Digital FM Radio Finally Arrives
At last, high-definition radio which was widely acclaimed as the best thing to happen to AM/FM radio since its invention as gaining popularity in the USA. Almost 400 stations are now broadcasting high definition radio signals which offer increases audio quality and almost eliminate static entirely. The problem is most listeners can receive high-definition digital FM radio signals yet. Some stations have started testing digital "multicasting" in which broadcasters create inexpensive sister stations. If successful, "multicasting" might give conventional radio a chance against upstart competitors like Internet & satellite radio.
In the meantime, manufacturers are creating new & cheaper high-definition radio products to take advantage of digital FM radio. The number of options available today is limited. Technological advances have been brutal to conventional radio. Listeners can take practically their entire music collection with them wherever they go using MP3s. And Internet radio allows users to record their favorite programs and play them back at their convenience which is generally at times when they used to be listening to AM/FM radio such as while commuting to & from the office. With AM/FM radio usage in rapid decline over the past few years, something must be done quickly or AM/FM radio might soon be a relic like vinyl records and 8 track tapes. The outcome is not certain at this point but several developments don't bode well for the future of AM/FM radio. Compared to the alternatives, the cost of HD units capable of playing digital FM radio is prohibitive at about $250 for a tabletop model. Secondly, one of the most popular places to listen to conventional radio stations is the automobile and the auto industry has fallen in love with one of traditional AM/FM radios biggest rivals, satellite radio. It's not likely the auto industry will adopt a competing technology like digital FM radio too. And then there's history. The automotive graveyard is littered with has been technologies such as 8-track tapes and cassette tapes. Will digital FM radio be the next flop like "AM stereo" was in the 1980s or is it another FM radio which wasn't well received by critics by ended up becoming the standard in car radios? There's no need for digital FM radio to raise the white flag yet. It turns out high-definition radio has a lot going for it. The cost of converting from FM to digital FM is relatively small and once stations make the conversion, HD radios will transmit clearer signals. One industry executive says FM radio will sound like CDs and AM radio will sound like today's FM radio. The benefits of digital sound processing will be immediately evident. In addition to cost-efficiencies, advances in technology will allow digital FM radio stations to broadcast more programming over the same analog frequency. Since the signal can be chopped into smaller blocks, stations will be able to broadcast a second music station or three secondary talk radio stations on the same frequency with no noticeable drop off in audio quality. It doesn't take a genius to see that 2 or more radio stations make more money than one. High definition radio may be slow to catch on in the US, but it's been popular in other parts of the world for several years. More than 1.5 million digital FM radios have been sold in the UK as of early 2005. Will U.S. radio listeners catch the wave or adopt other technologies and cast digital FM radio aside? Satellite radio networks like XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio have been gaining subscribers at rapid rates leaving traditional radio stations in the dust. Satellite radio stations now boast over 5.5 million subscribers and Internet radio stations is taking more listeners away. High-definition digital FM radio receivers are pricey at this point but just like any emerging technology prices will drop dramatically if and when the technology is adopted as mainstream and the units can be mass produced. Another advantage of digital FM radio is that unlike satellite radio, there are no monthly subscription fees. When the dust settles, no one can be sure which technology will emerge the winner or if possibly digital FM radio, satellite radio, and Internet radio can all coexist. It'll be interesting to see how the battle plays out. |
