Inspired by the XM Radio thread, I’m wondering what your experiences have been with digital radio in general.
Do you have land-based digital radio in your area? If so, what system are you using? Are receivers hard to find? Are they expensive? Do you have to subscribe? Do you find that reception is a problem in a moving vehicle? In buildings?
How about satellite-based digital radio?
Do you think that audio streaming over wireless internet will affect this market?
Some background…
For land-based digital radio, the US will be using “HD Radio”, Ibiquity’s system for transmitting both digital and analogue programs on existing frequencies (“in-band, on-channel”).
Most other places in the world, if they have land-based digital radio at all, will be using the “Eureka 147” system, on new frequencies (either “Band III”, 180-240 MHz, just above the FM band, or “L-Band”, way up around 1450-1500 MHz). This system is being implemented in Canada, and in many countries in Europe and Asia.
Japan is the only other holdout: as usual, it’s going with a standard all its own.
The US has two working systems of satellite radio, XM and Sirius, available by subscription. Satellite radio has not yet been licensed in Canada. There are other systems, such as Worldspace, in Europe and Asia.