BBC [or any] Digital Radio

[Lloyd]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/waystolisten/digitalradio/

 

Looks like the BBC are making use of the new technology.

 

Looking at the

What doesdigital radio offer?

 

It looks like it is offering a lot over'standard radio' [am/fm]

 

But what are your views on this?

• Do you think it is beneficial?
  
• Is it worth it?
  
• Will you be making the switch before they turn the analogue system off?

 

Also, susprisinly, even the BBC have said that "digital radio is a dog" (http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/43071/103/)

[fridaynightsmoke]

'DAB' is one of those great ideas that hasn't turned out so well in practice. The current disadvantages are, IMHO:

* Still poor signal coverage, flaky reception in moving cars

* Poor, outdated compression (mp2!) combined with low transmit bitrates means poor quality audio (often worse than FM)

* Lack of 'unique' stations/content due to various factors including;

* Relatively high costs to set up stations, need to be transmitted on one of the few existing multiplexes

* Relatively high cost of receivers, due to lack of other countries using the same standard and relatively low sales volumes in the UK (no 'economies of scale' in manufacture)

 

A lot of the problems are "chicken and egg"; there's a lack of new stations due to the relatively low audience, and there's a small audience due to the lack of content.. In my opinion DAB should be upgraded to the later 'DAB+' as soon as possible, as this would enable higher quality audio and possibly more stations to be carried using the same bandwidth (using AAC+ instead of MP2). Unfortunately this would be very difficult as it would render most current DAB receivers obsolete. The way things are going, I can't see DAB gaining much market share unless FM/AM are switched off, and I think that internet radio will grow to a sizeable proportion of listening, especially with growing availability of 3G and WIFI internet access.

DAB in its current form is a bit of a dead end.