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Is HD Radio Really Going to be Free ?

SayNoToIBOC said:
Well, this is one of its "selling" points, that may not happen:

http://billboardradiomonitor.com/ra...article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000882951

This is an article from last year - funny, no one from here mentioned this subject !
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There has been no discussion in the industry of making HD a pay service... there is not even any technology to do so at present. None of the people at any of the HD operators I have talked with has mentioned this, and the entire industry-financed and supported ad campaign is that this is FREEEEEEEEE!

Speculation in a magazine that does not even exist any more that is a year old is irrelevant.
 
To quote: "Clear Channel is exploring both subscription-based and advertising-driven business models for HD radio side channels -- and a combination of the two."

Funny, it is being explored by Clear Channel - good try ! Same old, same old...
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
To quote: "Clear Channel is exploring both subscription-based and advertising-driven business models for HD radio side channels -- and a combination of the two."

Funny, it is being explored by Clear Channel - good try ! Same old, same old...
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They can explore it all they want, but there is no way to make the HD platform subscription based. Of course, since your only experience with HD is looking at one unplugged unit, you'd have no way of knowing that. So you get a pass on this one.
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
To quote: "Clear Channel is exploring both subscription-based and advertising-driven business models for HD radio side channels -- and a combination of the two."

Funny, it is being explored by Clear Channel - good try ! Same old, same old...
Click to expand...

They may have explored it internally, to see if there was a business model. They are not doing so now, as your article in a dead magazine is ancient history...

It is, also, too late to make a change. HD has no provision for anything but free service.
 
Sorry, that is your personal opinion (and it looks like you caved a bit :D); you will need to back that up with links/facts, before your rebuttable will become acceptable to me.
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
Sorry, that is your personal opinion (and it looks like you caved a bit :D); you will need to back that up with links/facts, before your rebuttable will become acceptable to me.
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That is not my personal opinion. I was on the NY HD Committee for implementation of the HD-2 rollout and for the joint ad campaign, and there has been no discussion of subscription based HD programming in the last year. In fact, the system is pretty much technically locked into a free model.
 
That still is not proof - I just have to take your biased word for it. If they didn't discuss it there, that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen - da you really think, iBiquity is going to advertise something like that - they will just wait (for a long time) until there are IBOC receivers in consumers hands (maybe), then start charging a fee ! Of course, you are going to make up a story - unacceptable !
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
That still is not proof - I just have to take your biased word for it. If they didn't discuss it there, that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen - da you really think, iBiquity is going to advertise something like that - they will just wait (for a long time) until there are IBOC receivers in consumers hands (maybe), then start charging a fee ! Of course, you are going to make up a story - unacceptable !
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Wow. You really know nothing about this, do you? Since iBiquity doesn't own any facilities, how can they wait and charge a fee? The radio stations would have to be involved in such a thing, and it's obvious that it would never fly.

Of course, the truth has never stopped you before.

As for you thinking that David's answer is unacceptable? Nobody cares.
 
"The radio stations would have to be involved in such a thing, and it's obvious that it would never fly."

And, that is why the article stated, that Clear Channel is looking into charging a subscription fee for the HD channels ! What does Clear Channel own ! :D
 
There is no way currently to exclude IBOC listeners from any channel. You are dreaming if you think broadcasters want to charge a subscription like the satellites. The whole selling point of IBOC is that it's free. You are reading into peoples comments and drawing incorrect conclusions.
 
Well, if you can post a link, or facts, that challenge this article, feel free !
 
No reason to, it doesn't exist. You prove that it does and I don't want to hear theories either.
 
Hey, I just posted a link to an article, that stated Clear Channel is looking into charging subscription fees for the HD channels - it is bound to happen, like everything else...
 
SayNoToIBOC said:
Hey, I just posted a link to an article, that stated Clear Channel is looking into charging subscription fees for the HD channels - it is bound to happen, like everything else...
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No.

You posted an article about a year old saying that Clear had looked at a pay model. they are no longer doing this, as the roll out is now 2000 stations contracted and 1000 on air, and there is no technology in the system for addressing the chip for an identity that would allow service to be limited to only paid customers. It is free, and designed to be free.
 
DavidEduardo wrote on my computer screen:

there is no technology in the system for addressing the chip for an identity that would allow service to be limited to only paid customers. It is free, and designed to be free.
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I certainly hope so. I don't really want to be part of the great unwashed public that will be expected to take the same bath that the Ibiquity speculating investors will be taking if the public ultimately rejects this flawed technology which is being forced down the public's throat.
 
