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HD Radio

mnbu12

mnbu12

Morning all,

I was looking to buy an HD Table Top radio for my house. Possibly one with an iPod/mp3 connection. Anybody in the area have a reliable one?

A lot of reviewers online say "Oh, it drops the signal in my area" but never specifies the area. Just looking to get a good bang for the buck.

I'd appreciate the help.
 
would have to agree with him online would be the best i have a accurian table top and i have to keep moving the antenna about to get a good hd signal online right away. those are my 2 cents!!!




MRBIboredop said:
got a laptop? got a computer with good speakers?

All the HD's are online http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?query=02134

no signal issues, no cost for equipment

Streaming radio is just as good as HD, check out
www.litefavorites.com for example.

A table top radio isn't going to give you any of the alleged benefits of "HD ( which does not stand for anything, just ask Ibiquity) Radio, besides picking up additional formats you can already get online.
Click to expand...
 
MRBIboredop said:
A table top radio isn't going to give you any of the alleged benefits of "HD" Radio, besides picking up additional formats you can already get online.
Click to expand...

Except a laptop at the beach doesn't make sense....nor while you're up on a ladder painting. If you are working in the garage do you want to bring a laptop into the garage simply to listen? Do you want a laptop in the kitchen whenever you want to listen to the radio? How bout listening in the bathroom in the morning? Sure, just bring in your laptop! Jogging? Sure! Bring your laptop!

Lasptop = $500

HD Radio = $99
 
Don Juannn said:
MRBIboredop said:
A table top radio isn't going to give you any of the alleged benefits of "HD" Radio, besides picking up additional formats you can already get online.
Click to expand...

Except a laptop at the beach doesn't make sense....nor while you're up on a ladder painting. If you are working in the garage do you want to bring a laptop into the garage simply to listen? Do you want a laptop in the kitchen whenever you want to listen to the radio? How bout listening in the bathroom in the morning? Sure, just bring in your laptop! Jogging? Sure! Bring your laptop!

Lasptop = $500

HD Radio = $99
Click to expand...
The thing is Don, that a lot more people have a laptop now, than have an HD radio.

Prices are coming down now, where you can get a Laptop or Netbook for under the $500 mark.

Don't forget about the growing popularity of smart phones.

You can use these devices for much more than just radio listening,

With HD radio, you get a radio, that's it. That is not even getting into the reception
problems associated with HD radio.

To the original poster, it is your decision, and a very good question you posted! I can only say
from my experience that I have a tabletop and I would not by another one due to reception issues,
if that helps at all.
 
Going back to Nashville said:
Don Juannn said:
MRBIboredop said:
A table top radio isn't going to give you any of the alleged benefits of "HD" Radio, besides picking up additional formats you can already get online.
Click to expand...

Except a laptop at the beach doesn't make sense....nor while you're up on a ladder painting. If you are working in the garage do you want to bring a laptop into the garage simply to listen? Do you want a laptop in the kitchen whenever you want to listen to the radio? How bout listening in the bathroom in the morning? Sure, just bring in your laptop! Jogging? Sure! Bring your laptop!

Lasptop = $500

HD Radio = $99
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

The thing is Don, that a lot more people have a laptop now, than have an HD radio.
Prices are coming down now, where you can get a Laptop or Netbook for under the $500 mark.

How many people have them or not does not address the issues of portability...and you will see I made a reference to the difference in price.

Don't forget about the growing popularity of smart phones.

You want to listen to your smartphone on the back patio? Or while working in the garage?

You can use these devices for much more than just radio listening,

That's not the point...he asked about the radio...not how many things can I get my radio to do.

With HD radio, you get a radio, that's it.

And no monthly fees to subscription...and no monthly charges for internet use on the phone. As you can see from Eli's post about his mom...that's what she wants to do...listen to the radio.

due to reception issues, if that helps at all.

Well that is the original discussion...about reception. And yes, you have to be a lot closer to the antenna than for analog. Hopefully this will change with the power increase.

Original poster...are you within 128?


an android 5" touch device with a FM tuner ~= 99 usd

Thanks! I'll pull out my android phone next time I have people over and want music.
 
mnbu12 said:
Morning all,

I was looking to buy an HD Table Top radio for my house. Possibly one with an iPod/mp3 connection. Anybody in the area have a reliable one?

A lot of reviewers online say "Oh, it drops the signal in my area" but never specifies the area. Just looking to get a good bang for the buck.

I'd appreciate the help.
Click to expand...

Get this: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XDR-S10H...4S86/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291058372&sr=8-2

The Sony DSP tuner is great for both analog & HD reception - I have the tuner only XDR-F1HD and it is a amazing tuner, and unlike the Accurian or Boston Acoustics HD tabletops, I havent had any quality issues.
 
You do make some valid points Don. I don't want to drift off topic here, the fact is that most times
that I'm at a friends house for a party, we are either listening to an ipod or music off a computer.

