YOUR INTREPID HD MYSTERY SHOPPER CHECKS IN

[pocket-radio]

Scooter, on paper it looks like IBOC might be the shot that solves your problems, although it may take 10-30 years before you begin living the dream. Bet on your Internet strategy, because it’s likely within 5-10 years every dashboard will be web enabled.

Savages mystery shopper trip, unfortunately acknowledges iBiquity’s weaknesses
at the big box retail level. Average people, must be able to walk into Buy Best or Wal-Mart and feel the excitement of HD! If that’s possible. Its no mystery really, real live working radio’s on display, that play great content delivered in beautiful HD. “ Build it and they will come”

After all iBiquity is selling more choices that sound better, but average people just can’t experience it. Heck, Rochester isn’t an igloo in the frozen tundra.

Note to Bob Struble: Dude install antennas at all big box stores.
Maybe Struble is fearful that in some markets receivers will just pick up white noise, even with a good antenna.

Rather than defending mom & pop electronics, direct your energies to iBiquity and The Radio Alliance who has failed you and broadcasters at step one. Sell a lot of radios.

Note to Struble: Dude you need to sell a lot of radios.

If a broadcaster delivers content that nobody can hear, does it make a sound?

Deep I know.

 

[clouseau]

Scooter, on paper it looks like IBOC might be the shot that solves your problems, although it may take 10-30 years before you begin living the dream.

Did I miss something? I believe Scott said that they had people using HD - NOW. As in "At this particular moment, in these particular circumstances, an HD subchannel on the full class B FM that we also own happens to be the best answer..." He's not talking about 5 years. He's not talking about some mythical "10-30 years". He specifically said "At This Moment". Are we supposed to ignore that in favor of the semi-demeaning "Living the Dream?" C'mon.

Bet on your Internet strategy, because it’s likely within 5-10 years every dashboard will be web enabled.

And along with that will come a $49/month price tag unless prices come down. With the issues trying to sell 12.95 SatRad subscriptions today, I think the statement "every dashboard will be enabled" is a pretty big stretch. It will be more common, no doubt. I question it's total penetration. Remember if it doubles the penetration SatRad has it'll have what, 20% penetration?

Savages mystery shopper trip, unfortunately acknowledges iBiquity’s weaknesses
at the big box retail level. Average people, must be able to walk into Buy Best or Wal-Mart and feel the excitement of HD! If that’s possible. Its no mystery really, real live working radio’s on display, that play great content delivered in beautiful HD. “ Build it and they will come”

Agreed, there is a marketing problem big time. However I would point out that there is no need for an "HD Radio Explosion". Just inclusion. When the original I-Phones came out they were what everybody had to have. Thast was what, 3 years ago or less. They're obsolete now. HD radio isn't like that. It's needs to be a different adaptation. Now fervor. Just slow growth. Despite claims to the contrary, it appears to me HD is furthur along than a year ago. Those holding the candlelight vigils for it's demise continue to point out various tidbits. Meanwhile it is undeniable there are more HD radios out there today than ever before. They never argue that point.

After all iBiquity is selling more choices that sound better, but average people just can’t experience it. Heck, Rochester isn’t an igloo in the frozen tundra.

Those of us in the South could disagree, (39 degrees outside right now, here.) but your point is correct. The marketing of these things is dismal. I actually think they need to direct their energy to inclusion as opposed to "Selling Radios".

Note to Bob Struble: Dude install antennas at all big box stores.

Not a bad idea. Offer a "Manager Spiff" to get actual antennas receiving actual HD stations. Maybe they ought to hire you. Actually they should hire any to do their marketing who isn't there now. Virtually anything would be an improvement.

Maybe Struble is fearful that in some markets receivers will just pick up white noise, even with a good antenna.

And you were just starting to make sense...

Rather than defending mom & pop electronics, direct your energies to iBiquity and The Radio Alliance who has failed you and broadcasters at step one. Sell a lot of radios.

I'm the last guy Scott Fybush needs to defend him, but come on. Specialty electronics outlets have been a big part of the landscape for a long time. Agaiin this whole thing comes back to marketing. Best Buy and Circuit City are "Low Hanging Fruit" outlets. That's why they don't sell items like the new Sony HD tuner. With the state of todays audio market, do consumers actually even know what a tuner is anymore?. They'll take the combo DVDplayer/AM/FM tuner/CDplayer with surround sound. (Im embarrased to state I actually use one of these units fin my living room) You can get 'em at Best Buy. Don't forget the Washer/Dryer while you're there. It seems to me the "Perception problem" (At least one of them) is thatit is being marketed as Hidef radio in specialty stores, when in reality, it's true use is close to DirecTV. That is ... More choices and digital. I won't comment directly on DirecTV's picture quality to the purists, but I think you get my point. You can't sell to "High Quality" with the FM system when your side channels are Equivalant to AAC+.

Note to Struble: Dude you need to sell a lot of radios.

More like "Need to get HD receiver capability into a lot more hands." That may actually be a little easier than "Selling more radios".

If a broadcaster delivers content that nobody can hear, does it make a sound?

Ask Air America.

Clouseau



[/quote]

 

[pocket-radio]

internet strategy, because it’s likely within 5-10 years every dashboard will be web enabled.
"And along with that will come a $49/month price tag unless prices come down."

