't do a lot of traveling outside of your area, then having access to al that sports isn't significant.

I live in Arkansas and love Buffalo Sabres hockey. Can I really get Sabre games on satellite radio? That would be a big plus. I also like '50s oldies and jazz.

 

[R.F. Burns]

Here's a link which I hope helps you find what you've been looking for;

http://www.thegamelive.com/index.php

 

[tomservo]

I believe all of the NHL hockey games are on XM.

Up until recently, satellite radio could be counted on to also provide uncensored talk and entertainment channels, but after some recent events, I wouldn't look for that to continue.

:

 

[Chuck]

I live in Arkansas and love Buffalo Sabres hockey. Can I really get Sabre games on satellite radio? That would be a big plus. I also like '50s oldies and jazz.

Both satellite services have a lot of Jazz and oldies programming. I find that XM's "50's on Five" is a fairly decent oldies station that has a play list that goes far beyond anything you normally hear on terrestrial radio. You don’t hear Kaye Starr, Rosemary Clooney or Sarah Vaughn very often on regular radio, although someone would be wise to put this kind of music on their HD-2 channel. XM has several jazz channels as well. If you travel by car satellite has a lot to offer, since you can always find something you like. I can’t say the same thing for most of the stations I’ve heard when I drive through Arkansas, but some of the locals are amusing, at least in small doses.

Assuming that HD survives the next few years, I imagine that most people who really enjoy radio style programming will want both HD and satellite in their cars as well as AM, FM, CD and external audio device capabilities. They will probably even want streaming audio capabilities if Wi-Max or whatever new technology delivers the Internet is ever worked out. In fact, streaming audio might be something that could be done by satellite. Who knows? A lot can happen.

I don't see any of this as a "winner takes all" situation. It is good news for the listener, but it may not be so good for conventional broadcasters who will find that all these choices further fragments their existing audience. They may need to reinvent themselves in order to remain viable. I'm sure that terrestrial broadcasting will continue and even prosper, but it may not be something they can do by continuing "business as usual." It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

 

[Rocco]

I would like to thank everyone for their input. Because I have to drive 135 miles 2 days a week to Little Rock, I have decided to put a satellite radio in my truck, at least until HD Radio comes to my area and then I'll consider making a change if it has anything that appeals to me.

 

[Mike Walker]

If you want to drive 135 miles listening TO THE SAME STATION, then satellite radio is a no-brainer. Some terrestrial (am and fm) stations do go that far, but you'll be on the fringes of the signal of even the farthest reaching...where digital coverage would be spotty if available at all. Ditto analog fm stereo (you'd probably be getting fm in mono that far distant).

 

[jras20]

Well to me the reason why I got HD over Sat. is because I didnt want to deal with the BS of the CS of Sat. Radio, sure theres advantages of Sat. Radio, but the sound quality of Sat. radio sux.

 

[Mike Walker]

What was wifh XM yesterday? Here in NC, the signal was in and out, in and out (my car, and home receivers). Probably a front coming in. But it DIDN'T affect HD! I was hoping for some FM skip, but that didn't happen either.

As for HD being a "poor man's satellite radio", a survey I read in Radio World yesterday about listening habits revealed that only 20 percent of Americans HAVE EVER HEARD satellite radio! And only about five percent subscribe. Five percent of 300 million is about 15 million...enough to base a business model on, but certainly not enough to threaten terrestrial broadcasting. HD is "everyman's" digital radio...even people like me, who subscribe to satellite (and several streaming) services.

 

[clouseau]

What was wifh XM yesterday? Here in NC, the signal was in and out, in and out (my car, and home receivers). Probably a front coming in. But it DIDN'T affect HD! I was hoping for some FM skip, but that didn't happen either.

As for HD being a "poor man's satellite radio", a survey I read in Radio World yesterday about listening habits revealed that only 20 percent of Americans HAVE EVER HEARD satellite radio! And only about five percent subscribe. Five percent of 300 million is about 15 million...enough to base a business model on, but certainly not enough to threaten terrestrial broadcasting. HD is "everyman's" digital radio...even people like me, who subscribe to satellite (and several streaming) services.

They broke it.

Seriously (No Pun Intended) a software updated crashed their satellite. (Programming, not into the Earth). Ok I'll stop now.

http://www.xmradio.com/notices/signaldeg.xmc

Clouseau

 

[Mike Walker]

That's useful Chuck, thanks. My wife was whining to me because XM didn't work. I told her "I'll fix that", and turned to NPR (WFHE Hickory NC) for "All Things Considered". PROBLEM SOLVED!

 

[MotoMuzak]

Heh.....I just use a CD player (an in-dash one that runs MPEG1 Layer 3 on a CDROM disc) and audio compilation software on my computer. No Apple I-Tunes, that's off-limits in my systems. Discs can play for about 5 or 10 hours depending on if I am using 320kbps or 160kbps. And the only way it can drop out is if the laser is *really* dirty or the disc is really banged up. (CDs manufactured with a Durabis or Scratchgard coating seem to make the latter a moot point anyways.) I can drive from Portland to Pendleton, OR (a total of about 200 miles one-way, down Interstate 84) and enjoy full high-fidelity stereo, maybe only having to change discs once. Look angles, signal strength or visibility of transmitting towers/satellites? Forget it. No subscription fees either, especially if you record your own stuff like I do.

