ONLY 150,000 HD RADIOS SOLD SO FAR

[vsa]

I talked to an iBiquity employee in Las Vegas at the NAB 2007 Convention. I will not share his name. I don't want to see anyone lose his job for being honest with a broadcaster.

He confided to me and a BE Broadcast Electronics representative that so far 150,000 HD radios have been sold in totality since 2004. However, he insisted the goal of one million sales by the end of the year is realistic.

I could try to really rub this in, but I don't need to or even want to.

Are broadcasters still ready to allow the door to close on their affordability to stream on the web? This may be a good time to join the new coalition that is forming at: www.SaveNetRadio.org

The time for action is very short.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

I talked to an iBiquity employee in Las Vegas at the NAB 2007 Convention. I will not share his name. I don't want to see anyone lose his job for being honest with a broadcaster.

He confided to me and a BE Broadcast Electronics representative that so far 150,000 HD radios have been sold in totality since 2004. However, he insisted the goal of one million sales by the end of the year is realistic.

I could try to really rub this in, but I don't need to or even want to.

Are broadcasters still ready to allow the door to close on their affordability to stream on the web? This may be a good time to join the new coalition that is forming at: www.SaveNetRadio.org

The time for action is very short.

150,000 sold to whom? Retailers and warehousers perhaps, but not end users.
I'm sure the HD cartel would be bragging loudly if it had even 100,000 HD radios in the hands of actual listeners.
It seems most HD radios are collecting dust in warehouses and stores, unplugged and where you probably can't get HD reception, hear the product, or find an HD knowledgeable, enthusiastic salesperson.
XM or Sirius are a much easier sale, and HD radio has yet to deliver on it's promises, such as "get hundreds of new stations between the stations". Even in New York or LA you can't get that many, and I doubt you ever will.

As you say, it might be wise for broadcasters to keep their online streaming options open, affordable, and available. HD internet streams seem a reasonable alternative to problematic HD radio's poor building penetration even in metro areas.

 

[radiopilot]

I talked to an iBiquity employee in Las Vegas at the NAB 2007 Convention. I will not share his name. I don't want to see anyone lose his job for being honest with a broadcaster.

He confided to me and a BE Broadcast Electronics representative that so far 150,000 HD radios have been sold in totality since 2004. However, he insisted the goal of one million sales by the end of the year is realistic.

I could try to really rub this in, but I don't need to or even want to.

Are broadcasters still ready to allow the door to close on their affordability to stream on the web? This may be a good time to join the new coalition that is forming at: www.SaveNetRadio.org

The time for action is very short.

150,000 sold to whom? Retailers and warehousers perhaps, but not end users.
I'm sure the HD cartel would be bragging loudly if it had even 100,000 HD radios in the hands of actual listeners.
It seems most HD radios are collecting dust in warehouses and stores, unplugged and where you probably can't get HD reception, hear the product, or find an HD knowledgeable, enthusiastic salesperson.
XM or Sirius are a much easier sale, and HD radio has yet to deliver on it's promises, such as "get hundreds of new stations between the stations". Even in New York or LA you can't get that many, and I doubt you ever will.

As you say, it might be wise for broadcasters to keep their online streaming options open, affordable, and available. HD internet streams seem a reasonable alternative to problematic HD radio's poor building penetration even in metro areas.

I'm amazed that the HD cotillion has not debunked this thread as lies and false info as they always do... won't be long before they do.... It would be nice to have hard credible evidence from some site to post regarding the numbers of receivers sold, this way they get a true idea of the real road HD will be taking.

Radiopilot

 

[Mike Walker]

SINCE 2004? There were NO RADIOS TO SELL in 2004. Or 2005. Or half of 2006. Not to confuse your brilliant argument with facts.

Furthermore, since Ibiquity neither makes, nor sells radios, I doubt seriously they have any exact figures. If they do, they're probably weeks or months behind. My guess is, even Ibiquity would admit that.