Boy, Kevin Martin, is giving away more spectrum and in return the winner must provide free nation wide internet access. I agree the free package won't be fast, but hey it's free and every dashboard will be web enableded, as standard equipment.

 

[KB1OKL]

internet strategy, because it’s likely within 5-10 years every dashboard will be web enabled.
"And along with that will come a $49/month price tag unless prices come down."

I pay 57.00 a month right now for Internet access, in 5-10 years that will include dashboards, if it comes in in your car why won't it also come in in our homes? I have a little wifi broadband wireless router, my whole house is wifi, in 5-10 years I;m sure the whole area will have wifi, soon just about the whole country. I'm sure we won't be paying two separate fees.

 

[clouseau]

I pay 57.00 a month right now for Internet access, in 5-10 years that will include dashboards, if it comes in in your car why won't it also come in in our homes? I have a little wifi broadband wireless router, my whole house is wifi, in 5-10 years I;m sure the whole area will have wifi, soon just about the whole country. I'm sure we won't be paying two separate fees.

Interesting thought. WHO do youpay for your internet access? I'll assume you have cable or DSL. They're not real mobile. You COULD go with something like EVDO. It works great and costs about the same. I've actually considered this, as between home and office we pay over $100 for 2 broadband connections, one Cable and one WiMax. If I converted Home or office to EVDO, I could take it and put it in something like a Kyocera KR-1 which broadcasts wifi and has 4 rj45 ports. Runs on 12vdc.

The Issue is... If I want internet in the car I need to take it from somewhere else. I just don't see how you are going to be able to have multiple simultaneous connections wothout paying more money. You can't do that with SatRad, or DirecTV unless you take your receiver or pay more. You can get an additional receiver, but there is an additional fee. And unlike SatRad or DirecTV there actually is an additional provider cost in allowing multiple connections.

It's almost 2009. More features equals more money. It's almost universal. I question it will be any where near free. IMHO.

Clouseau

 

[almaniac27]

I was at a Radioshack a year ago looking at HD radios. The guy there was actually very helpful and let me play around a little bit with it. It was one of those Accurian ones and it couldn't pick up squat. I eventually got a Sony XDR-S3HD and I've had to do all kinds of antenna acrobatics to get it to lock on certain HD signals. I got the radio specifically for WOXY.com, which used to be on FM and went internet-only and started broadcasting on WVXU's HD2. A year later I got a Grace Wifi radio and it's kickass. I've barely touched the Sony since the Grace arrived. I can listen to WOXY.com in better sound quality, with song/artist info, and without the signal dropouts (which happened way too much, considering I had relocated that stupid dipole five hundred times). The Sony has excellent FM sensitivity, I wish I could somehow switch the HD feature off. It would be a pretty nice radio then, but instead it's an expensive novelty. I'm a total radio geek and I quickly got bored of HD. I'm much happier with XM and Wifi the technology is more reliable and the choices are much better. HD reception, as stated here before, is horrible, and stations shut off the feature randomly. WLW sometimes goes off the air, WCKY hasn't transmitted in HD for almost a year, and WFTK seems to alternate every other day having it on or off.

I think internet radio will eventually make its way to cars. My main issue with that isn't the cost, but the ergonomics of it. Unless the radio has a lot of presets, it'll be really difficult to navigate to stations while driving.

 

[pocket-radio]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote Dec. 18 on whether to auction off the so-called AWS-3 spectrum, an unused chunk of airwaves. The winner would have to agree to use at least 25 percent of the spectrum to build a free, national broadband network

Having national wireless broadband will be interesting. If nothing else it will open up portals for products to gain legs and walk. Along with, Phones, ipods, mp3 players, 500,000 music sites and radio stations. Other devices will connect, like your iron and refrigerator, even your car will check in with the mother ship as you drive down the road.

Think of this, local communities could have web radio stations that broadcast on the air!
Instead of utube, broadcasters might be competing for ears with uradio. Mini radio stations, featuring audio from users.

I know who would listen that crap, I don’t know but maybe we should look to utube and their clones for the answers.


Should be fun.

 

[RadioStarOne]

I think that meeting on Dec. 18, has been canceled. Check your local listings to be sure.

 

[calstymes]

almaniac27 did proclaim:

I'm a total radio geek and I quickly got bored of HD.

That about says it all, eh?

 

[pocket-radio]

I think that meeting on Dec. 18, has been canceled. Check your local listings to be sure.

This isn't going away, it's been delayed.

 

[Savage]

UPDATE! Remember this thread, when I went "HD mystery-shopping" to check out available HD radios at retail just before Christmas?

Last night I had occasion to return to the Radio Shack at Henrietta Plaza - had to pick up a miniature SPST switch to replace a failed one which remote-controls a Gentner digital hybrid in our Studio B.

Remember the Jensen iPod-docker HD Radio with the dusty scratched cabinet which was on sale for $88?

It's still there. Same spot, three inches from the floor.

The Polk Audio HD bookshelf system is gone (was not replaced with another unit) and there are no Accurians or other HD units displayed. Same tattered HD Radio folders in the same little holder.

But weirdly: the Jensen was accompanied by a price placard which states the price is now $129.99. Sounds like typical HD sales strategy to me. (The system is stiffing badly, so....let's raise the price!)

 

[RadeoEngineer]

Now don't you just want to kick yourself for missing it at $88? Could be a collectible some day ya' know.