The Inventor Didn't Plan On This...

[KB1OKL]

"Watch this guy talk about spaghetti sauce, then maybe I'll get it?" That's obnoxious. And rude.

BigA, you haven't had any vacation since 1983? You need to take another one. Preferably someplace away from a computer or someplace without internet access.

Well as I've written before he doesn't call himself BigA for reason. ;D

 

[TheBigA]

"Watch this guy talk about spaghetti sauce, then maybe I'll get it?" That's obnoxious. And rude.

BigA, you haven't had any vacation since 1983? You need to take another one. Preferably someplace away from a computer or someplace without internet access.

Well as I've written before he doesn't call himself BigA for reason. ;D

ALL of those comments are obnoxious and rude.

 

[KB1OKL]

"Watch this guy talk about spaghetti sauce, then maybe I'll get it?" That's obnoxious. And rude.

BigA, you haven't had any vacation since 1983? You need to take another one. Preferably someplace away from a computer or someplace without internet access.

Well as I've written before he doesn't call himself BigA for no reason. ;D

ALL of those comments are obnoxious and rude.

Perhaps, but they are not condescending.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I found this--on another site--which seems appropriate to ths discussion.

hdradiofarce.blogspot.com

 

[Mack Daddy]

This FCC didn't say no to anything that could maybe make money for large corporations.

And yet they also approved LPFM, against the opposition of the NAB and large broadcasting corporations. And they approved the whole HDTV thing, even though it cost local broadcasters millions.

If it had succeeded we would have all had to buy new radios for a system that doesn't work nearly as well as the one it would have replaced,

Not true. It was never mandated.

The fact that LP sales are increasing and CD sales are decreasing speaks volumes about analog vs digital.

Oh please! The increase in LP sales is infinitesimal compared to the loss of CD sales. And it's restricted to a handful of specialty LP releases, not full catalogue. There is only one vinyl pressing plant left in the US, so we won't be seeing a return to LPs any time soon.

If the HD radio was succeeding they would eventually force us to buy converters or new radios as they have done with HD TV.
Why would people wanna go back to the snap, crackle, and pop of records? Scratches and distortion do not appeal to me, I like the CD's better. I even prefer cassette tapes over records!

 

[Mack Daddy]

Many of the other pro-HD posts here sound as if they would similarly argue that Circuit City failed because CC just needed many more stores.

You missed the entire point on this one, Supe'.

Now I know you needed to work a bankrupt company into the discuission to make it more colorful, but lets look at some other examples.

Like say Restaurants owned by Pepsico and it's successors Tricon and Yum!.

They started out with Pizza Hut in '77 and bought Taco bell in 88'.. The idea? More choice in the Fast Food arena. A few years later? KFC. Then successor YUM! bought Long John Silvers and A&W a few years ago. More different choices = more market share. And more market. The Circuit City example doesn't show anything. That's why no one illustrating the point used it.

Clouseau

I totally agree with the Circuit City point! Your point about the restaurants is wrongheaded.
KFC isn't selling any better now than they were with their stand-alone restaurants. The only person benefitting is the YUM corporate conglomerate, and thats only because they are a freakin monopoly.

 

[Mack Daddy]

But in reality eventually they all merge together and become boring and bland; they all have the same boring menu and the fast food business starts to go down the tubes and is sold for pennies on the dollar. They then try something totally off the wall, their new savior: HD sauce, which only further puts them in a hole.. Hmm... sounds familiar doesn't it?

Except you're absolutely dead wrong on you assessment of Fast Food. With the exception of Burgers, YUM! Dominates most sectors. Just like Clear Channel, they bought the best and developed it.

#1 Dine In Pizza - Pizza Hut
#1 "Mexican" Taco Belll
#1 Chicken - KFC
#1 Seafood - Long Johns.

(#1 in Clouseau's heart - A&W. You can't beat that draft root beer.) Buirger market share? Not so much.

To claim they are not successful (If that's what you're doing) is just incorrect. They own all but one QSR category.

