iBiquity not attending September 2006 NAB Show - space now sold out !

[SayNoToIBOC]

We have been hearing about this for at least the past year - more hot air ! Too little, too late ! Wait until Wi-Max enables Internet Radio in automobiles in 2008 - count me in !

 

[SayNoToIBOC]

I.B. Iquity wrote : "I am willing to state that there is much more interest in IBOC (potential and otherwise) than there is in DXing. 99+ percent of the population could care less about DXing or DXers. That's the reality believe it or not. Radio stores such as Gilfer are long out of business. The interest in SWL was short lived when eastern Europe became free (relatively speaking) and BCB DXing hasn't bee a popular hobby since the 1920's. That doesn't mean that people don't DX. Hey, I see the occassional Model T on the road too. That doesn't mean they are being produced any longer either."

The point is - who cares about HD Radio ! SWL is dying, just as IBOC will.

 

[I.B. Iquity]

I guess time will tell and if it does maybe your micro power operation will be heard another block. By the way, how do you like working for that IBOC operating public station? Maybe I should let the locals here in NYC know what you have to say about IBOC. I'm sure it will make a difference.

 

[SayNoToIBOC]

"I guess time will tell and if it does maybe your micro power operation will be heard another block. By the way, how do you like working for that IBOC operating public station? Maybe I should let the locals here in NYC know what you have to say about IBOC. I'm sure it will make a difference."

If you are replying to me, I have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[calstymes]

Our new arrival "dummer than a box of hair" is another very bright fellow whose experience in the broadcast industry shows through his posts. Hopefully, the "pro"-IBOC folks can get themselves educated from him or Mr. Wells before it's too late and they end up being very disappointed. Thank you "dummer" for joining the forum and for offering another voice of sanity!

Also, some fool wrote:

Actually, your "C" code is quite unreadable and would not work correctly. The "while" loop should be using the "or" operator "||", instead). This "junior software engineer" code would not have even worked correctly - would have stayed in an endless loop !

And this guy is a senior programmer? It is no wonder that he sees projects in the IC fail, particularly if he is writing the code for them!

As I am sure any junior programmer will realize, I did not want to use the OR "||" LOGICAL operator. I wanted to use the OR "|" BITWISE operator. A BITWISE operator serves a completely different purpose than a LOGICAL operator and presumes there are separate bit values assigned to "post" and "bait". If you OR the same variable with both the "post" and "bait" bits and you have a non-zero value, then EITHER one or BOTH are true and we execute the code inside the loop. The only time the code will break out of the loop other than at the test for no replies is if there is no posting AND no baiting going on. Yes, I took some liberties with my shorthand, but it is a BITWISE operator I intended to use. Apparently, this senior programmer doesn't know the difference.

I guess bright IC senior programmer guy is going to have get back to cracking the Ritchie book so he can learn what the eight different groups of simple operators are.

 

[SayNoToIBOC]

The bitwise "or' would have kept it in an endless loop ! If you had really wanted a bitwise "or", then you should have set boolean var = variable1 | variable2, before the loop. Your loop was, in effect, testing against a constant value and not against a true variable, which would have broken out of the loop - your loop could have read "while (1)", instead of what you had. Plus, your code was really unreadable.

Boy, Cal is sure starting to lose it ! And, welcome back IBOCRocks !

 

[calstymes]

Senior IC programmer guy wrote:

The bitwise "or' would have kept it in an endless loop ! If you had really wanted a bitwise "or", then you should have set boolean var = variable1 | variable2, before the loop.

Senior IC programmer guy is either incredibly more geeky than I am, or, has absolutely no sense of humor.

Your loop was, in effect, testing against a constant value and not against a true variable, which would have broken out of the loop.

Ok, technically he is correct. I SAID that I took some liberties with my shorthand (notation). I deliberately did not introduce another variable because it would have obfuscated the point I was trying to make. It is implied that prior values to the bit variables have been assigned. It is also implied that everytime around the loop the point I was making is that we are testing to see if the variable on the left hand side of "==" operator either posted OR baited. This isn't rocket science.

Your loop could have read "while (1)", instead of what you had.

I think senior IC programmer guy needs to get out of the while(1) loop in which he is obviously stuck.

Plus, your code was really unreadable.

I was writing computer code since before senior IC programming guy was in diapers. I was also making a big joke which probably was lost on everyone here and I shouldn't have done that, but since senior IC programming guy insists on telling us all how important he is in the IC community, I just couldn't resist. He isn't the only one who knows 'C' code around here.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

4 weeks is not enough time for cargo ships to get from Shanghai to San pedro.

