HD Radio vs. Internet Radio - Which is Radio's Future?

[hipporadio]

Funny, I took the "Press Release" as satire.

Me too, Chuck! I thought it was a humorously-composed “play” on vsa’s preferred internet solution... iNiquity breaking useful new ground in net delivery? RIGHT They’d be better-off back at the drawing-board for a futile attempt at yet another “big roll-out”... And what number are we up to with that? :

 

[dbdigital]

Apple just announced the iPod Touch. Here are a few details about it:

"Looking exactly like the iPhone and using many of the same technologies, the iPod touch features a multitouch interface, album artwork and video. Making the iPod Touch even more unique is Wi-Fi support for 802.11 b and g networks. With its networking support, Apple also included Safari on the iPod so users can surf the Web. The iPod Touch features a 3.5-inch widescreen display with the same type of navigation buttons found on the iPhone. Icons on the display are for calculator, contacts, clock, calendar and settings. Icons on the bottom of the display allow you access to music, video and photos.

What separates the iPod Touch from the iPhone are the telephony capabilities. The iPod does not have the ear speaker slit and is about eight millimeters thinner than the iPhone. The iPod Touch will last for up to 22 hours of audio playback and five hours of video playback per charge.

The iPod touch is coming in two configurations—8GB and 16GB, for $299 and $399 respectively."

http://playlistmag.com/news/2007/09/05/ipodchanges/index.php

I'm not saying it's an HD Radio killer but it does offer portable "digital radio" ahead of anything HD Radio manufacturers have produced.

db

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I'm not saying it's an HD Radio killer

How can you kill a corpse?

I was hoping for streaming radio, but that would have added the complication of cell phone providers. Better to leave that stuff to iPhone.

 

[dbdigital]

I'm not saying it's an HD Radio killer

How can you kill a corpse?

I was hoping for streaming radio, but that would have added the complication of cell phone providers. Better to leave that stuff to iPhone.

Ha! I was trying to be charitable. I would say HD Radio has a faint pulse but unless drastic measures are taken to revive it (like cheaper products, convergent products, portable products, products consumers really want instead of what CE manufacturers want to make) it's death is near.

Of course, the other thinking is that HD Radio is, at best, an interim technology and that what we are now seeing is a consumer leap frog from analog terrestrial radio to internet radio. And if that's the case, then HD Radio was stillborn from the start.

db

 

[dbdigital]

I suppose this would be a natural progression for HD Radio, an HD Radio that connects with iPod.

The I-Sonic ES2 HD Radio by Polk Audio.

http://www.insideradio.com/topheadline.asp?ID=514187&PT=Today's+Top+Stories

The iPod docking station: "features a “tagging button” which will allow listeners to buy songs they hear on HD Radio stations via iTunes. The advancement requires HD stations to encode their signals and insiders say eight radio groups have committed to encoding."

The press release doesn't say how this would be accomplished but I'm assuming it would be through the use of the extra data streams that HD-R provides.

db

 

[vsa]

I suppose this would be a natural progression for HD Radio, an HD Radio that connects with iPod.

The I-Sonic ES2 HD Radio by Polk Audio.

http://www.insideradio.com/topheadline.asp?ID=514187&PT=Today's+Top+Stories

The iPod docking station: "features a “tagging button” which will allow listeners to buy songs they hear on HD Radio stations via iTunes. The advancement requires HD stations to encode their signals and insiders say eight radio groups have committed to encoding."

The press release doesn't say how this would be accomplished but I'm assuming it would be through the use of the extra data streams that HD-R provides.

db

The actual purchase and dowloading of iTunes songs would be via computer or wi-fi, depending on the model of iPod used.

Here's an interesting note from Eliot Van Buskirk on the Wired Blog Network:

"I suspect that Apple created this feature with more than HD Radio in mind...it's likely that Apple will eventually announce that its iTunes Tagging feature will work with some set of internet radio stations.  What's uncertain is which webcasters stations will be included -- iTunes radio stations and/or partner webcaster(s) to be announced later."

http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/09/hd-radio-ipod-d.html

Our world is changing at a rapid pace. Are your stations listed in the iTunes radio tuner?