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One reason why even HD FM will fail in the marketplace.

I think this debate for the most part, fruitless. There are some people who are just going to continue to advocate for the use of HD radio till the bitter end, and there are people who don't believe in it.
 
Works fine for me, I listen to it every day. AM & FM.

So how many HD capable home and portable radios can you find at retail in Pittsburgh?

They didn't care much for FM or stereo either at first.

At the time FM stereo was introduced, stereo was like putting lipstick on a pig. Nobody was listening to FM, and it took, 6 years later, an FCC mandate to end simulcasting to get FM moving... people began listening because of all the new formats and the lower commercial loads, not because of stereo.

Today, FM reaches over 90% of the population weekly. Those hundreds of millions of people are using the band, but they are not using HD and that is why, save for leasing bandwidth or leveraging a translator, stations are not making money from HD.
 


So how many HD capable home and portable radios can you find at retail in Pittsburgh?

Who knows....My comment was...it works for me. And that I listen to it every day.

(BTW...You know better than I that no one is going into 'retail' shops to buy "radios".)




At the time FM stereo was introduced, stereo was like putting lipstick on a pig. Nobody was listening to FM, and it took, 6 years later, an FCC mandate to end simulcasting to get FM moving

Thanks for making my point.

BTW...Are you still with Univision? I heard they had a mass cutback.

There are some people who are just going to continue to advocate for the use of HD radio till the bitter end, and there are people who don't believe in it.

It took you 15 pages to figure that out?
 
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"... not because of stereo. " Not in my case. As soon as the first FM stereo station signed on, I went to the store and listened to one of the original GE's. FM stereo blew me away. Walked out with the radio.
 


Today, FM reaches over 90% of the population weekly. Those hundreds of millions of people are using the band, but they are not using HD and that is why, save for leasing bandwidth or leveraging a translator, stations are not making money from HD.

Dispatch from Wonderland: Radio World just released an "e-book" on HD Radio. Puffery central, save for three pages of "critic's" commentary—sandwiched between "sponsored content" from iBiquity and an iBiquity-written article on how awesome the translator-play is.
 
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(BTW...You know better than I that no one is going into 'retail' shops to buy "radios".)

Good point. But for that matter, nobody is going to Amazon to buy radios, either. "Radio" increasingly means anything audio that comes off a smartphone. And since smartphones can't and won't have HD, it's a moot point.

Thanks for making my point.

Your broad point seems to have been that there is "extra content" on HD. In fact, the added content is nearly always a computer in a closet playing songs in a manner not any different from web streams. The only value of HD is to leverage channels for translators or to rent data or narrowcasting bandwidth.

BTW...Are you still with Univision? I heard they had a mass cutback.

I've been hearing about cutbacks since the requirement for 1st Class operators was eliminated four decades ago. Technology spawns change.
 
In fact, the added content is nearly always a computer in a closet playing songs in a manner not any different from web streams.

Except that it's broadcast over the airwaves, not the internet. The catch is that you need a special receiver. But the point about it being similar to web streams is not a negative.
 
It took you 15 pages to figure that out?

Well, I have been periodically checking this thread to see if any of you guys are coming to any kind of consensus or understanding. However, it appears that the war over HD radio will not be ending any time soon. I think we can all agree, the principle of HD radio is cool, but the execution has been an abomination.
 
Except that it's broadcast over the airwaves, not the internet. The catch is that you need a special receiver. But the point about it being similar to web streams is not a negative.

Only in this case, finding a stream is easier than finding an HD subchannel. The paradigm is not shifted, it is reversed.
 
None of the arguments for or against HD Radio are going to matter if people can't or simply don't want to use HD Radio. The supporters of HD Radio are running out of time to convince people to use it and make it widely available. If they don't break into the market in a significant way within the next couple years then it is likely they are done. Internet services will bury HD Radio permanently if the current trends continue. Internet radio friendly vehicles are rapidly increasing with more and more options for listeners to chose from. And with growing 4G networks, smartphone use, and data plans with more generous caps, the future is looking increasingly clear.
 


Only in this case, finding a stream is easier than finding an HD subchannel. The paradigm is not shifted, it is reversed.

In a car? I don't think so.... try finding a "stream" while you are cruising down the road. (BTW..I'm all for "streams"...I'm rooting for all platforms and more choices for more programming. One doesn't exclude the other.)



And since smartphones can't and won't have HD, it's a moot point.

Never say never....and can't.



In fact, the added content is nearly always a computer in a closet playing songs in a manner not any different from web streams.

Just like SiriusXM! LOL!