And in thier industry, co-location is what it's all about. Ever have that "Where are we going to do lunch" discussion with 3 coworkers in the car? Meet the rationale of the multibrand restaurant. (Sorry, I'm a stockholder. These guys are genius, IMHO)

You talk about menus and bland, but where's the beef? Right now...

KFC is pimpimg Hot wings big time as the Official Wing of the Super Bowl.

Taco Bell has some New kind of Crunchy Crap I'll never eat that they advertise every 15 minutes.

Pizza Hut skews older with whole grain crust and natural ingrediants... (Yuk, but my wife wants to try it)

Long Johns is doing their Fish and Chips promotion and A&W doesnt' have the critical mass to have a campaign.

They ain't exactly bland. And can I suggest if you're over 35, you're not in the demo?

BTW, where is the "Going down the tubes" thing coming from here? AFAIK, YUM! pretty much has their business nailed and does better than ANYONE. Even Micky D's lost mosney for a while not long ago. AKAIK, Not Yum!. Of course your opinion may vary.

Clouseau

A and W has better fish and chips than Long John Silvers. But Ivars is still the best!

 

[KB1OKL]

If the HD radio was succeeding they would eventually force us to buy converters or new radios as they have done with HD TV.
Why would people wanna go back to the snap, crackle, and pop of records? Scratches and distortion do not appeal to me, I like the CD's better. I even prefer cassette tapes over records!

I have a mid 70's Thorens turntable with a very good Shure cartridge. It absolutely kills Cassettes and CD's in sound quality and realism and no scratches if you at all know how to take care of a record, I fully expect my LP collection to outlast me. I only buy a CD for two reasons, 1. for my car or 2. if I can't find the LP.

 

[Mack Daddy]

If the HD radio was succeeding they would eventually force us to buy converters or new radios as they have done with HD TV.
Why would people wanna go back to the snap, crackle, and pop of records? Scratches and distortion do not appeal to me, I like the CD's better. I even prefer cassette tapes over records!

I have a mid 70's Thorens turntable with a very good Shure cartridge. It absolutely kills Cassettes and CD's in sound quality and realism and no scratches if you at all know how to take care of a record, I fully expect my LP collection to outlast me. I only buy a CD for two reasons, 1. for my car or 2. if I can't find the LP.

Maybe you need a better CD player. I have never had the problems with CD's that you indicate. Why don't you play records in your car if they are so much better?

 

[KB1OKL]

If the HD radio was succeeding they would eventually force us to buy converters or new radios as they have done with HD TV.
Why would people wanna go back to the snap, crackle, and pop of records? Scratches and distortion do not appeal to me, I like the CD's better. I even prefer cassette tapes over records!

I have a mid 70's Thorens turntable with a very good Shure cartridge. It absolutely kills Cassettes and CD's in sound quality and realism and no scratches if you at all know how to take care of a record, I fully expect my LP collection to outlast me. I only buy a CD for two reasons, 1. for my car or 2. if I can't find the LP.

Maybe you need a better CD player. I have never had the problems with CD's that you indicate. Why don't you play records in your car if they are so much better?

I never said I had any problems with CD's, I just said that good LP's sound better and more natural than CD's. Digital sound has a lot of advantages over analog, but natural sound is not among them.
I'd try a turntable in my car except there are too many damn pot holes in New England. Seriously though, years ago they made 45 RPM players for cars, I've never seen one though.

 

[Savage]

The 45 rpm car record players were mostly made by Automatic Radio; some were made by an RCA subsidiary. They actually worked amazingly well as far as tracking the records, and sounded quite good playing through the tube-type car radios. But they were real record-eaters since the pickup arm was spring-loaded to keep the stylus in contact with the record groove during typical highway vibration. The pressure on the records was in ounces, not grams.

Chrysler made the first car players in the late 1950s; their system was called "Hi-Way Hi-Fi." The name was somewhat of a misnomer since the records rotated at 16 2/3 rpm. The wow and flutter was pretty bad, plus you were limited to a repertoire of proprietary records you could only buy from your Chrysler-Plymouth-DeSoto-Dodge dealer.

