Listen up for data on digital's latest DJ domicile: HD radio
I've been passionate about radio since I was a kid.
The Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio HD.
Boston Acoustics
I'd listen via shortwave to the English-language propaganda broadcast over Radio Moscow and Radio Peking. On any given night, you might find me twisting the AM dial as I tried (with mixed success) to tune in faint signals from an out-of-town ballgame. Now, I have Sirius Satellite Radio in one car, XM Satellite in another.
I'm receptive to all new forms of radio. I've been sampling what backers hope will elevate the medium to the next level: HD (digital) radio. While it's too early for me to unconditionally recommend rushing out to buy the pricey receiver required to pick up digital broadcasts, HD radio is potentially appealing.
Supporters are hoping to do for radio what the folks championing high-definition television are doing for TV — namely, taking a technology that has been analog forever, and making it over for the digital age. What exactly is HD radio? Think conventional AM and FM minus the snap, crackle and pop sounds that can tarnish fidelity of regular broadcasts. The developer of the technology, iBiquity Digital, claims AM will sound like today's FM, and that FM will sound like a CD.
Moreover, through "multicasting," broadcasters can compress the digital signal to let FM stations offer one or more additional channels at the same frequency. Multicasting does not work with AM.
Last week, stations in 28 markets collectively began rolling out 264 multicasting or HD2 channels. Content on the bonus channels differs from the lineup on their regular stations. For example, WKTU in New York broadcasts contemporary dance music on its regular 103.5 frequency; its new HD sibling offers country tunes at 103.5-2. HD radio might also appease fans whose favorite genres are being cast aside. For example, Big Apple listeners who miss the decades-long "oldies" format ditched on WCBS-FM last year for music aimed at a younger audience can find it on 101.1-2. HD radio broadcasters are (for now) keeping additional channels commercial-free.
To hear "side" channels, and for that matter to listen to the clear digital versions of regular stations, you need to buy a special radio, such as the $499 Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio HD I've been testing. The tabletop model also functions as a dual alarm clock and includes a port for connecting an iPod. Alpine, Kenwood and Panasonic are among electronics makers selling HD radios for the car. Yamaha offers a $1,900 home theater receiver with HD capabilities.
HD vs. satellite
Sure, the new radios are expensive. So were XM radios when satellite first became available in 2001. Satellite would seem to be a natural rival for HD radio, but there are wide differences:
• Once you've sprung for the radio, you need not part with any more loot with HD radio; with satellite, you're on the hook for a $13 monthly subscription fee.
• Compared with any form of terrestrial radio, satellite provides many more choices for avid listeners. XM and Sirius each offer more than 120 coast-to-coast channels, including commercial-free music in diverse genres (blues, show tunes, etc.). By contrast, far fewer HD stations are available in any specific market. In New York, just a dozen stations offer multicast options, and only three AM stations transmit digitally.
• Most satellite stations are national; HD stations are local. No matter how good they sound, the regular stations are, well, the regular stations (commercials and all). Depending on your point of view, that's as easily a plus as a minus. We all have favorites. I still gravitate to AM for traffic and sports talk.
On the Boston Acoustics radio I tested, digital stations sounded better than analog, but not dramatically so in most instances. The Boston Acoustics radio also earns relative high marks for ease of setup. You plug in the AM antenna, separate stereo speaker and power cord. You can also attach an optional FM antenna to improve on the wire one that is included.
Then twist the dial (or press keys on a supplied remote control) to the station you want to listen to. At first, you'll hear analog sound, even on stations broadcasting digitally. It takes 8 seconds or so for the radio to lock in a digital station. During this interim period, a tiny HD icon flashes on the screen. If the icon stops blinking, you're in. At that point, you might see the call letters of the station displayed along with song and artist information.
Eventually, HD radios might also display weather, sports scores or other information.
For now, you will notice cellphone-like bars on the display that indicate signal strength. Three bars signify a strong enough connection to receive digital stations. In my northern New Jersey home, getting a strong signal proved challenging. I had to move from room to room and place the radio by a window. I did better locking in a strong signal in a Queens apartment.
Prices must drop and more stations must multicast before I grant HD radio my full blessing. Along with superior fidelity, diverse programming is crucial. But all high-tech paths lead to digital eventually. Radio is no exception.
07-13-2006, 07:05 PM
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