-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Sony HD Radio at Best Buy
- Thread starter Chuck
- Start date
K
kenglish
Guest
Hey, I always turn it on (after turning down the adjacent "Ghetto Blaster" that's running screamin' Rap), and set it to "iChannel" or "Deep Tracks". So, it has my fingerprints on it ;D .
M
Mike Walker
Guest
The Accurian is a very old design. It's easy to believe that HD is simply "going away" if one is only willing to ignore facts. FACT: there are MANY TIMES MORE HD RADIOS NOW than at any time previous. From MAJOR manufacturers. AT ALL PRICE LEVELS. And the list is growing.
Portables are coming...the new lower power chips guarantee that, and the coming 10db increase in digital power will result in CLEAN, reliable reception on portable devices. Penetration of HD into buildings with the increased power level is proving to be superior to analog! And so it goes.
Portables are coming...the new lower power chips guarantee that, and the coming 10db increase in digital power will result in CLEAN, reliable reception on portable devices. Penetration of HD into buildings with the increased power level is proving to be superior to analog! And so it goes.
I wouldn't quite bet on the 10db FM digital increase yet, Michael. The smart money is saying that when the tug-of-war ends within the NAB/Alliance, a 2 or 3db increase is far more likely, with the variation due to local adjacent-channel limitations.
Engineering consensus outside the IBOC-FM proponents' circle tends to agree: 10db will create unacceptable adjacent-channel problems.
Engineering consensus outside the IBOC-FM proponents' circle tends to agree: 10db will create unacceptable adjacent-channel problems.
Besides, even if 10db is eventually adopted as the new IBOC-FM injection limit, it "won't really be adopted," so to speak. Increasing the digital to this degree will require massive rebuilding of most TX sites. The capital costs for rebuilding a full Class C or major-market Class B could easily approach a million bucks, with attendant increases in tower lease fees, HVAC and property taxes. These would be PERMANENT fixed costs which would remain irrespective of the eventual success of failure of HD Radio. Given HD's fortunes so far I would wager more than a pizza & beer, that there will almost NO station group owners willing to roll THOSE dice.
Look around you. Nashville recently reported national radio business down 18% and local down about 4%. My hometown radio market is down overall about 20%. Wall Street is doom/gloom on radio. In this economic atmosphere I'd predict the number of actual major upgrades to accomodate the increasingly dubious prospects offered by an HD digital power increase....at "not far from zero."
And then again: HD's proponents publicly insisted that the 1% digital would work just fine. When it didn't, the Alliance & NAB endlessly brayed, notwithstanding field experience that "digital coverage is essentially the same as analog." When pre-NAB convention engineering opinion finally drowned out the obvious hyperbole, the new mantra became: "We need a TENFOLD increase in digital power. This will improve digital coverage and building penetration."
The problem: given HD's track record for lack of candor...how'd you like to be the Engineering Manager who promoted a million-dollar upgrade to 10db, and.....oops.....the increase doesn't make that much difference......umm.....well....."hey, there's gonna be a NEW GENERATION OF RECEIVERS coming out soon and they'll decode better and....hey, why are those security officers cleaning out my desk??"
Look around you. Nashville recently reported national radio business down 18% and local down about 4%. My hometown radio market is down overall about 20%. Wall Street is doom/gloom on radio. In this economic atmosphere I'd predict the number of actual major upgrades to accomodate the increasingly dubious prospects offered by an HD digital power increase....at "not far from zero."
And then again: HD's proponents publicly insisted that the 1% digital would work just fine. When it didn't, the Alliance & NAB endlessly brayed, notwithstanding field experience that "digital coverage is essentially the same as analog." When pre-NAB convention engineering opinion finally drowned out the obvious hyperbole, the new mantra became: "We need a TENFOLD increase in digital power. This will improve digital coverage and building penetration."
The problem: given HD's track record for lack of candor...how'd you like to be the Engineering Manager who promoted a million-dollar upgrade to 10db, and.....oops.....the increase doesn't make that much difference......umm.....well....."hey, there's gonna be a NEW GENERATION OF RECEIVERS coming out soon and they'll decode better and....hey, why are those security officers cleaning out my desk??"
L
LinoNYC
Guest
Chuck said:
Maybe this will blow in from the hinterlands, but here in NYC at the two Best Buy stores I visited Sunday the Sony is still $199 and neither had any sort of antenna connected.
Lino
Actually, I have viewed some good reviews in regards to the Sony HD table radio. I have no personal experience [I’m NOT a likely HD customer], but I cannot criticize that receiver based on another's credible experience. I’ve heard it to be a good radio. A few have credited AM performance - surprising for Sony 
If indeed, it is on the way out at retail – it’s a reflection ofa LACK of popularity in the HD radio technology. Remember, Sony tried AM Stereo when the consumer competition lost faith - they "hung" with that technology in select models - even though its "fate" was clear... The HD decision may come sooner... They STILL quietly-market AM Stereo, BTW. Their “component” HD tuner is BUST – we knew this in the biz within days of our ability to get one in our hands. Don't bother buying it - FM HD reception is HORRIBLE... Sangean still holds that crown in that BIG TIME... And that's a first!
If indeed, it is on the way out at retail – it’s a reflection ofa LACK of popularity in the HD radio technology. Remember, Sony tried AM Stereo when the consumer competition lost faith - they "hung" with that technology in select models - even though its "fate" was clear... The HD decision may come sooner... They STILL quietly-market AM Stereo, BTW. Their “component” HD tuner is BUST – we knew this in the biz within days of our ability to get one in our hands. Don't bother buying it - FM HD reception is HORRIBLE... Sangean still holds that crown in that BIG TIME... And that's a first!Today, I went to the Best Buy near me in Longview, Texas. They had five of the Sony radios in stock. One was the display, which was not connected up, one was an "open box special" which is polite for returned merchandise. There were three factory sealed units. The marked price was $63.99. That is not a typo.