You're kidding me, right? The BA Receptor has been available in quantity for at least six months, if not longer. We got a huge shipment of them early this past spring (and BTW, they're still sitting in our mailroom, since no one has any plans to give them away on the air, or in a few people's offices). Getting them into the stores as soon as they're available in quantity is not rocket science.

The product works, just like the first $1400 CD players worked.

I don't doubt that it works. But why does this one not work? Making it work ought to be a no-brainer, especially at one of the best-known high-end audio/video shops in New England. They advertise with our company. They place the NON-WORKING product in their window. I can't believe that no one has said anything to them. Suppose someone walks by that display and turns the radio on, only to not receive anything. Is that the impression of the product we want consumers to have?

First CD players were over $1000. First VHS were $800 or more. First DVDs were around $800. First Blu-Ray are $800 discounted. It took CD players 7 to 8 years to get down to $150.

And none of those are radios. You are asking radio listeners to spend money to hear the same content with marginally higher quality (FM) or much higher quality in a radio band where high quality is largely irrelevant (AM). There's no buzz here. There's no compelling reason to buy these radios. There's only the marketing word "digital." High quality is not what sells iPods and similar setups (58 million at last count) or satellite radio (11 million or so). It's content, content and more content.

 

[calstymes]

dummer than a box of hair lamented:

But why does this one not work?

I have had a terrible experience with the BA Receptor myself. If there is any noise on an AM signal whatsoever, it will NOT decode the HD carrier and it just keeps flashing stupid at you that "HD is available" but "I can't decode it". This is worse than being frustrating.

And this is AFTER the unit was returned to the factory for no sensitivity and returned with "nothing found wrong".

What a miserable product this is. It is no wonder retailers are trying to wipe their hands clean of them.

They place the NON-WORKING product in their window. I can't believe that no one has said anything to them. Suppose someone walks by that display and turns the radio on, only to not receive anything. Is that the impression of the product we want consumers to have?

As far as I'm concerned, I am delighted that they are displaying a non-working unit. Perhaps then the public will eventually thumb its nose at HD/IBOC and Ubiquitous and they will stop peddling this awful cellphone technology (as Mr. Wells calls it) in the AM broadcast band.

There's no compelling reason to buy these radios.

No there isn't. Thank goodness I did not have to buy mine! Too bad it won't even make a good boat anchor because it's not heavy enough.

 

[I.B. Iquity]

What can I say, mine works.

 

[davideduardo]

4 weeks is not enough time for cargo ships to get from Shanghai to San pedro

You're kidding me, right? The BA Receptor has been available in quantity for at least six months, if not longer. We got a huge shipment of them early this past spring (and BTW, they're still sitting in our mailroom, since no one has any plans to give them away on the air, or in a few people's offices). Getting them into the stores as soon as they're available in quantity is not rocket science.

---->>>> There are only a few tens of thousands of these, and they are high end. There are no other, cheaper radios coming for months.

The product works, just like the first $1400 CD players worked.

I don't doubt that it works. But why does this one not work? Making it work ought to be a no-brainer, especially at one of the best-known high-end audio/video shops in New England. They advertise with our company. They place the NON-WORKING product in their window. I can't believe that no one has said anything to them. Suppose someone walks by that display and turns the radio on, only to not receive anything. Is that the impression of the product we want consumers to have?

----->>>> I am talking about HD, you are talking about a receciver with the first generation chipset and a bad digital display that interferes with signals. Radio as an industry can not prevent someone coming out with a less than stellar radio.

First CD players were over $1000. First VHS were $800 or more. First DVDs were around $800. First Blu-Ray are $800 discounted. It took CD players 7 to 8 years to get down to $150.

And none of those are radios. You are asking radio listeners to spend money to hear the same content with marginally higher quality (FM) or much higher quality in a radio band where high quality is largely irrelevant (AM). There's no buzz here. There's no compelling reason to buy these radios. There's only the marketing word "digital." High quality is not what sells iPods and similar setups (58 million at last count) or satellite radio (11 million or so). It's content, content and more content.
[/quote]

HD 2. Now about 500 of them, covering over 70% of the US population in 68 markets, all top 100. Elimination of multipath. Elimination of static on AM. Better fidelity on AM. Digital displays that show song and other data, etc., etc., etc.

Satellite is in crisis right now... proving the subscription based model may be defective. XM stock is at about a third the level it was just a year ago.

See this:
"Continued slow growth at retail" for XM and Sirius.
Bank of America analyst Jonathan Jacoby says the NPD-reported unit sales grew an average 2% in July. That's better than June (which was flat). But XM sales were down 29%
from last year.

