Gravity Medium: HD Radio: A technology only an engineer could love
PocketRadio
· 1 year ago
"Arbitron/Edison study chills the already thin air of HD Radio"
"All you need to know about this research is this: It says relatively few know about HD. It says that number hasn't gone up. And it implies that folks are aware of what they care about, not vice versa. It also strongly suggests this isn't going to change any time soon - as in, forever."
Actually, that's a point I neglected to mention. Traditional RF engineers like the IDEA of HD Radio, but the interference it can create is something they don't like, especially in any metro area where the radio dial is fairly packed or for any station where there's another station very close on the frequency spectrum.
Simply described, HD Radio's digital signals are embedded on the edges of the core FM or AM carrier wave, so it's comparatively easy for the signal to bleed over into adjacent frequencies, which then interferes with traditional radio signals in some cases.
Separately, the FCC's proposal to turn over TV Channel 6 to FM radio usage could help alleviate overall spectrum crunches but it won't help with the design of HD Radio's signal patterns.
The severity of the problem is debatable because it's highly situational. It's really bad in some situations and not a problem in others. That makes fighting about it really complex, and most consumers can't follow it.
Of course, most consumers don't really care about HD Radio to start with, which makes it all the harder to generate political support for either camp.
bobyoung
· 1 year ago
You said:
"And if, down the road, we find that HD Radio was a waste of money, we should have the courage to scrap it and move on."
I happen to think we are down the road now, when oh when is it going to be scrapped? It reduces receive range severely and interferes with adjacent channels and is making a mess of the airwaves, especially on AM, and FM will follow if they bump up the digital part of the signal as the IBOC mob is trying to push the roll over FCC to grant to them. I would be willing to bet that the majority of radio broadcast engineers hate it, in fact I do belong to several broadcaster lists and the majority DO hate it, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? Oh yeah the IBOC Alliance just pumped more money into it, whipping a dead horse they call that I believe.
Dr. Paul Vincent Zecchino
· 1 year ago
Doesn't the above article so well describe HD promoters' preachy, moralistic, imperious approach? Why won't they use logic and facts to support their fake phony case for HD? Because HD is a lie.
HD promoters can't defend HD jamming with logic and truth. In manner of a lawyer with a three time loser client, they pound the table - and listeners' ears with high-minded bullying in person and jamming on the radio.
Engineers who sold out to the HD claque don't speak. They moralize and dictate, "We're going digital - Get over it!" Did it ever occur to them, citizens might not accompany them on their road to perdition?
Other engineers who traded credibility for fleeting HD publicity peanuts bark, "I've got balls!", to justify noisy buzzsaw jamming of AM and FM.
'Stations between stations' defines the complete lie that is HD Radio. Prior to HD listeners heard many stations between stations. Now that iBLOC/HD jams public airwaves, they can't.
BigRadio wanted it this way. BigRadio demanded an 'in band on channel solution' for digital radio. In short, shove incompatible digital jamming into AM and FM. Isn't this llike sticking vital air traffic control communications on TV channels in the name of aviation safety?
HD does two things well. It jams. And it proves greed makes people behave stupidly. Oh, and it's made a lot of money for those who know nothing about radio and could care less about what listeners want, their sham pious claims notwithstanding.
HD, as a learned expert has long stated, is a farce.
Dr. Paul Vincent Zecchino Manasota Key, Florida 13 April, 2008
Lisa
· 1 year ago
Everything about HD (it's design, marketing, rollout, etc) is a perfect example of what happens when a new technology is created with no input from the end-users (e.g. the public). It didn't work well. It's confusing to use. It's expensive. It's not portable. It came out right when satellite and online radio was taking off. It's range is pathetic. And its sound quality improvements are barely noticable to the public.
And at a time when mp3 players are pretty common, why would a car manufacturer add HD when people are expecting an MP3 hookup?
Public radio (like public TV) has been at the forefront of experimenting with HD. CPB has invested millions for stations to convert to digital. But the public shrugs its shoulders.
