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Everyone has heard of podcasting, satellite radio. But how many
have heard of High Definition Radio?
Under
Siege by Technology
Though not immediately obvious to laymen, conventional radio is
facing (and will continue to face) fierce competition from the Internet
as well as Satellite radio. It started with the Internet which made
it possible to carry entire music collections "on our persons".
With the option to record favorite talk shows online and play them
back later. Then came iPods followed by Podcasting which took things
one step further - by creating a cheap, high quality radio broadcast
over the Internet. Meanwhile, Satellite Radio promises to follow
us wherever we go.
Indeed, technology has progressed so far that today's Internet
Search Engines execute audio searches through MP3 files as well
as Podcasts !
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HD
Radio - State-of-the-Art
There are 1.5 million HD Radio
sets in the United Kingdom - the haven of digital media technology.
In U.S.A., there are nearly 400 radio stations broadcast in
high definition (digital) format. Like all things digital,
HD Radio technology is a great quality booster.
Besides, it offers features like "multi-casting" which allows
broadcasters to air multiple content on the same frequency
("sister" radio stations at low cost).
HD radios transmit compressed digital signals which ride on
existing analog signals. And like everything digital, HD radio
will also migrate to data services - like weather reports,
stocks monitoring or sports scores. Followed by more sophisticated
applications like traffic reports linked to automobile navigational
systems.
HD Radio is conventional radio's latest hope to migrate from
analogue to the digital model. Of course there are problems
to be overcome - of inadequate radio stations broadcasting
in HD Radio format along with the high price of HD radio sets.
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Survival
of the Fittest
To survive into the next decade, AM & FM radio need to grow
by adding new radio stations as well as listeners. To achieve growth,
it must become more flexible, which is possible only by adaption
of new technology.
HD Radio offers a price advantage because the conversion technology
can cost as low as $40,000 (U.S. prices). Moreover, secondary programming
can be broadcast on the same analog frequency, giving the possibility
of broadcasting low-cost sister channels with no perceptible
loss in audio quality. And since the radio industry has accepted
a single format of HD Radio (discarding competing technologies),
there is no chance of (further) fragmentation.
However, as the latest entrant, HD Radio will face problems in converting
listeners of Satellite Radio & Podcasts. (For example, many automobile
manufacturers, are already offering satellite radio in their new
models. And the iPod has already sold over 20 million pieces.)
It's not as if HD radio has not been implemented. HD Radio for example,
is popular in the United Kingdom, which boasts of an estimated 1.5
million digital radio sets.
Catch
22
Between
digital stations & digital radio sets, we have the eternal question
"which comes first?" Even if prices of HD radio sets go down dramatically
to sub $100 (comparable to satellite radio sets), listeners will
not purchase unless there are enough HD radio stations (worth listening
to!)
The
Final Word
Notwithstanding the high share-of-buzz enjoyed by podcasting and
satellite radio, high definition radio is the most exciting development
in conventional radio.
Question is, will HD radio give conventional radio a fighting chance
against its more superior rivals?
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