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Is Sacramento's Listening Public HD-Ready?

B

BurnedOutOnTheBoards

Read a few posts from an anti-HD blog...filled with lots of reasons why HD Radio will not catch on...so....

Is a culture that embraces the mp3 ready to head towards higher-end receivers to get better quality signals? And are the initial tech problems with receiving HD going to be overcome before the medium falters?
 
B.O.O.T.B. asks:
"Is a culture that embraces the mp3 ready to head towards higher-end receivers to get better quality signals?
And are the initial tech problems with receiving HD going to be overcome before the medium falters?"

IMHO, No and No...
I purchased a Sangean HDT-1 on closeout at Fry's last June, and though the FM HD sounds impressive
in SOME cases, the programming is not - at least in the North Bay where I reside...

Another problem with HD on AM (besides the current programming and the sideband interference
HD stations cause on the more-plentiful analog receivers) is that the HD signal can't be heard in
the same coverage area as the analog signal. My understanding is the HD signal is one-tenth of
the analog's signal, which is why I can't hear the KFBK or KIID HD signals in Napa, let alone
KCBS-HD 740 at night, of which I'm about 25 miles as the crow flies from KCBS' transmitter...

I have the impression the IBOC people are sitting on their laurels and not doing anything to improve
its product, if it CAN be improved - correct me if I'm wrong...I'm predicting the marketplace will
embrace HD like it did "AM-Stereo." At least AM-Stereo was NOT a bad idea...

I doubt if programming - especially on FM HD-2 - will change to attract those who have been driven
to the iPod world. Additionally, the few stations on HD-2 I've heard in my area are musically boring and
didactic, jock- and jockette-less, and lifeless...

I took my HD radio to some friends homes in Medford and Lincoln City, Oregon, and heard only 2 stations
in HD: a non-commercial Jefferson Public Radio outlet in Ashland, and a commercial oldies station in Lincoln
City. The former sounded awesome (but, interestingly, had NO HD-2 channel on!), the oldies sounded hashy
and irritating to the ear. I could not receive any AM or FM HD signals from Eugene or Portland...

That's incentive to spend a moderate amount of money for an HD radio? :-[
Good thing mine was just 99 bucks, albeit a demo model...
--jay
 
djj........

Your story is similiar to what I've heard so far....I have four friends with HD units, and they've had trouble getting signals of anything they actually want to hear...many complain they can only get signals within about 15 miles of the transmitters, and they don't plan on moving just to get better radio sound.

I don't know if the situation will improve much in a radio economy on the downslide, where "cash flow" isn't what it used to be and most of the business plans are based on heavy, steady "cash flow"...combined with the heavy outlays to start up HD & keep it afloat...plus alleged additional power expenses. add to that the other beaks ready to dip in: artist's rights, publisher's rights, RIAA member's rights...all demanding some form of DRM software to reduce piracy of high-quality signals.

To some, the old radio business model...."play a song, sell an ad"....is looking more reasonable....It does seem interesting that public radio appears in many markets to be ahead in HD rollout.....out hard-earned tax dollars at work!
 
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