 

[radiopilot]

SINCE 2004? There were NO RADIOS TO SELL in 2004. Or 2005. Or half of 2006. Not to confuse your brilliant argument with facts.

Furthermore, since Ibiquity neither makes, nor sells radios, I doubt seriously they have any exact figures. If they do, they're probably weeks or months behind. My guess is, even Ibiquity would admit that.

Ibiquity would have to know how many radios are bought since they 'license' each unit, perhaps they know the number of licenses sold to each manufacturer, how many units get produced, and I'm sure in this computer age with inventory coding systems they exactly know how many units actually got sold... so YES they do know, whether they choose to publish this info is up to them.... but since this company was bought into fruition based on deceit, I doubt that they'll be honest!

Radiopilot

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

since Ibiquity neither makes, nor sells radios, I doubt seriously they have any exact figures. If they do, they're probably weeks or months behind. My guess is, even Ibiquity would admit that.

Baloney. Since iBiquity issues a license for every single radio sold, they know EXACTLY how many have been sold, and if there was a reason for them to crow over that figure, they would. The fact that they haven't speaks for itself.

 

[Mike Walker]

I don't know the exact licensing terms Ibiquity has negotiated with each manufacturer. Neither do you. You're trying to pass hypothesis and speculation as fact. As they say around these parts, "that dog don't hunt".

RADIO MANUFACTURERS know how many radios they've sold. And even they aren't talking to one another, I'd wager. My guess is Boston Acoustics has no idea how many radios Polk or Sangean have sold.

Even if there's a "per radio" fee, these fees are certainly paid AFTER THE RADIO HAS BEEN MANUFACTURED AND SOLD, not before. Again, Ibiquity's information can't help but be months behind. A radio sold by Sangean today would't likely register on Ibiquity's computers for months (until payment was actually received). How could it be otherwise?

Say you owned the patents to widgets. I agreed to pay you a dollar for every widget I sold. Would I say "ok, I expect to sell 50,000 widgets this year, so here's 50,000 bucks"? I don't think so. In the real world, I'd make a batch of widgets, and then pay you for the ones I sold, ONCE THEY HAD BEEN SOLD. They'd show up on your computer at the earliest next month (or the month after) WHEN YOU RECEIVED THE CHECK, and your accounting department did their thing. THAT is how things work in the real world. It's why we don't know sales figures for Chrismtas until March (for instance), and are always talking about how retail sales did several months ago, not how they're doing NOW.

 

[Mike Walker]

No dumber, they (Ibiquity) know EXACTLY how many radios were sold months ago, NOT how many sold yesterday, or last week. Those numbers won't be in for a month or two.

By the way...it's only been a couple of months since someone was posting here "only 50,000 HD Radios SOLD". Even by you guys own silly figures, sales have tripled in just a couple o' months

 

[PocketRadio]

I talked to an iBiquity employee in Las Vegas at the NAB 2007 Convention. I will not share his name. I don't want to see anyone lose his job for being honest with a broadcaster.

He confided to me and a BE Broadcast Electronics representative that so far 150,000 HD radios have been sold in totality since 2004. However, he insisted the goal of one million sales by the end of the year is realistic.

I could try to really rub this in, but I don't need to or even want to.

"HD Radio: Is Anybody Listening?"

"But the industry is prepping a major holiday sales push for a range of new HD devices expected to hit the market in the coming months. Currently, only about 100,000 HD radio receivers have been shipped. According to Pat Walsh, CFO of iBiquity Digital — the primary provider of HD radio technology — that figure is expected to jump to 500,000 before the end of the year."

http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/mp3-players-digital-audio/hd-radio-is-anybody-listening.asp

LOL !

"Ferrara said the industry is optimistic and has seen solid return for its $200 million marketing investment in HD digital radio. Ferrara, who in August said some 100,000 units had been sold, declined to update the total number of radio sold during the course of the 10-month push."

http://news.soft32.com/hd-radio-boosts-distribution-holiday-ads-push_2717.html

Yea, if you were selling a zillion HD radios, you'de be letting us know !