 

[SayNoToIBOC]

"NAB Radio Show To Feature Three-Day Technical Program"

http://www.radioink.com/headlineentry.asp?hid=134952&pt=inkheadlines

Yea, and iBiquity is not attending !

 

[buttonpuncher]

Have any of you read the iBiquity licensing costs info? http://www.ibiquity.com/i/Licensing_Fact_Sheet_2006.pdf

The current main channel license fee is $10,000 and it will rise to $25,000 after June 30, 2008. And there are extra charges (+ profit percentages) for the secondary and data channel.

The costs alone will scare away many medium & smaller broadcasters who naturally would be the last to adopt HD, and thus be faced with the highest licensing costs. This is a screwed up scheme that iBiquity will probably have to change. (if? or when HD adoption trickles down to smaller market stations)

Add to that, if there are HD software or system upgrades, (beyond fixes) to obtain these upgrades stations will have to pay the current license fee (see above) or pay an ongoing support fee.

I don’t know about your area, but where I live HD radio is not even on the radar of radio broadcasters.

And I'm actually somewhat positive on the concept, especially the potential to operate hybrid now and evolve to full digital down the road. It's the implementation that has problems.

 

[calstymes]

buttonpuncher suggested:

The current main channel license fee is $10,000 and it will rise to $25,000 after June 30, 2008. And there are extra charges (+ profit percentages) for the secondary and data channel.

These Ubiquitous guys have the nerve to charge a $10,000 license fee for this faulty technology, above and beyond the equipment costs? And the license fee is going up to $25,000 in two years?? Is that SUPPOSED to create demand? Genius, pure genius.

Whew! You know, I think I work in the wrong industry! Where else can you force this kind of thing down the throats of consumers and get to charge thousands of dollars in license fees as a reward for doing that? Only in America. The dollar rules. What's in your wallet?

It's the implementation that has problems.

There are a lot more problems than just the implementation, my friend. Read some of the threads in here but ignore the endless posts to blogs and opinion pieces and the personal back and forth arguments which have absolutely nothing to do with IBOC.

 

[IBOCRocks]

buttonpuncher suggested:

The current main channel license fee is $10,000 and it will rise to $25,000 after June 30, 2008. And there are extra charges (+ profit percentages) for the secondary and data channel.

These Ubiquitous guys have the nerve to charge a $10,000 license fee for this faulty technology, above and beyond the equipment costs? And the license fee is going up to $25,000 in two years?? Is that SUPPOSED to create demand? Genius, pure genius.

Whew! You know, I think I work in the wrong industry! Where else can you force this kind of thing down the throats of consumers and get to charge thousands of dollars in license fees as a reward for doing that? Only in America. The dollar rules. What's in your wallet?

It's the implementation that has problems.

There are a lot more problems than just the implementation, my friend. Read some of the threads in here but ignore the endless posts to blogs and opinion pieces and the personal back and forth arguments which have absolutely nothing to do with IBOC.

Show me where consumers are "getting this technology shoved down their throats". As for demand, welcome to a free economy. If the price is too high, no one will pay it, and the price will have to come down. If stations pay it, then it's priced right.

 

[700WLW]

"As for demand, welcome to a free economy..."

Yes, we are fortunate to live in a free economy - just look at the poor sales figures for ALL HD radios on Amazon, which is being watched carefully by the HD Radio Cartel and others (e.g., Mark Ramsey, who is speaking at the 2006 NAB convention today). Yes, the public is speaking out, with total apathy towards HD Radio.

 

[IBOCRocks]

"As for demand, welcome to a free economy..."

Yes, we are fortunate to live in a free economy - just look at the poor sales figures for ALL HD radios on Amazon, which is being watched carefully by the HD Radio Cartel and others (e.g., Mark Ramsey, who is speaking at the 2006 NAB convention today). Yes, the public is speaking out, with total apathy towards HD Radio.

Of course, complete apathy is your opinion. And no, we aren't watching the sales closely (at least not as close as some are!). It's a radio that admittedly has problems. It's a first gen radio.

By the way, I wonder how many FM radios were sold in the early 60's? Good thing that we didn't just turn off FM because of supposed "apathy".

 

[700WLW]

"Of course, complete apathy is your opinion. And no, we aren't watching the sales closely (at least not as close as some are!). It's a radio that admittedly has problems. It's a first gen radio."

No, the sales figures bear this out, and lack of HD radios in retailers. There was an article, which stated that the HD Radio Cartel is watching, what is happening to HD radios on Amazon - any idiot, could figure this out, anyway. Amazon is the only one, that I have seen, that has sales rankings, and is undoubtly the largest on-line retailer.