The only value of HD is to leverage channels for translators or to rent data or narrowcasting bandwidth.

Another great pronouncement from David Eduardo! Another opinion....i.e...another bozo on the bus! Opinions are everywhere and they are worth every cent! (How much is that? Zero?!?)



I've been hearing about cutbacks since the requirement for 1st Class operators was eliminated four decades ago. Technology spawns change.

You didn't answer the question....are you still with Univision?

Radio World just released an "e-book" on HD Radio. Puffery central, save for three pages of "critic's" commentary—sandwiched between "sponsored content" from iBiquity and an iBiquity-written article on how awesome the translator-play is.

Sure, let's lock ourselves in a world where we only hear what we want to hear! ;-) Block out any other opinions!

The supporters of HD Radio are running out of time to convince people to use it and make it widely available.

Running out of time? Why? There is no finish line!
 
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In a car? I don't think so.... try finding a "stream" while you are cruising down the road.

I do it all the time... I have presets that answer to voice commands.

But I was talking about in-home and at-work and on the street... where 2/3 of listening takes place. Push an icon and listen. As simple as a pushbutton on a car radio... maybe simpler as voice commands can do it for you.

Never say never....and can't.

With the weaker HD signals, the use of earbud antennas and the power consumption of the HD chip (and its size) there is no foreseeable-future that has HD in Smartphones.

Just like SiriusXM! LOL!

Not really. The satellite channels are programmed in MusicMaster by programmers who apply a lot of controls over flow and texture. Most HD streams are simply random songs with little effort put into log preparation.

Another opinion....i.e...another bozo on the bus! ...and worth every cent you are being paid for it! (How much is that? Zero?!?)

Actually, I'm paid for the opinions that matter.

You didn't answer the question....are you still with Univision?

That Linkedin profile says "yes" so it must be true. After all, it's on the Internet.
 


I do it all the time... I have presets that answer to voice commands.

Great...most don't and won't. (I'm sure your habits echo the average listener, right?)



With the weaker HD signals, the use of earbud antennas and the power consumption of the HD chip (and its size) there is no foreseeable-future that has HD in Smartphones.

We never know where the technology is going....



The satellite channels are programmed in MusicMaster by programmers who apply a lot of controls over flow and texture. Most HD streams are simply random songs with little effort put into log preparation.

Absolutely wrong. The programming is done by the same programmers that run the analog signal. (or under their tutelage) and use the same qualifiers, era, tempo, flow, texture...that they use when scheduling music on the main channel. Have you been into any other major market stations besides Univision?



Actually, I'm paid for the opinions that matter.

Maybe in some Univision office....and they bow down before the words of the almighty "consultant"...but not here. You're just another Bozo on the bus with an opinion....and worth every cent!

That Linkedin profile says "yes" so it must be true.

And there ya' go!
 
Great...most don't and won't. (I'm sure your habits echo the average listener, right?)

You are out of touch. Smart phone ownership is passing 70% this year, and usage of voice commands or single-touch icons is used universally among that group. Add in the people who use tablets and such, and the vast majority of people... particularly in the under-55 age tiers... is approaching what we might call "universal".

So in that respect, I am doing what the average listener does. You, obviously, are not.

We never know where the technology is going....

Not 100%. But we can see near term possibilities before too many variables make the confidence levels unreliable. And no immediate possibilities exist for HD to be in smartphones and at the same time, the usage of AM and FM as a delivery system is declining. In other words, HD is a niche and it's only value is either to generate legal translators and a free ride under the FCC ownership caps or to create a bandwidth rental business for traffic and other data for third parties.

Absolutely wrong. The programming is done by the same programmers that run the analog signal. (or under their tutelage) and use the same qualifiers, era, tempo, flow, texture...that they use when scheduling music on the main channel.

The programmers who have been handed the HD subchannels are generally overworked with several main channel / analog stations to program. They set up a database of some format that won't materially affect the revenue producing stations, and autoschedule the logs.

Have you been into any other major market stations besides Univision?

Yes, and I also attend conventions, seminars and such. Nobody gives much more than lip service to HD formats. An iPod on shuffle has better flow and formatics than most HD channels.

Maybe in some Univision office....and they bow down before the words of the almighty "consultant"...but not here. You're just another Bozo on the bus with an opinion....and worth every cent!

In this case, you know the "bozo's" credentials while all we know is that you have some involvement with an all hockey HD-2 in Pittsburgh. It is easy to throw brickbats and lance invective when one is anonymous. It's also puerile.
 
