HD2 Artist/Title Info

[clone]

I know I'm going to get bashed in another thread for a cheap-shot I took at HD, but I have a serious question.

To make a long story short, WBBM-HD2's Artist/Title info gets stuck on the same song for hours/days/weeks on end. Has been doing this since at least early 2007.

If CBS is so damned serious about pushing HD technology, why can't they even make this basic function work? A colleague's kids were listening to the radio in the game room and were trying to figure out the name of a song, and instantly commented on how it was showing the wrong title on the display.

I never really cared, but at that moment it hit me that the technology really isn't ever going to take off if even the basic value it adds over traditional analog doesn't work. I know that times are really tough right now, and that this is the last thing some poor engineer or tech wants to worry about, but if upper management was putting so many eggs in this basket, I for one would make sure it's working as advertised to the extent of my abilities. At least to know I did everything I could when it all finally hits the fan.

Of course, it probably is a faulty Decepticon or something, but then for Chrissakes make iBiquity fix the damn thing. Not that such a small detail matters...but I just wonder if I am honestly the ONLY person, in the last 2 1/2 years that actually noticed this.

 

[radioman148]

I know I'm going to get bashed in another thread for a cheap-shot I took at HD, but I have a serious question.

To make a long story short, WBBM-HD2's Artist/Title info gets stuck on the same song for hours/days/weeks on end. Has been doing this since at least early 2007.

If CBS is so damned serious about pushing HD technology, why can't they even make this basic function work? A colleague's kids were listening to the radio in the game room and were trying to figure out the name of a song, and instantly commented on how it was showing the wrong title on the display.

I never really cared, but at that moment it hit me that the technology really isn't ever going to take off if even the basic value it adds over traditional analog doesn't work. I know that times are really tough right now, and that this is the last thing some poor engineer or tech wants to worry about, but if upper management was putting so many eggs in this basket, I for one would make sure it's working as advertised to the extent of my abilities. At least to know I did everything I could when it all finally hits the fan.

Of course, it probably is a faulty Decepticon or something, but then for Chrissakes make iBiquity fix the damn thing. Not that such a small detail matters...but I just wonder if I am honestly the ONLY person, in the last 2 1/2 years that actually noticed this.

You might be. Not too many people listen to HD.

 

[Reaperducer]

The problem is that the people programming the station aren't anywhere near its signal, so there's no way for them to know something is wrong unless they're told.

In a real radio station it would be up to the jock to notice something like this is wrong, or take the phone call from the listeners. But since it's programmed out of New York or somewhere, the person has no idea that there's a problem with the Chicago signal.

Have you called WBBM-FM to let them know? Have you at least e-mailed? Have you done anything other than complain on a message board?

 

[stormy01]

The problem is that the people programming the station aren't anywhere near its signal, so there's no way for them to know something is wrong unless they're told.

In a real radio station it would be up to the jock to notice something like this is wrong, or take the phone call from the listeners. But since it's programmed out of New York or somewhere, the person has no idea that there's a problem with the Chicago signal.

Have you called WBBM-FM to let them know? Have you at least e-mailed? Have you done anything other than complain on a message board?

What's so hard about a station monitoring the quality of its own on-air signal(s) and the display function(s) as well? Must be that even the engineers don't even check their own on-air signal(s) once in a while! My Gosh, it only takes a few minutes a day to check!

 

[mario]

Stormy -

You of course are right. In a real world it would be fixed immediately, but the truth is:

There are only a few engineers who are assigned to many radio stations in Chicago. Problems are taken care of in order of their importance, of which problems with HD2 Title/Artist info is waaaay down at the bottom. Since HD2 generates NO income at all for the stations AND nobody (with the possible exception of "Clone") actually listens, especially the people who work at the station.
The other problem is that the computer that generates your title/artist info is NOT located at the station itself but at the transmitter atop the Sears Tower or Hancock, AND thanks to the Ibiquity system is usually an 8 year old Dell home desktop computer running Ibiquity software which locks up frequently.

This is NOT meant to be an excuse, just the reason why it happens often and is not fixed immediately.

 

[clone]

Stormy -

You of course are right. In a real world it would be fixed immediately, but the truth is:

There are only a few engineers who are assigned to many radio stations in Chicago. Problems are taken care of in order of their importance, of which problems with HD2 Title/Artist info is waaaay down at the bottom. Since HD2 generates NO income at all for the stations AND nobody (with the possible exception of "Clone") actually listens, especially the people who work at the station.
The other problem is that the computer that generates your title/artist info is NOT located at the station itself but at the transmitter atop the Sears Tower or Hancock, AND thanks to the Ibiquity system is usually an 8 year old Dell home desktop computer running Ibiquity software which locks up frequently.

This is NOT meant to be an excuse, just the reason why it happens often and is not fixed immediately.

I get it.

But, however, we want HD to save terrestrial, right? Not to be blunt, but the Artist/Title never "f's up" on Satellite.

Coming from the conglom that actually blanks the words "Satellite Radio" from the Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow", you'd think they'd try to compete.

That's all.

 

[mario]

Hi Clone -

We both know that HD Radio will never save anybody from anything. And wait until Internet radios are more available, especially in cars. Will even satellite radio survive that?