Sony HD Radio at Best Buy

[TheBigA]

By the way TheBigA, the idea that everybody who wants an alternative, "and is willing to pay for it" has satellite radio is just ill-informed. First of all, more people (by a huge margin) listen to public radio than subscribe to satellite (NPR alone has 20 million listeners, and there are plenty of non-NPR public stations). Millions of listeners to public radio have "paid for it", and continue to.

I'm well aware of that. I worked at NPR myself for a while.

 

[KB1OKL]

I still listen to NPR occasionally but will not give them one more penny until they shut off the jammers. Hypocritical? Maybe but I've donated in the past and am not going to subsidize their IBOC except of course through my tax dollars over which I have no control.

 

[TheBigA]

I still listen to NPR occasionally but will not give them one more penny until they shut off the jammers. Hypocritical? Maybe but I've donated in the past and am not going to subsidize their IBOC except of course through my tax dollars over which I have no control.

NPR doesn't own any radio stations. nor does it transmit in IBOC.

 

[KB1OKL]

I still listen to NPR occasionally but will not give them one more penny until they shut off the jammers. Hypocritical? Maybe but I've donated in the past and am not going to subsidize their IBOC except of course through my tax dollars over which I have no control.

NPR doesn't own any radio stations. nor does it transmit in IBOC.

But the stations that carry their programming do.

and this:

National Public Radio, in its own letter, agrees that HD Radio should be mandated in all new satellite receivers. NPR CEO Dennis Haarsager said such a condition would help ensure a competitive market for digital terrestrial broadcasting. More than 380 public radio stations are broadcasting IBOC with 300 more soon to be on air, he wrote.

They're in it up to their ears:


As we reported, last month the House Appropriations Subcommittee approved an additional $40 million to help public radio stations convert to IBOC. “Clearly, the Congress supports our transition to terrestrial digital broadcasting and the increased programming diversity that represents,” wrote Haarsager.

http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0102/t.14537.html

No dough from me, they're already getting it from all of us, more money down the hole..

 

[TheBigA]

National Public Radio, in its own letter, agrees that HD Radio should be mandated in all new satellite receivers.

They are program suppliers they have more content than their affiliates can handle. It would be nice to have 100 channels like satellite, but they don't have that many affiliates in each market. HD allows them to double or triple the number of affiliates, and get more content to more people. Even with HD, they operate at a channel disadvantage to satellite. Yet you love satellite and hate NPR.

 

[Chuck]

National Public Radio, in its own letter, agrees that HD Radio should be mandated in all new satellite receivers.

They are program suppliers they have more content than their affiliates can handle. It would be nice to have 100 channels like satellite, but they don't have that many affiliates in each market. HD allows them to double or triple the number of affiliates, and get more content to more people. Even with HD, they operate at a channel disadvantage to satellite. Yet you love satellite and hate NPR.

The same multi-channel goal could have been done easily and cheaply using FMExtra. Potential adjacent channel interference would not have been a concern.

 

[TheBigA]

Some stations use FMExtra.

The interference on FM with IBOC is overblown. The bigger issue is taking away power from the main channel.

But we'll see. Nothing in permanent here. Maybe something better than both of them will come along too.

 

[KB1OKL]

National Public Radio, in its own letter, agrees that HD Radio should be mandated in all new satellite receivers.

They are program suppliers they have more content than their affiliates can handle. It would be nice to have 100 channels like satellite, but they don't have that many affiliates in each market. HD allows them to double or triple the number of affiliates, and get more content to more people. Even with HD, they operate at a channel disadvantage to satellite. Yet you love satellite and hate NPR.

I don't love satellite, don't even own one, just hate how IBOC is trying to force their way into the marketplace by going and crying to the government like they have been wronged, the public has already expressed it's opinion of IBOC: yawn... next. Why should they try to force junk technology on people who obviously don't want it and will make them have to pay more for a receiver? Even salesmen hate it, think it's useless and try to steer you away from it in stores. They don't like returns any more than plumbing supplies salesmen, uhh, this toilet doesn't work (this at Best Buy, haha!)

 

[TheBigA]

the public has already expressed it's opinion of IBOC: yawn... next. Why should they try to force junk technology on people who obviously don't want it and will make them have to pay more for a receiver?

I don't think the public has been able to form an educated opinion yet, and most of what I read is NOT educated opinion.

 

[keystone.doug]

I have been reading your conversation about IBOC and FMeXtra for a while and think that you might find this interesting.

