News and Reviews....

    HD RADIO  is on its' WAY !!!  October  2003

 By Robert Lieto

Yes,  you heard it right. HD RADIO or in its natural form Digital Radio. Not the subscription type but free. The company iBiquity owns the HD radio technology and expect it to reach tens of thousands next year, hundreds of thousands in 2005 and millions in 2006. It is first going to show up in automobiles with 18 manufacturers like BOSE, Delphi, Delco, Kenwood, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Sanyo, Siemens and Visteon planning to roll out digital receivers based on iBiquity HD format. Kenwood is the first to launch a after-market "Black Box" the sits in the vehicle's trunk and connects top the existing radio (released September 25th).

Industry observers say they intimately expect the digital radio to gain traction in the broadcast world. And not a matter of IF but When. The cost burden of adding HD Radio is about $200 per unit. With 800 million radios in the United States and 70 million added each year, there is a question on how fast the change will take place. Some say a decade will be the time for complete change over. 

HD radio sidebands (10.7-Mhz) boost FM to CD quality and improve AM to FM-like quality. Receiver manufacturers are achieving it by pairing iBiquity's software with digital processing chips from TI and Philips.

HD radio's prospects haven't always been so rosy. Earlier this year, product introduction schedules had to be pushed back when problems were discovered in the HD Radio codec. Since then, the codec has been replaced and all are moving ahead with plans to put HD Radios into OEM products.

Another advantage over satellite radio is that it requires far less investment ($100,000) for broadcasters, offers a weapon against satellite radio, while keeping their local listeners. Whether or not the technology's fuller sound will translate into dollars, however is unknown.

Comment .....  While most audio advancements have historically been welcomed by consumers, some innovations - such as quad speakers and AM stereo - have been notable failures. For that reason, I think we will have to wait and see if HD Radio takes off.   

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