You want YOUR radio YOUR way? Here ya go.

And the sound quality? Definately "HD Radio" (as in, "high definition", not meaningless Ibiquity marketing fluff.) 44100/320 is *definately* CD quality where MPEG 1 Layer 3 is concerned, especially when coded using LAME (which I can't seem to recommend enough anyways) and is the point where transparency is its highest (at least within standards; some encoder programmes can reportedly code even higher bitrates than that) and perceivable artefacting is at its absolute minimum.

Now, let's hear Ibiquity/XM/Sirius/Bigsatradioco try to do THAT!!

 

[Mike Walker]

And "your radio, your way" means never discovering ANY new music by accident again...never being surprised by what you hear, or what you like that never thought of. Never giggling at a stupid stunt your "friend" on the air pulled. And perhaps most important, NEVER HEARING ABOUT THE FREAKING FUNNEL CLOUD THAT'S GOING TO SWALLOW YOU WHOLE JUST OVER THE COUNTY LINE!

But nevermind all that. Continue to enjoy "your radio, your way"...for the remaining 17 minutes and 29 seconds of your life. Make that fourteen minutes, 22 seconds. Six minutes fifteen seconds. Three minutes, two seconds. One minute, sixteen seconds. Ten seconds. OH SHI# (WHOOSH!)

"We've got cows!"

 

[dbdigital]

What was wifh XM yesterday? Here in NC, the signal was in and out, in and out (my car, and home receivers). Probably a front coming in. But it DIDN'T affect HD! I was hoping for some FM skip, but that didn't happen either.

As for HD being a "poor man's satellite radio", a survey I read in Radio World yesterday about listening habits revealed that only 20 percent of Americans HAVE EVER HEARD satellite radio! And only about five percent subscribe. Five percent of 300 million is about 15 million...enough to base a business model on, but certainly not enough to threaten terrestrial broadcasting. HD is "everyman's" digital radio...even people like me, who subscribe to satellite (and several streaming) services.

They broke it.

Seriously (No Pun Intended) a software updated crashed their satellite. (Programming, not into the Earth). Ok I'll stop now.

http://www.xmradio.com/notices/signaldeg.xmc

Clouseau

So how is this different from a tornado taking out an antenna site or a brush fire doing so, as happened to KBRT? Both broadcasting technologies are vulnerable.

db

 

[Mike Walker]

Uh...the example wasn't about a tornado hitting a broadcasting tower. It was about it hitting YOU, and you having no clue your death was approaching, because you were listening to...whatever...rather than the local radio station that was telling you to TAKE COVER.

Odds of a tornado hitting a radio tower=pretty good in some parts of the country.

Odds of it hitting EVERY radio tower too soon to save lives=virtually non-existant.

Even if the station broadcasting the weather reports loses it's tower, it would have sent out the warning BEFORE THE TOWER WENT DOWN! If there's no warning until the storm IS ON TOP OF YOU, what good would a weather forecast be anyhow?

 

[PocketRadio]

And "your radio, your way" means never discovering ANY new music by accident again...never being surprised by what you hear, or what you like that never thought of...

"MyFM comes to a Sprint phone near you"

"In other words, as a consumer, which do you prefer: 'One size fits all" or "my size fits me'? There is an answer to this question, of course, and regular readers of this blog know what it is."

Reader comments:

"Here it comes, Mark...the wave of the future. And not only is this a challenge to radio's TSL, but in a study we'll be releasing in June, Mobile Pandora also is preferred by a significant portion of 18-34 year old Pandora users over their MP3 players. Why? Pandora provides 'surprise' and 'new music discovery.'"

Dave Van Dyke
Bridge Ratings

http://www.hear2.com/2007/05/myfm_comes_to_a.html#comments

WRONG ! From Dave Van Dyke, himself ! As far as, HD Radio - it's over ! HD radios are not selling, there are serious issues with in-dash HD Radio (Doppler Effect and parallel analog/digital audio processing), HD chipsets that will never make it into iPod-type devices and cell phones (power constraints, expense, poor reception, and with WiMax coming) ! It's over - this straw, just broke the camel's back !

 

[dbdigital]

Uh...the example wasn't about a tornado hitting a broadcasting tower. It was about it hitting YOU, and you having no clue your death was approaching, because you were listening to...whatever...rather than the local radio station that was telling you to TAKE COVER.

Odds of a tornado hitting a radio tower=pretty good in some parts of the country.

Odds of it hitting EVERY radio tower too soon to save lives=virtually non-existant.

Even if the station broadcasting the weather reports loses it's tower, it would have sent out the warning BEFORE THE TOWER WENT DOWN! If there's no warning until the storm IS ON TOP OF YOU, what good would a weather forecast be anyhow?

Uh...the problem was a software glitch that temporarily shut down XM radio. A software glitch or a natural disaster, the end result is the same, namely, the disruption of a broadcast which is what we're talking about here.

You people crack me up with your gloating over any misfortune experienced by satellite radio when terrestrial radio is equally vulnerable. In fact, with the advent of HD-R another layer of vulnerability has been added since HD-R equipment can also be affected by software glitches.

Make no mistake, I'm no fan of XM or Sirius. These two companies have played fast and loose with FCC rules and have gotten away with it. But terrestrial broadcasting can fail and has done so, especially in times of an emergency.

db