HD Radio Rollout Now Starting Up

[Woochifer]

After floating along under the radar for the last year or so, it looks like HD Radio is now getting the big rollout, according to an LA Times article. The biggest radio station conglomerates, including Clear Channel and CBS Radio (Infinity), have formed an alliance and begun a $200 million marketing campaign to promote HD Radio and educate consumers about the new format. Over 700 stations currently broadcast in HD Radio, and that figure is projected to more than double by the end of the year.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la...102,full.story

Aside from an upgrade in audio quality for both AM and FM broadcasts, HD Radio will also allow for stations to add up to five multicast channels. In the LA market for example, the "smooth jazz" station will add a multicast channel that plays traditional jazz, while the classic rock station will multicast a so-called Anglo/Hispanic fusion rock format.

The drawback of course is that there are currently fewer than 100,000 HD Radio receivers out there, and the hardware prices remain high for now. According to the article, the broadcasters see the mobile market as the key to HD Radio's future, and are lobbying auto makers to include HD Radio tuners with new cars.

Add this to the turmoil with satellite radio (huge 4th quarter losses and XM's CEO resigning and warning of a financial crisis with satellite radio), and you got a lot of things happening with the radio market right now.

[Geoffcin]

After floating along under the radar for the last year or so, it looks like HD Radio is now getting the big rollout, according to an LA Times article. The biggest radio station conglomerates, including Clear Channel and CBS Radio (Infinity), have formed an alliance and begun a $200 million marketing campaign to promote HD Radio and educate consumers about the new format. Over 700 stations currently broadcast in HD Radio, and that figure is projected to more than double by the end of the year.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la...102,full.story

Aside from an upgrade in audio quality for both AM and FM broadcasts, HD Radio will also allow for stations to add up to five multicast channels. In the LA market for example, the "smooth jazz" station will add a multicast channel that plays traditional jazz, while the classic rock station will multicast a so-called Anglo/Hispanic fusion rock format.

The drawback of course is that there are currently fewer than 100,000 HD Radio receivers out there, and the hardware prices remain high for now. According to the article, the broadcasters see the mobile market as the key to HD Radio's future, and are lobbying auto makers to include HD Radio tuners with new cars.

Add this to the turmoil with satellite radio (huge 4th quarter losses and XM's CEO resigning and warning of a financial crisis with satellite radio), and you got a lot of things happening with the radio market right now.

And it's better than analog FM in many ways. Can't wait till they start putting it in receivers.

[JeffKnob]

I hope it sounds better than satellite radio. I had XM and I thought it sounded bad. I think there was too much compression. I then got Sirius later on and it sounds bad as well but I mostly listen to the talk radio so it isn't such a big deal.

[markw]

Without that, it'll be another stillborn technological advance that nobody realy cared about.

At least they threw in AM stereo for free. ...before the public threw it out.

[GMichael]

I have heard XM and Serious, and they sounded compressed to me also. Thought it was just me.

Come on HD radio! Someone save us.