I don't like this that much because I'm a radio guy ;D, this is what I see though.

When I have people over for a party, I always start out with radio, and eventually I give in
because 3 or 4 other people brought their own music with on an ipod, that we end up listening
too.

This is a good back and forth though, and I wanted to ask you what you think about AM HD. Have
you listened to it? Do you like the sound quality? Do you think it's worth the added interference?
 
Going back to Nashville said:
This is a good back and forth though, and I wanted to ask you what you think about AM HD. Have
you listened to it? Do you like the sound quality? Do you think it's worth the added interference?
Click to expand...

Hi Nashville,

I absolutely love listening to WBZ in my home office in HD. The only people I hear complaining about "added interference" are hobbyists, DX-ers, and small stations that are trying to get every last mile out of very little power. I have yet to see any documentation about stations getting interfered with inside of their protected contour. The cases that get brought up are usually a special case or anecdotal.

That said, I don't think that the increase in AM quality is enough to make a difference to anyone really. I would like to think HD can bring some more music choices back to AM. But I am not holding my breath.
 
Going back to Nashville said:
This is a good back and forth though, and I wanted to ask you what you think about AM HD. Have
you listened to it? Do you like the sound quality? Do you think it's worth the added interference?
Click to expand...

I like getting WBZ-HD during skywave down here in NJ...and the sound quality is miles above what analog AM has degraded to. I hope that HD would allow AM's to being back music formats, but it seems that outside of the big 50kw flamethrowers, AM's no matter what the flavor have a hard time cutting thru the noise. I just spent $200 on a Denon TU-680NAB tuner for my desk at work so I can actually HEAR the highs on the station I am the PD of.

I hope that HD can keep AM radio around - unfortunately, most AM content in HD isn't too appealing to me. Unless WBZ oldies and brings back the PAMS jingles ;D.
 
why does WBZ have 5khz of empty space betwen their lowpassed analog signal and the data sidebands?

are they deliberately making the AM sound bad so people will want HD?
 
I am within 128 and have the same point of view as Nashville-- I often find myself needing music at gatherings and not wanting to bring my laptop out-- sometimes the range on the wireless can vary, especially for outdoor cookouts.

I'm very much pro-radio and dealing with commercials and mediocrity when it comes to music selection- but guests can be demanding. I like HD Radio but never find myself considering bringing my laptop to different spots around the house- maybe I will now.

I don't want to roll the dice and end up wasting my money though. This has been helpful.
 
carmen said:
why does WBZ have 5khz of empty space betwen their lowpassed analog signal and the data sidebands?

are they deliberately making the AM sound bad so people will want HD?
Click to expand...

No, all AM stations that run HD have their analog high end filtered off really low. I don't know the specifics, but I believe it's claimed that broadcasting higher analog frequencies could interfere with HD reception of the digital sidebands on AM.
 
Eli Polonsky said:
carmen said:
why does WBZ have 5khz of empty space betwen their lowpassed analog signal and the data sidebands?

are they deliberately making the AM sound bad so people will want HD?
Click to expand...

No, all AM stations that run HD have their analog high end filtered off really low. I don't know the specifics, but I believe it's claimed that broadcasting higher analog frequencies could interfere with HD reception of the digital sidebands on AM.
Click to expand...

Correct. The audio sidebands cannot be permitted to intrude in the area the digital sidebands need.
It would make decoding the data impossible. Also the maximum negative modulation permitted is -94% instead of perhaps the occaisional
-100% cutoff "splatter" of a purely analog signal overmodulated. The carrier cannot be permitted to wink out, or the data stream breaks up.
 
mnbu12 said:
Morning all,

I was looking to buy an HD Table Top radio for my house. Possibly one with an iPod/mp3 connection. Anybody in the area have a reliable one?

A lot of reviewers online say "Oh, it drops the signal in my area" but never specifies the area. Just looking to get a good bang for the buck.

I'd appreciate the help.
Click to expand...


I purchased a "Gigaware" Hd radio at Radio Shack for about $100.00 and it has outputs to put into your stereo and plays iPod and I'm very happy with it.
 
Have the Sony unit in my kitchen. Good for FM. listen to Freeform BCN on WZLX HD-3 However Cant have WBZ-HD hold on AM. AM Ibuity does not work well.
 
How about a wi-fi internet radio? I have a Vtech table top unit upstairs
and a Grace Digital audio unit hooked up to the reciever downstairs. They
both work great!!
 
cjf68 said:
How about a wi-fi internet radio? I have a Vtech table top unit upstairs
and a Grace Digital audio unit hooked up to the reciever downstairs. They
both work great!!
Click to expand...

how about a SDR on a varacter-autotuned coil for news on 1010WINS or 880WCBS midday, and full high-definition bandwidth of 740, 1885, and 5025 nights.

AM broadcast really shot itself in the foot transitioning to patent/proprietary digital codecs instead of FFT-brickwalled 16-20khz filters
 
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