I would question any sales figures, especially since many have probably been returned. It is interesting that Bridge Ratings recently downgraded the number of predicted HD radios sold this year to 1.5 million - surely, that number is highly-optimistic.

Are broadcasters still ready to allow the door to close on their affordability to stream on the web? This may be a good time to join the new coalition that is forming at: www.SaveNetRadio.org

According to Ramsey, anyone in the broadcast business needs to check this out:

"Slacker.com: The radio revolution arrives this summer"

"That's the best way to describe Slacker.com, the transformational new radio experience that will rock the world of radio starting this summer."

http://www.hear2.com/2007/04/slackercom_the_.html#comments

And, look at the number of consumers that checked out Slacker.com, versus HDRadio.com:

http://www.statsaholic.com/slacker.com
http://www.statsaholic.com/hdradio.com

WOW !

 

[PocketRadio]

SINCE 2004? There were NO RADIOS TO SELL in 2004. Or 2005. Or half of 2006. Not to confuse your brilliant argument with facts.

Furthermore, since Ibiquity neither makes, nor sells radios, I doubt seriously they have any exact figures. If they do, they're probably weeks or months behind. My guess is, even Ibiquity would admit that.

Oh, iBiquity knows at least in realtive-terms - remember, iBiquity is processing rebates on HD radios.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

SINCE 2004? There were NO RADIOS TO SELL in 2004. Or 2005. Or half of 2006. Not to confuse your brilliant argument with facts.

You have yet to present any facts, just your own fantasies.
Here is the article about the first HD radio posted 1/15/04 (see bottom of page):

http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/ibiquity.html

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- International Consumer Electronics Show -- iBiquity Digital Corporation announced today that an Iowa buyer became "first in the nation" to purchase an HD Radio tuner. Nathan Franzen purchased a Kenwood KTC-HR100 HD Radio tuner from the Ultimate Electronics store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Monday, January 5, 2004.

That is well over 3 years ago.

This has been documented here, before, but as usual, you ignore the truth and insist on your home spun tall tales.

And now the list of shareholders:

About iBiquity Digital Corporation (www.ibiquity.com): iBiquity Digital is the sole developer and licenser of HD Radio technology in the U.S., which will transform today's analog radio to digital, enabling radically upgraded sound and new wireless data services. The company's investors include 15 of the nation's top radio broadcasters, including ABC, Clear Channel and Viacom; leading financial institutions, such as J.P. Morgan Partners, Pequot Capital and J&W Seligman; and strategic partners Ford Motor Company, Harris, Texas Instruments and Visteon.

Instead of iBiquity it should have been called iNcestuous.
Definition of incestuous:
3 : excessively or improperly intimate or exclusive <mainstream fashion magazines have an incestuous relationship with advertisers --
From:
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/incestuous

 

[PocketRadio]

Nice job, SUPERCASTER !

 

[SUPERCASTER]

No dumber, they (Ibiquity) know EXACTLY how many radios were sold months ago, NOT how many sold yesterday, or last week. Those numbers won't be in for a month or two.

As licensor of HD Radio iBiquity would have to license each radio manufactured, get frequent reports, and keep close tabs on those figures, regardless of when actual payment is due.

Your posts are just more boat loads of HD supporter red herrings.

 

[Mike Walker]

You cannot keep track of sales before they happen! And you don't pay license fees UNTIL THEY'RE SOLD!

And while there were expensive HD units, mostly sold to radio stations, sold a couple of years ago, there were no models meant for CONSUMERS even a year ago. Wide distribution of HD is about 9-11 months old. I never freakin' saw one (a real consumer unit, FOR SALE...not a prototype. I've seen them at NAB shows) till about August of last year. And NOBODY visits consumer electronics stores more often than I do!

 

[SUPERCASTER]

You cannot keep track of sales before they happen! And you don't pay license fees UNTIL THEY'RE SOLD!

