KB1OKL said:
The dealer was telling the customer that it was the analog radio stations that were at fault...because they hadn't "upgraded". The truth of the matter is that the customers are getting lousy HD reception which is the norm and is why these car HD receivers are going to be a big boondoggle for these companies soon. There's nothing wrong with the radios other than they use a half baked modulation scheme, and there's certainly nothing wrong with the analog stations except in ibiquities eyes.
OK, then the dealer is misinformed. Everyone act surprised
! :
Misinformed? I would be willing to bet that that lie came directly from ibiquity
I still say this technology should be shipped with it off by default, even if it pisses iBiquity off. Let the people who know and want to access it, have at it… and let iBiquity claim that millions have HD radios.
dumber than a box of hair said:
Local radio stations that don't want to and/or can't spend thousands of dollars for a defective, unstable technology that there's no need for and that earns exactly zero dollars for the owners are the problem?
I'd say they're the sane ones.
Whether you want to blame the local station for investing in the technology or for having it forced on them by corporate,
it's still the station's fault for not working to the consumers' expectations. Period.
99.9% of consumers really just want their expensive radio to work HD or no HD, it's only geeks and people that need to have the latest gadget that care about it, that is what a consumer expects, they don't expect drop outs and flipping back and forth between analog and digital which is the technologies fault.
When people's favorite AAA station flipped to talk radio in Birmingham, they got all up in arms and said they'd never listen to radio again. It wasn't the changing market or competition that forced the move, it was the radio station that just up and changed, in their eyes. Consumers don't see past the dial like y'all do. So either way,
to them it's the radio station's fault for either a) picking this bad technology or b) failing to getting it working satisfactorily.
It is the radio stations' fault or at least the higher up who got taken for this krappy technology that doesn't work.
You guys know that the engineers are stretched razor thin and can't be bothered with something that doesn't make them money (ie anything but the analog signal), fine.
But consumers don't know that. That's why, if a station is going to commit to HD, they should be willing to invest in reliable equipment (if such a thing actually exists) and maximum power permissible. They screwed the pooch with this 1% debacle that should have never happened.
They screwed the pooch when they installed iBlock
SirRoxalot said:
Don't forget the opportunity to listen to the stellar programming on HD2, 3, and 4 streams.
*shrug*
It ain't great, but it's five more formats in my small market than I would have otherwise.
Savage said:
And...once again the radio stations are being vilified for not running out and signing up with iBiquity for a glitchy, semi-functional engineering mess that will run up their operating costs with NO ROI, hurt profitable analog coverage, and piss off listeners and clients??
Considering how many local stations have stopped or never broadcast in stereo, I'd say the same argument could be made about that. It reduces the analog coverage area and pisses off listeners with added static. Which is why probably 6 local stations do without it.
Sounds like a glitchy engineering mess to me, too. I'm sure actually was in its infancy, as well.
I think there is a huge difference in coverage area between HD and stereo analog FM, people are accustomed to stereo not coming in in a fringe area, just that the definition of a fringe area between HD and stereo is a huge, like at least double the area for analog stereo. I can put up with losing an FM signal at 60 miles out in my car but I would not put up with drop outs at 10 miles out or even 20.
