Article Sections
What future DAB?
8 December 2009 - 9:55pm
What's the problem?
Why do we need to turn off Analogue FM Band II? It's not a huge amount of spectrum and not very useful except for Broadcast.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/08/lords_of_dab/
Quote:
"DAB – although vital – is in intensive care and living a sad, hospitalised existence," admitted the director of Deutschlandradio (German national public radio) Willi Steul
10 December 2009 - 7:50pm
#1
Well, DAB is certainly not much use in this country (unless in Dublin and various surrounding areas - even then, there's not much choice).
3 February 2010 - 9:44am
#2
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/02/dab_africa/
Quote:
What's the thinking, then? Digital radio has stalled worldwide - it's not just a uniquely British or a uniquely DAB phenomenon - and the Digital Economy Bill failed to set a date for a switchover. It's a chicken and egg problem: the unique digital radio programming doesn't draw the listeners, and without the listeners, why produce the content, or pay the carriage?
And also
Quote:
The Telegraph notes that Africa is chosen as it is "where analogue radio is still dominant". Er, much like it is here.While the Guardian calls the FM sets "outmoded analogue radios". Being the well-mannered people we are, we'll resist the temptation to describe "losing £100,000 a day" as anything other than a bang-up-to-date business strategy.
A dose of reality is needed. As Grant Goddard's radio blog notes, Canada no longer sees DAB as an FM replacement, Germany has reaffirmed FM is the primary radio platform, while France has kicked digital radio into, how do you say... les herbes grandes? ®
See link for links. 
4 February 2010 - 12:04pm
#3
The BBC may axe one or two of its DAB/Digital only stations in a review.
Costs are in the Tens of Millions and listeners in the Hundreds of Thousands or lower.
http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php
4 February 2010 - 10:11pm
#4
I'd be happy to see the back of DAB - the technology is old hat and I just don't think it is a competent replacement for Band II FM.
5 February 2010 - 8:22am
#5
Video is 8MHz channels. The fact is that while Digital Radio gives some compression, the approach of DRM by default on LW/MW/SW to use the SAME bandwidth and offer more is the way to go on Radio. Radio simply doesn't use that much bandwidth. You can fit nearly 40 FM Radio stations into 8MHz, or in theory nearly 100 into BandII (depending on deviation).
I think L band was always a silly proprosition for DAB (anyone use it?) and the amount of Band III allocated in UK too small (greed by regulator) for the number of stations. The proposed DRM+ or DVB-h2 (both use AAC rather than MP2 codec for audio) is better for VHF digtal Radio, but it should not replace BandII. A band II FM radio can use a 50 cent IC (see TDA7088 which is not made by NXP now but many clones used) and run off 2 x 1.5V cells for weeks or months giving better than DAB quality.
Band II FM should be kept in definately (as many Countries are now deciding) but DRM rolled out on LW/MW/SW and DRM+ or DVB-h2 on Band III. There should be no higher bands used for Radio as they are not really any use for portable.
Satellite Radio is a separate story. Worldspace was an interesting idea. Sirus/XM less so. It has many issues for vehicle use requiring terrestrial fill-in, so the truly mobile Satellite Radio seems a bit silly compared to Band III.
For home use it's hard to see any value in Satellite radio as a separate service from Satellite TV. Unless to duplicate the channel on Hi & Lo band and V & H polarisation so any number of cheaper audio only receivers can connect via splitter(s)/Distribution amp to a main LNB feed TV sat box.
12 February 2010 - 4:03pm
#6
http://grantgoddardradioblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/digital-radio-stations-listeners.html
What strategy have we in Ireland?
In fact does Digital Terrestrial Radio matter at all?
Quote:
A report commissioned by RadioCentre from Ingenious Consulting in January 2009 concluded:“Commercial radio is now at a crossroads with respect to DAB. It needs either to accept that the commercial challenges of DAB are insuperable and retreat from it – such a retreat, because of contractual and regulatory commitments, would be slow and painful; or strongly drive to digital.â€
In the year since this report was prepared, commercial radio has done neither. Instead, it has spent a small fortune on parliamentary lobbying, not one iota of which has had a direct impact on 10 million increasingly baffled DAB radio receiver owners.
23 August 2010 - 9:20pm
#7
Interesting Digital future for Radio delayed and it won't be DAB (mostly )