Of course if iBiquity had developed "Hi-Way Hi-Fi" whenever you used the system you would wipe out radio reception in the two adjacent lanes.

(Disclaimer: above HD wisecrack added to prevent thread from being tossed for being off-topic)

 

[Carmine5]

Looking at the latest Radio World for March 1 ("Multicast"), strains of the song "Wishin' and Hopin'" were going through my mind.

In this case it was while reading Cumulus Veep John Dickey's comments about HD Radio in cell phones:

"We'll see a tipping point in the next 12 to 18 months with penetration as more cell phones and other portable devices come equipped with HD capable radios. I expect consumer demand will catch up with our deployment of HD".

Uh-huh. HD Radio in cell phones within the next 12 to 18 months? Thanks for playing, John. Pick up your consolation prize on the way out.

Dickey also said HD Radio is still "gaining traction" as more HD Radios reach the hands of listeners. There's that 'gaining traction' phrase again. HD Radio, the underpowered little truck trying mightily to scale that slippery uphill climb to consumer acceptance.

C5

 

[Savage]

You betcha, Carmine5! Yep, yep, yessir....we'll be seeing people walking around the mall or the airport happily listening to The Belch HD-2 "All Gregorian Chants" channel on their HD-capable cellphones in short order! :

Now we know why The Dickey Broadcasting Corporation is doing soooo well.....

 

[Savage]

Yes, Racket - as if "showing off" armband HD Radios actually means they will ever be mass-manufactured or marketed. I think it was rbruce who correctly observed on this board, that something like 15% of the products shown at CES ever actually make it to market.

Then there's that pesky heat and power consumption issue.

But even if the HD arm-anchor ever made it to the production line, are people going to bother?

I would say: given the miserably poor performance of HD Radio to date (5 years and counting of relentless attempts to force the marketplace) with chronic dropouts, mode-hopping, and not much improvement over analog, the Arm Anchor would be as dead-in-the-water as "every single freakin' HD Radio" has been since their introduction.

Memo to Strew-Bull: wasn't 2008 the year we were going to see wonderful new HD portable devices?
(Or was that 2007?) :

Enjoy your forward "momentum." Or "movement." Or whatever. :

 

[Carmine5]

Looking at the latest Radio World for March 1 ("Multicast"), strains of the song "Wishin' and Hopin'" were going through my mind.

In this case it was while reading Cumulus Veep John Dickey's comments about HD Radio in cell phones:

"We'll see a tipping point in the next 12 to 18 months with penetration as more cell phones and other portable devices come equipped with HD capable radios. I expect consumer demand will catch up with our deployment of HD".

Uh-huh. HD Radio in cell phones within the next 12 to 18 months? Thanks for playing, John. Pick up your consolation prize on the way out.

Dickey also said HD Radio is still "gaining traction" as more HD Radios reach the hands of listeners. There's that 'gaining traction' phrase again. HD Radio, the underpowered little truck trying mightily to scale that slippery uphill climb to consumer acceptance.

C5

Does "gaining traction" mean the same thing as, "forward momentum", or as Struble now says, "forward movement"? Of course, HD radios can't be found at any of the major retailers!

That's right. It's all spinning weasel stink.

I understand Struble was developing a line of accessorized asbestos armbands and pocket shields for these "hot" little HD portables soon to appear until someone reminded him that asbestos was toxic.

C5

 

[Savage]

As the late, lamented Peter Doyle used to exclaim on Everybody Loves Raymond: "Holy crap!!"

So now 2-thousand-NINE is going to be The Year Of The HD Portables?

"Let's....turn back....the hands....of TIME...." Didn't we hear this umlaut about portables in 2008? And 2007?