As it worked out, I had $55 worth of their Reward Zone certificates, which I cashed in. My total cash outlay was $9.73, including sales tax. How could I refuse?
My initial impression is it is a nice analog FM radio that might someday pick up a HD station or two. There are two in my area. Both come in fine in analog with the supplied antenna. Neither work in HD. One of them has a RDS display that touts its HD prowess, but so far it has not decoded. That’s OK, I'm happy with it as an FM clock radio.
The AM section appears to be "less than wonderful." I can barely pick up anything on it with the supplied loop antenna. My 10-15 year old Sony boom box with a CD player far outperforms it on AM.. That is no great loss, since there is almost nothing left worth listening to in East Texas.
It pays to shop.
As it worked out, I had $55 worth of their Reward Zone certificates, which I cashed in. My total cash outlay was $9.73, including sales tax. How could I refuse?
My initial impression is it is a nice analog FM radio that might someday pick up a HD station or two. There are two in my area. Both come in fine in analog with the supplied antenna. Neither work in HD. One of them has a RDS display that touts its HD prowess, but so far it has not decoded. That’s OK, I'm happy with it as an FM clock radio.
The AM section appears to be "less than wonderful." I can barely pick up anything on it with the supplied loop antenna. My 10-15 year old Sony boom box with a CD player far outperforms it on AM.. That is no great loss, since there is almost nothing left worth listening to in East Texas.
It pays to shop.
Darn! An HD Radio for just 62.99?! Just checked my local Best Buy today and this is what they had that Sony radio marked down to. It has a beautiful wood case and is very attractive overall but is sadly lacking in the I/O department. A stereo mini input and a mini out for headphones.
I'm assuming too that the sensitivity of this radio follows the pattern of other HD Radios, not great.
But $62.99? Darn!
C5
I'm assuming too that the sensitivity of this radio follows the pattern of other HD Radios, not great.
But $62.99? Darn!
C5
I can't find one here in ChasTowne, DARN-IT... But i also can't find any here who talk-about and want to listen to our gallery of corporate HD "services". 'Nuff said
Carmine5 said:
Sorry, I misunderstood. Like you, I'm a radio nut, and really bought this thing to add to my never-ending collection of oddities. For less than $10 out of pocket, it was an easy decision.
To my total amazement, when I took the radio upstairs in my home, I am able to get one HD station using the supplied dipole. That station is about 60 miles away. The radio will not find it in the HD Scan mode, but by manually tuning it in, it came in fine. It did drop back to analog a couple of times in the hour or so I listened, so it must be on the ragged edge. Still, it worked.
As for any dramatic sound quality improvement, it is nothing that the casual listener will notice through the internal speakers. The HD does sound better than the analog, but the change is not what I'd call "dramatic." You have to listen for it, at least on the station in question. Most casual listeners would never notice. If I were to connect it to a good stereo or some decent headphones, I'm sure it would be more apparent. The internal speakers are “pleasant” but nothing to write home about.
In the FM sensitivity and selectivity department, the Sony seems a little below the standard set by Sangean. It is not too bad, but so far Sangean gets the "Tuner of the Year" award with the HDT-1 and HDT-1X.
On AM, I think this radio gets negative numbers. I'm replacing a 1980's Sony "cube" radio that sounds acceptable on AM I think that radio was about $25.00 when new. The old Sony works better on analog AM. At least, it didn't have a self noise generating problem. This radio does. If the loop antenna is placed anywhere near the radio, the entire AM band is wiped out. Even fully extended away from the radio, the noise is very evident. Perhaps if I extended the leads and put the loop outside a window, it would work better, but I'm certainly not going to bother, and I doubt that very many other people would either.
One other negative is the huge (and heavy) "lump in the line" power supply. It is a real drag. It is better than a wall wart, but it is very hard to conceal in most bedside table applications. This thing must draw a lot of current. I suspect it makes an old tube type radio seem fairly energy efficient.
Looks like Chuck has finally found the HD Radio price point: $9.73!!
And not even THAT considerable outlay is motivating habitual listening to HD-AM or HD-FM.....seems like Chuck's most likely to listen in analog for the forseeable future on his glistening new $10 "HD" radio!!!
Let us all additionally note for the record: Chuck actually took the time to seek out an HD Radio at retail!
Has there ever been such a disastrous flop in the history of consumer electronics?
And not even THAT considerable outlay is motivating habitual listening to HD-AM or HD-FM.....seems like Chuck's most likely to listen in analog for the forseeable future on his glistening new $10 "HD" radio!!!
Let us all additionally note for the record: Chuck actually took the time to seek out an HD Radio at retail!
Has there ever been such a disastrous flop in the history of consumer electronics?
Insignia bookshelf HD Radio at Best Buy
Has anyone had any experience with the Insignia HD radio (Best Buy's private label) http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8464663&type=product&id=1184768163934
I've gone to look at it twice and both times talked myself out of it. The display at my local BB had no antenna hooked up, and I couldn't figure out how to tune it without the remote control, which was of course nowhere to be found. The sales guy wasn't much help either, but he was certain that you could load in a DVD-ROM filled with MP3's and WMA's and play them, a feature that interested me.
Has anyone had any experience with the Insignia HD radio (Best Buy's private label) http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8464663&type=product&id=1184768163934
I've gone to look at it twice and both times talked myself out of it. The display at my local BB had no antenna hooked up, and I couldn't figure out how to tune it without the remote control, which was of course nowhere to be found. The sales guy wasn't much help either, but he was certain that you could load in a DVD-ROM filled with MP3's and WMA's and play them, a feature that interested me.
- Status