Visteon HD Car Radio

[DoogieDown1]

Anyone remember the first Visteon HD Car Radio? I remember seeing it 2 or 3 years ago. Are those available anywhere?

That unit didn't offer HD-2's on FM, but it DID arrive with C-Quam.

Personally, I'd like to see the day when HD is on FM only... and all the digital bandwidth is devoted to one really nice sounding FM channel. And then on AM, of course, C-Quam would be standard on HD radios...

Fantasy? Yes. But better than the current plan? Also... Yes!

 

[PocketRadio]

"Visteon posts $153 million net loss in Q1 2007"

"Nevertheless, product sales to Ford fell by 12% to $1.18 billion. In response to program actions by Ford, Visteon ceased production at its interiors facility in Chicago in April."

http://tinyurl.com/23oqfm

"U.S. automakers not jumping into HD Radio"

"Ford was not immediately available for comment."

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN2632750220070427?pageNumber=1

Visteon will blame Ford for not carrying in-dash HD Radio, while the HD Radio Alliance/iBiquity will blame broadcasters for not campaigning hard enough, when HD Radio fails !

 

[PocketRadio]

"HD Radio"

"Currently the HD Digital Radio Alliance, a consortium of major radio group owners implementing HD Radio, has urged its members to broadcast multiple programs, without radio commercials on the extra digital-only channels for a period of at least 18 months (ending sometime in 2007)."

"Because the digital HD signal only has 1/100th of the power of the analog signal it would make sense that manufacturers would utilize more sensitive tuners in their radios to ensure both the analog and digital signals are captured. But, as MP3 Newswire discovered accidentally in a recent review of the three leading HD table models, manufacturers unwisely put mediocre tuners into their otherwise expensive radios."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Radio

See, the HD Radio Alliance/iBiquity have already set-up broadcasters and HD Radio manufacturers to take the blame, when HD Radio fails !

 

[Play Freebird]

Instead of HD Radio, Ford is pushing the "Sync" system that will allow handheld devices like cell phones and iPods to play through and by controlled by the car's dashboard electronics, using USB or wireless Bluetooth :

http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=25168

iBiquity really needs to takes a hint here. If Bluetooth were added to HD receivers, this would allow all sorts of cross-platform functionality; for example, electronic coupons could be sent to mobile phones or PDAs, and directions to a radio advertiser's retail store could be sent to a GPS device like the iPhone.

However, I think they are blinded by their proprietary, "we own it all" mentality -- and preoccupied with more fundamental problems (like solving the coverage gaps beyond the 70 dBu contour).

 

[scanman1]

Anyone remember the first Visteon HD Car Radio?  I remember seeing it 2 or 3 years ago.  Are those available anywhere?

That unit didn't offer HD-2's on FM, but it DID arrive with C-Quam.

There is a newer version of this receiver available at Best Buy. It is a tuner box with audio outputs and a small display/controller you mount seperately.  http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8300778&st=visteon+hd&type=product&id=1173577734672 8)

 

[radiopilot]

Anyone remember the first Visteon HD Car Radio? I remember seeing it 2 or 3 years ago. Are those available anywhere?

That unit didn't offer HD-2's on FM, but it DID arrive with C-Quam.

There is a newer version of this receiver available at Best Buy. It is a tuner box with audio outputs and a small display/controller you mount seperately. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8300778&st=visteon+hd&type=product&id=1173577734672 8)

I spent 15 minutes going through the Best Buy 'Vehicle Fit Guide' for this HD radio add-on and there are currently no vehicles that this will work on.

I tried it for high end vehicles: Jaguar, BMW, etc. and low end vehicles: GMC, Chevrolet, Ford, etc. and it will not work with these vehicles without major modifications to make it work... try it.

Radiopilot

 

[Tom Wells]

It looked to me like the $199 was for a receiver-controller.
Not a converter or a radio, but an adapter that works only for a very small perentage of vehicles.

Is this a whole radio built in two parts, or just an adapter pod to Visteon-only radios?

If it's just an adapter for Visteon radios, that's disappointing

A far more worthwhile business would be manufacturing converters which could be used in most/all vehicles.
But I feel pretty certain we won't see any converters with AM/FM analog modulators built-in.

Such a product might make great inroads for HD adoption. But I think we already know the alliance doesn't want us to keep and use
the old radios. It is imperative to NOT ACCOMODATE the old radio. I believe there is an intentional posture intended
to 'wipe away' everything about 'old radio' and replace it with modems of various forms, which can't do "radio".