On the Pittsburgh board, in this topic: http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,97836.0.html, the engineer for Steel City Media's WRRK-FM "96.9 BOB FM" and WLTJ-FM "Q 92.9" shared a few interesting notes about digital radio after posting a stream of WLTJ's IBOC subchannel (WLTJ-HD2), which plays classic rock. He also explained that WLTJ is also running IBOC with FMeXtra. Here's a few of them taken from the thread:

And Now For Something Completely Different........

WLTJ is now broadcasting FMeXtra www.dreinc.com I know, I know who can listen to FMeXtra it's a long story but if anyone is interested on what we are doing with it email me. and I might set up a internet audio streamer and let you hear what FMeXtra sounds like.

And I asked a few questions about the FMeXtra setup with IBOC, receiving this response:

Are you still running IBOC (HD radio) with FMeXtra? Is it possible to do this without either system interfering with one another? Yes we are still IBOC with HD2 and HD3, I did have to make some minor modifications to my HD3 not a noticeable difference in quality in HD3

It's unfortunate that FMeXtra has not become as popular as IBOC. From what I have read, it is cheaper and easier for radio stations to install FMeXtra over IBOC. I'm hoping to help change/promote this. DRE will start promoting WLTJ as a user of FMeXtra and yes FMeXtra took me a whole 15 minutes to install, and no special license/transmitter/antenna needed

What is WLTJ doing with FMeXtra? Does it sound better than HD radio? I have music (testing) and also running a few digital message displays with video. FMeXtra can sound equal or better than IBOC, I will create an audio streamer so you can hear it. but FMeXtra can do much more than audio, more on that below

Does WLTJ promote the fact that it broadcasts in HD radio on the station itself, hoping listeners might buy a radio and listen in? we are like all other stations we promote HD/IBOC in our Station ID and the HD Radio Alliance pays for all the marketing , we at Steel City Media will start promoting it more because interest is now growing, I think Pittsburgh now has 20+ people with HD radios. yes I'm being sarcastic. Ibiquity (parent company of HD radio) needs to lower their cost to the consumer on radios and it would help if they can successfully negotiate that 12v barricade so they can make HD radios smaller and I hate to say this we the broadcasters need to increase the power in our IBOC so you can actually hear it.
I believe FMeXtra is designed for smaller markets who don't have the financial or tower space to feed the IBOC beast. Also there is no interference/adjacent issues with FMeXtra it's a digital signal embedded in an analog world 74% of all radio stations are not HD, but I believe with the right marketing approach FMeXtra can fill the void HD is creating. and with the cost being under $10,000 for FMeXtra and over $175,000 for HD the smaller market broadcaster will find FMeXtra easier to purchase and they can have their (HD2) with all other benefits. I will list some things you can do with FMeXtra

1) Secondary audio channel for the listener (needs more cowbell)
2) Digital Message Boards (to display up to the minute news/traffic/weather/sports/amber alerts, These units can be installed in Stores or Gas Stations or Lobbies of buildings anywhere where people gather
3) Video display (used for anything to display company logo or commercials or album covers or music group pictures
4) Special needs groups (the blind can have a Braille decoder or a reading service, churches can have their own radio station for the shut-ins who can't attend
5) special display units for certain needs, like putting a scrolling message board on the back of the buses with traffic information so the car drivers behind the buses can get informed, or mount the message boards on street corner light poles

Let’s see HD do this, I can split my FMeXtra "pipe/pie" any way I want to. You are limited with IBOC

I found this comparision interesting and though everyone here might like to see what an engineer thinks about two forms of digital radio. Sorry if I am interrupting your discussion...

 

[TheBigA]

From what I can see, one of the main problems some people have with HD Radio is the organization behind it. It would seem to me that if that exact same organization (ie, major radio companies) switched "alliances" from iBiquity to FMExtra, those same people should object. If we're being fair about this.

The cost issue doesn't affect consumers or listeners, and I'm sure no one here is interested in saving Clear Channel more money.

The bottom line is that neither system can be received through conventional radios. I believe that is the main stumbling block, and I'm sure someone is hard at work somewhere trying to come up with a system that will not require any hardware changes from consumers. When that happens, everyone will be happy. Except those who don't want the major radio companies to succeed in any way.

 

[tomservo]

National Public Radio, in its own letter, agrees that HD Radio should be mandated in all new satellite receivers. NPR CEO Dennis Haarsager said such a condition would help ensure a competitive market for digital terrestrial broadcasting. More than 380 public radio stations are broadcasting IBOC with 300 more soon to be on air, he wrote.

This is just an aside, but...

If it would be "fair" to include HD in satellite radios, wouldn't it be also be "fair" to mandate HD radios include FMeXtra?

Just a thought.