And while there were expensive HD units, mostly sold to radio stations, sold a couple of years ago, there were no models meant for CONSUMERS even a year ago. Wide distribution of HD is about 9-11 months old. I never freakin' saw one (a real consumer unit, FOR SALE...not a prototype. I've seen them at NAB shows) till about August of last year. And NOBODY visits consumer electronics stores more often than I do!

Nathan Franzen purchased a Kenwood KTC-HR100 HD Radio tuner from the Ultimate Electronics store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Monday, January 5, 2004.

As announced in this article, this Kenwood KTC-HR100 certainly was purchased in a consumer electronics store, was a mass produced consumer item, and not a prototype as you claim.
http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/ibiquity.html

http://www.maximonline.com/gear/product.aspx?id=216
http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/iboc/02_rw_ces_preview.shtml

Kenwood will show several HD Radio receivers, including the KTC-HR100, the first commercially available HD Radio receiver.

I guess you are not nearly as smart as you think you are.

 

[DudeFan]

I actually bought one. A Boston Acoustics Recepter HD. The FM analog tuner section is awful. I am 8 miles from city center and some of the Class A's dont come in at all usnig the supplied antenna or using a good dipole. My analog Tivoli, on the other hand, pulls them all in lke a champ.

 

[Mike Walker]

Ok so the Kenwood's been out there a while. The only other one I know of that was available in '04 was the Day Sequerra, a multi-kilobuck unit intended for radio station monitoring, NOT consumer use. I have NEVER seen one of the Kenwoods (but then I'm not into car stereo...being legally blind, I don't drive. Car audio interests me about as much as Beethoven interests Kid Rock).

I had NEVER seen HD in a store until last summer. I think most people will concur with that. HD products went into wide distribution just a few months ago, and the public wasn't even told (on the air) that HD existed until last year. The message is still being tweaked. Frankly, the original spots promoting HD were awful. They didn't freakin' tell what it was, or that you needed a new radio to receive it. They didn't tell what the benefits were. I still think the marketing is kind of weak "stations between stations"? What the hell does that mean? How about "each station can broadcast multiple programs at once...many with no commercials...so you get more and better programming choices WITH NO MONTHLY FEE!" It takes more words, but actually EXPLAINS the benefits. I'm amazed that the so called "best minds" in radio can't use the medium any more effectively than this!

 

[R.F. Burns]

I actually bought one. A Boston Acoustics Recepter HD. The FM analog tuner section is awful. I am 8 miles from city center and some of the Class A's dont come in at all usnig the supplied antenna or using a good dipole. My analog Tivoli, on the other hand, pulls them all in lke a champ.

I have a HD Receptor which I bought in Feb. 2006 which works well. I'm 25 miles north of NYC and receive all of the HD stations with that radio and a dipole. The radio came with a small wire which B.A. replaced with a dipole late last year (free for those of us who already owned the radio), I've heard that there's a shielding problem with some B.A.'s which cause desense in the radio. On Am with a radio Shack loop, I've heard stations with this radio that I can't receive even with the GE superradio.

 

[PocketRadio]

On Am with a radio Shack loop, I've heard stations with this radio that I can't receive even with the GE superradio.

"HD Radio Effort Undermined by Weak Tuners in Expensive Radios"

"This flaw resides in the choice of tuners inserted into these radios by the companies building them, tuners which all have weak sensitivity. Sensitivity that is so weak their analog reception is inferior to that found in a cheap shower radio and a vintage tube radio. This is inexcusable considering the price point of these radios."

http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/7002/hd-radio2.html

Oh, really ?

 

[R.F. Burns]

On Am with a radio Shack loop, I've heard stations with this radio that I can't receive even with the GE superradio.

"HD Radio Effort Undermined by Weak Tuners in Expensive Radios"

"This flaw resides in the choice of tuners inserted into these radios by the companies building them, tuners which all have weak sensitivity. Sensitivity that is so weak their analog reception is inferior to that found in a cheap shower radio and a vintage tube radio. This is inexcusable considering the price point of these radios."

http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/7002/hd-radio2.html

Oh, really ?

From the book, who're you going to believe me or your ears?