"this flawed technology which is being forced down the public's throat."


The word "flawed" is deffinately a matter of opinon and forcing is another questionable word. No ne is forcing anyone to do anything. No one forces anyone to listen to the radio at all. However, if traditional broadcasting wishes to remain competitive they will apply new technologies which will make them more attrtactive to the typical listener. When I strated at the network level we used 5 K broadcast lines to tranansmit our product. Then we went to limted 15 K transmission, then to something called C-Dat and today Startguide. We are currently looking at another transmission system which will allow us greater flexability and better audio quality (Trying to limit the amount of cascading codecs in our transmissions). Radio is evolving, and IBOC is one part of that revolution.
 
autopaint-1 wrote: "The word "flawed" is deffinately a matter of opinon and forcing is another questionable word. No ne is forcing anyone to do anything. No one forces anyone to listen to the radio at all. However, if traditional broadcasting wishes to remain competitive they will apply new technologies which will make them more attrtactive to the typical listener. When I strated at the network level we used 5 K broadcast lines to tranansmit our product. Then we went to limted 15 K transmission, then to something called C-Dat and today Startguide. We are currently looking at another transmission system which will allow us greater flexability and better audio quality (Trying to limit the amount of cascading codecs in our transmissions). Radio is evolving, and IBOC is one part of that revolution. "

You bet this is being forced down everyones' throats by iBiquity, Clear Channel, NAB, and the FCC - no other viable technology was even considered, like DRM, by the FCC. The only reason to implement this flawed and fraudulent technology is to line certain pockets with gold. You are right, there will continue to be a mass exodus from terrestrial readio, and IBOC will just accelerate it - hey, it's the CONTENT, not the transmission medium that will help fix terrestrial radio ! Why, even implement digital radio - analog works just fine, for everyone - oh, but the HD channels, with there repetitive dribble, will be the savior ! Get real !
 
I’m just leaving the Texas Association of Broadcaster’s Convention. There was an interesting session called “HD Radio Transition.” Panelists were senior engineers from BE, Continental and Harris. In their presentation, they mentioned that one of the revenue features of the HD system is the ability to make the channels addressable, making their programming only available to radios that are subscribed to the service.

That caught my attention, since it is contrary to the popular opinion of some of you on this Board. Just to make sure I wasn’t misinterpreting things, I popped up with the question “So that means that the auxiliary channels can be used for subscriber supported channels that would require a paid subscription?” Their answer was absolutely yes. Technically, it would work in a similar fashion that satellite radio uses to address the subscriber’s receiver. They went on to say that that is part of the business model that should appeal to various content providers. I can see how that might be attractive.

I’m not saying that it is anybody’s intention to turn HD into pay radio, but these gentlemen were quick to tout the ability to do so if you wanted to. Since these guys were about as expert as you can get (and all agreed) I think I will take their word for it that HD radio has the potential to become a subscription service, despite claims made elsewhere on this Board.
 
Chuck said:
I’m just leaving the Texas Association of Broadcaster’s Convention. There was an interesting session called “HD Radio Transition.” Panelists were senior engineers from BE, Continental and Harris. In their presentation, they mentioned that one of the revenue features of the HD system is the ability to make the channels addressable, making their programming only available to radios that are subscribed to the service.

That caught my attention, since it is contrary to the popular opinion of some of you on this Board. Just to make sure I wasn’t misinterpreting things, I popped up with the question “So that means that the auxiliary channels can be used for subscriber supported channels that would require a paid subscription?” Their answer was absolutely yes. Technically, it would work in a similar fashion that satellite radio uses to address the subscriber’s receiver. They went on to say that that is part of the business model that should appeal to various content providers. I can see how that might be attractive.

I’m not saying that it is anybody’s intention to turn HD into pay radio, but these gentlemen were quick to tout the ability to do so if you wanted to. Since these guys were about as expert as you can get (and all agreed) I think I will take their word for it that HD radio has the potential to become a subscription service, despite claims made elsewhere on this Board.
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That's akin to saying that the Windows Operating System could go to a subscription-based model. Sure it could, if the code was re-written and you actually installed it on your computer.

Since IBOC is essentially software, it could be modified to to that, absolutely. It's not able to do it in it's current form however. And at this point the consensus is that it makes no sense to move in that direction.

So, possible? Yes. Just as possible (and likely) that the satellite code could be changed to provide service for free.
 
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