Only in this case, finding a stream is easier than finding an HD subchannel. The paradigm is not shifted, it is reversed.

Finding a particular internet stream is a needle in the proverbial haystack. Unless you have an attached OTA signal pointing you there. But that wasn't the point.

The point I was responding to had to do with the content. Being similar to a web stream isn't a negative. The content isn't the problem for HD Radio. They could do original hosted live and local content, and it wouldn't change a thing.
 
Well, I have been periodically checking this thread to see if any of you guys are coming to any kind of consensus or understanding. However, it appears that the war over HD radio will not be ending any time soon. I think we can all agree, the principle of HD radio is cool, but the execution has been an abomination.

We 4 or 5 people who post here are the last people who actually care one way or the other about HD, it's dead as a door nail no matter how many new cars get this lead balloon stuck in the dash board, most people don't even know it's there and of the ones that do 99% don't care. It's just another useless doodad in the dashboard.
 
We 4 or 5 people who post here are the last people who actually care one way or the other about HD, it's dead as a door nail no matter how many new cars get this lead balloon stuck in the dash board, most people don't even know it's there and of the ones that do 99% don't care. It's just another useless doodad in the dashboard.

I like driving my car with an AM radio. Its a great "amenity". Oh man... Wimmmex is not going to like that. :D
 
I live in Anaheim and my parents are in Sun City. On occasion I dial up (on my iPhone 3GS) Pandora, IHeart or another streaming service and get rock solid service down both the 91 and 15 and even between Elseanor and Sun City.

Finding a needle in a haystack is hard. But once you've found it and made it a favorite it's easy to dial it up and drive. :D
 


You are out of touch. Smart phone ownership is passing 70% this year,

So what?

and usage of voice commands or single-touch icons is used universally among that group.

Another great pronouncement from the almighty Eduardo! Again, you do not represent the average listener in radio usage nor lifestyle. ;-)

Not 100%.

You can make an educated guess...but you should read: Against the Gods, The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter L. Bernstein if you think you can predict the future.

HD is a niche

That's what I've always said...it's a side service with niche programming

and it's only value is either to generate legal translators

Wrong...it is valuable because it is providing extra real estate, value added, and a place for promotions that cannot be on the main channel. That's it's value. (Similar to a web site).

The programmers who have been handed the HD subchannels are generally overworked with several main channel
/ analog stations to program.

I would agree that everyone worth their salt in radio is overworked. However, we heard this when they started handing PD duties for a second and third main signals. Yet, smart programmers used their resources and handled the extra duties well.

But the fact remains, these are the same programmers who maintain the main channel.

Yes, and I also attend conventions, seminars and such.

Of course! To hand out your "consultant" business cards!

An iPod on shuffle has better flow and formatics than most HD channels.

Wrong again. (But we are used to these great "pronouncements" from you, spoken as if they are to stand on their own) Does an iPod control era, tempo, texture like Selector? Does an iPod have major market production behind it?

In this case, you know the "bozo's" credentials while all we know is that you have some involvement with an all hockey HD-2 in Pittsburgh.

I have no involvement in any HD-2 or hockey signal in Pittsburgh.

It is easy to throw brickbats and lance invective when one is anonymous.

It's also easy to throw around a "consultant's opinion" and expect it to carry weight. But we are not in a VP programming office suite and no one has to bow down to the almighty consultant. Your comments stand on their own....and as such are up for discussion. If you were to be anonymous, your comments would carry just as much weight and be scrutinized just the same. If you didn't try so hard to talk down to people, then maybe there'd be less invective and brickbat! ;-)

It's also puerile.

You don't like it when someone gives back to you what you've been handing out for awhile now?
 
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OKAY... so I locked the thread for a few hours. Let's calm down now.

EVERYONE does have an opinion.. some will be more valid than others, based on experience and knowledge. Some have different experiences that they base their knowledge on... That is just the way it is. People, i.e. Scientists, used to think the world was flat. Scientists! Those Scientists have been proven wrong (no one walked far enough to reach the edge??) , and yet there are still some who believe it is flat despite the proof.

At this point, we understand some of you believe in HD Radio, some of you don't. You are not going to convince each other of the opposite. Accept that as fact.

From my perspective as the moderator looking at your positions, none of you are winning the argument ... so at this point I suggest shaking hands and moving on.

I will reopen the thread, but take a breath and remember we are ALL in this together. It is better to work together to find solutions than stand apart because one of you thinks your opinion is more valid, even if it is. So, if you must continue... work on explaining, from your perspective why HD Radio is successful or isn't.

Fair?
 
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