(What about how HD was "soon" going to be all-but-standard equipment in car radios? Last week, I took delivery on a 2009 Jeep Patriot Sport. Dealership sells Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep and Ford. Not an HD Radio in sight. Nor was there any HD Radio literature evident. Nor was there a salesperson to be found who had ever heard of HD Radio. The half-inch thick Jeep Owner's Guide with my new 4x4 has about 20 pages devoted to the various audio systems available, including voice-activated control CDs, mp3 input, AM-FM radio and XM/Sirius. Not one syllable about HD in this best-selling line of Jeep products.)

Besides: we already know about the new generation of HD chipsets. Maybe they're smaller and consume less power compared with the first generation, but they're still too big, too hot and too hungry. Best estimated battery life is still only 4 hours, from what I read. And take a closer look at that armband radio. It's about the thickness of a small paperback. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not walking around in public with that geeky brick strapped to my arm.

 

[KB1OKL]

Struble was showing off his new portable HD radio armband receiver to Rehr at CES 2009, but take a look at the size of this hummer's power cord:

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/hd-radio-portable-mp3-01.jpg

I might buy two of them and give them to my wife, she can use them as arm weights.

 

[Mack Daddy]

Looking at the latest Radio World for March 1 ("Multicast"), strains of the song "Wishin' and Hopin'" were going through my mind.

In this case it was while reading Cumulus Veep John Dickey's comments about HD Radio in cell phones:

"We'll see a tipping point in the next 12 to 18 months with penetration as more cell phones and other portable devices come equipped with HD capable radios. I expect consumer demand will catch up with our deployment of HD".

Uh-huh. HD Radio in cell phones within the next 12 to 18 months? Thanks for playing, John. Pick up your consolation prize on the way out.

Dickey also said HD Radio is still "gaining traction" as more HD Radios reach the hands of listeners. There's that 'gaining traction' phrase again. HD Radio, the underpowered little truck trying mightily to scale that slippery uphill climb to consumer acceptance.

C5

iBiquity/NAB is trying to get analog-tuners into cell phones via the 2006 WARN Act, which calls for a national alert system via cell phones. A texting solution is being worked on by cell phones companies, but Rehr sees this as a opportunity to mandate FM-tuners, when this Winter a cell phone system went down up North due to icing, so in affect, Rehr is using this as an excuse at the Congressional level. Rehr claims that once he gets analog-tuners into cell phones, that manufacturers would eventually install HD Radio chipsets. Of course, Jerry Del Colliano would disagree with Rehr, in that one can't expect consumers to use cell phones as today's version of the Walkman. The HD chipsets run very hot, and adding Radio Guard as a standard feature in HD radios would really make this an impossibility. Struble was showing off his new portable HD radio armband receiver to Rehr at CES 2009, but take a look at the size of this hummer's power cord:

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/hd-radio-portable-mp3-01.jpg

Does "gaining traction" mean the same thing as, "forward momentum", or as Struble now says, "forward movement"? Of course, HD radios can't be found at any of the major retailers!

Yeah, that is kinda strange that so many retailers don't even have HD radios on the shelf to sell. That seems like poor marketing. But maybe the product isn't even worth marketing, heh heh heh huh huh!

 

[Tom Wells]

Haw! That Radio World page wouldn't accept any new opinions! (run-time errors regardless of number of characters)
I suppose they turn it off at night so factual information won't show up to debunk the fundamental aspect of this story,
which is "marketing".

 

[Carmine5]

You betcha, Carmine5! Yep, yep, yessir....we'll be seeing people walking around the mall or the airport happily listening to The Belch HD-2 "All Gregorian Chants" channel on their HD-capable cellphones in short order! :

Now we know why The Dickey Broadcasting Corporation is doing soooo well.....

Yeah, the Dickey Bros. are real visionaries.

The pretext for demanding FM radio in cell phones seems bogus. If it's a question of national security and safety, I can tell you that in my area, the stations designated by the government to broadcast emergency information and which have the widest reach are both AM clears. And I'm sure this is the case for many parts of the country.

Can't they integrate a ferrite bar into a cell phone case and add AM? Just asking.

C5