All the stations in the Dallas area are pushing this, saying it’s like satellite radio but the broadcasts are free. And that’s about it.
Anyone tried it yet? It’s digital, right? Meaning a clearer sound, one would imagine. Is it a standard that all radio stations are switching to (a la HDTV) or is it a passing phase? Is the equipment terribly expensive?
It has the potential to be big. I sincerely hope it doesn’t turn out to be another Betamax snafu.
That being said, I don’t plan on investing $200-$300 in new equipment. It’s bound to come down in price.
This sounds very much like the digital radio we have in Europe. When it first started to radio sets were really expensive ( hundreds of pounds) but there some on sale now that retail at £40 ($80) As well as the clearer sound the radios have a small LCD screen on them which shows play lists , traffic information and weather forecasts. In our system there are a series of “multiplexes” each of which contain about different radio stations. Some broadcasters are now getting a bit greedy . They are trying to cram more radio stations into each multiplex, and the only way they can do this is to reduce the bit-rate of the broadcasts. Some audiophiles are now saying that because of this, the quality isn’t as good as an analogue FM station.
The stations broadcast on a new radio band (220 Mhz) and good reception can be achieved with the radio’s telescopic antenna in most parts of the country.
More details about the system here:- DAB