Perhaps if someone can figure out how to effectively integrate HD radio transmissions into a station's online offering there may be hope yet for all the money and human resources put into this...
bobyoung
· 1 year ago
Lisa said:
"Perhaps if someone can figure out how to effectively integrate HD radio transmissions into a station’s online offering there may be hope yet for all the money and human resources put into this…"
What's the use? As the old saying goes you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig and HD is definitely a pig, in fact it's an insult to the poor animal. This is the biggest con game played on the public and actually more the poor sucker radio stations who bought into this non-performing junk to come along in a long time, hey, want to buy a bridge?
All Comments
"All you need to know about this research is this: It says relatively few know about HD. It says that number hasn't gone up. And it implies that folks are aware of what they care about, not vice versa. It also strongly suggests this isn't going to change any time soon - as in, forever."
http://www.hear2.com/2008/04/arbitronedison.html
Ramsey's latest post, confirming that HD Radio is dead. Actually, engineers hate HD/IBOC because it jams on AM and FM:
http://www.stopiboc.com/
Simply described, HD Radio's digital signals are embedded on the edges of the core FM or AM carrier wave, so it's comparatively easy for the signal to bleed over into adjacent frequencies, which then interferes with traditional radio signals in some cases.
Separately, the FCC's proposal to turn over TV Channel 6 to FM radio usage could help alleviate overall spectrum crunches but it won't help with the design of HD Radio's signal patterns.
The severity of the problem is debatable because it's highly situational. It's really bad in some situations and not a problem in others. That makes fighting about it really complex, and most consumers can't follow it.
Of course, most consumers don't really care about HD Radio to start with, which makes it all the harder to generate political support for either camp.
"And if, down the road, we find that HD Radio was a waste of money, we should have the courage to scrap it and move on."
I happen to think we are down the road now, when oh when is it going to be scrapped? It reduces receive range severely and interferes with adjacent channels and is making a mess of the airwaves, especially on AM, and FM will follow if they bump up the digital part of the signal as the IBOC mob is trying to push the roll over FCC to grant to them. I would be willing to bet that the majority of radio broadcast engineers hate it, in fact I do belong to several broadcaster lists and the majority DO hate it, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? Oh yeah the IBOC Alliance just pumped more money into it, whipping a dead horse they call that I believe.
HD promoters can't defend HD jamming with logic and truth. In manner of a lawyer with a three time loser client, they pound the table - and listeners' ears with high-minded bullying in person and jamming on the radio.
Engineers who sold out to the HD claque don't speak. They moralize and dictate, "We're going digital - Get over it!" Did it ever occur to them, citizens might not accompany them on their road to perdition?
Other engineers who traded credibility for fleeting HD publicity peanuts bark, "I've got balls!", to justify noisy buzzsaw jamming of AM and FM.
'Stations between stations' defines the complete lie that is HD Radio. Prior to HD listeners heard many stations between stations. Now that iBLOC/HD jams public airwaves, they can't.
BigRadio wanted it this way. BigRadio demanded an 'in band on channel solution' for digital radio. In short, shove incompatible digital jamming into AM and FM. Isn't this llike sticking vital air traffic control communications on TV channels in the name of aviation safety?
HD does two things well. It jams. And it proves greed makes people behave stupidly. Oh, and it's made a lot of money for those who know nothing about radio and could care less about what listeners want, their sham pious claims notwithstanding.
HD, as a learned expert has long stated, is a farce.
Dr. Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasota Key, Florida
13 April, 2008
And at a time when mp3 players are pretty common, why would a car manufacturer add HD when people are expecting an MP3 hookup?
Public radio (like public TV) has been at the forefront of experimenting with HD. CPB has invested millions for stations to convert to digital. But the public shrugs its shoulders.
Perhaps if someone can figure out how to effectively integrate HD radio transmissions into a station's online offering there may be hope yet for all the money and human resources put into this...
"Perhaps if someone can figure out how to effectively integrate HD radio transmissions into a station’s online offering there may be hope yet for all the money and human resources put into this…"
What's the use? As the old saying goes you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig and HD is definitely a pig, in fact it's an insult to the poor animal. This is the biggest con game played on the public and actually more the poor sucker radio stations who bought into this non-performing junk to come along in a long time, hey, want to buy a bridge?