Ah yes. Lies, damned lies, and statistics. 700% sales increase? Wow. Miniscule in comparison with Sony's new line of 'ultralight' AM/FM radios which pull in stations thousands of miles distant and sell for about twenty dollars or less. Why didn't Sony have to coerce retailers into selling these little analog gems? Why didn't Sony need to lie to the public about them? Simple. Because Sony's 'ultralight' SRF-59 and SRF-39 radios are an excellent value, while HD stooge radios are not. How could they be, when their underlying technological processes are founded on the lie that digital signals 'never' jam other stations?

The QVC HD radio sale was a disaster which made the HD gang persona non grata with QVC. Consumers long ago rejected HD, yet its cheerleaders cite their tedious fanciful tales of how HD is taking the world by storm. More like a old, decrepit consumptive wheezing his last gasps, truth be told.

Yet for all their phony claims of success, HD puts on its Victim Mask and whines to the FCC that they must raise FM power lest no one hear.

Well, which is it? Is HD taking the world by storm or is no one listening?

One thing's for certain, consumers rejected this jamming turkey a long time ago. They can smell a fourflusher a mile away - about the range of most HD stations. Unfortunately, even though cheerleaders lie about it, HD can jam analog signals thousands of miles away.

After all, wasn't that their cunning strategy? Use HD to jam competitors off the air and listeners into submission. Now Clear Channel promoters whine yet again, saying BigRadio is the future, local radio is dead except for 'Traffic Texting'.

What a pathetic waste of money, time, effort, and formerly clean RF spectrum.

Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasota Key, Florida
02 February, 2008

Sad enough, as much as people knock HD Radio, I purchased that radio in the picture; it replaced my alarm clock.

One of the HD2 stations on it in Kansas City, Subterranean Radio, if I had it before I got satellite radio, would have prevented me from purchasing satellite radio altogether. Sad, but true.

You bet your buttons HD Radio is competition... Just like analog FM.

It's not so much that the digital signals "jam" other stations because they are digital; this issue stems from a variety of factors, including sloppy peak modulation that happens to interfere with other stations.

HD Radio = A home where 0.0 can rest there head

Ryan, I have to point out one addition/correction to this story -- and I know that you are not the only one reporting this and that you probably wont waste your time on this given the nature of it -- but I have to at least point it out.

The article you reference from Wired, where it mentions the estimates for 2006 vs 2007, originated in a Washington Post article from last year and has since been quoted all over the place. That WAPO article got reprinted everywhere... But what's most important -- is that the quote was given by the HDRadio Alliance and NOT iBiquity. Yes, there is a difference. As you know, iBiquity is the corporation that owns the technology of HDRadio -- but the HDRadio Alliance is a consortium of broadcasters that banded together to promote HDRadio. The HDRadio Alliance are CUSTOMERS of iBiquity... some of which are equity investors in iBiquity.

Bridge Ratings reported last year that they expected 1.5 million in sales too, but again -- that was not iBiquity.

I did find one statement from an analyst at Barrington Research in Radio Ink -- where they expected the numbers to be half of what was being thrown around last year.

Regardess, to the best of my ability -- this statement of receiver sales that you reported on, is the first such announcement (officially) from anyone at iBiquity. All other references of sales came from people not a part of iBiquity. If you can find and attribute sales numbers to anyone at iBiquity -- then great. I have not been able to. The questionable numbers being given came from the HD Radio Alliance, which again -- is not iBiquity.

The HDRadio Alliance has one goal -- to promote HDRadio. And to see them be the ones to inflate numbers does not surprise me. Would it really surprise anyone? Think about... the members of the HDRadio Alliance spent MILLIONS upgrading their equipment to iBiquity's technology -- so they want to get their money out of it.

Think of them as "message board pumpers", LOL

--

One more piece of trivia -- for those that get in to Rock & Roll trivia...

In the Wired article that Ryan quoted from, about iBiquity's statements from a few months ago -- at the end of the article it quotes a radio consultant named Donna Halper. So what is her significance in Rock & Roll? For those that are fans of the band, RUSH... Donna was the first DJ to play the band in the USA -- and is credited by the band as the "one" to discover them.

No I'm not a freak who knows stupid trivia like that... it's just common knowledge for those that have worked in the media world where I live. It was just funny to see that Wired article this morning and see Donna quoted. It kinda jumps out at you...

The interference is not because the station has sloppy modulation it is because of the millions of radios that have wide if bandwith for better sound.

What i think they are up to is turning ALL stations into digital ONLY.
That is the only way it is going to work. The way it is now they do not have the range the stations normally have.
To fit the digital signal in the stations have to lower the sound quality they had.

I hope Congress looks into how the FCC could have approved HD.
What should have been done is use one of the 700 Mhz channels and make it all digital.
They did it with TV why not radio.
My guess is it is all about making every radio at least AM USELESS.

John said: "I hope Congress looks into how the FCC could have approved HD.
What should have been done is use one of the 700 Mhz channels and make it all digital.
They did it with TV why not radio."

Unfortunately the present congress is a bunch of cowards who would rather save their jobs than take on anything controversial.

homer985 said: "The HDRadio Alliance has one goal -- to promote HDRadio. And to see them be the ones to inflate numbers does not surprise me. Would it really surprise anyone? Think about... the members of the HDRadio Alliance spent MILLIONS upgrading their equipment to iBiquity's technology -- so they want to get their money out of it.

Think of them as "message board pumpers", LOL"

Anyone who believes anything anyone says at all who is associated in any way with iblock ought to have their heads examined. They lie, lie, lie, why? why? why? To try to force suckers to buy, buy, buy.

SuperH said: "You bet your buttons HD Radio is competition... Just like analog FM."

HD IS COMPETITION TO ANALOG FM and if this power increase is actually allowed analog FM withh have a lot more interference than it already has. Their ultimate goal of the IBOC Cartel is to totally ruin analog radio and, kill half or more of the stations that now exist and force consumers to buy digital radios. Are we going to let them??

SuperH- One, I repeat, ONE, HD station would have prevented you from purchasing satrad and it's dozens of channels? I had no idea that the writers strike was affecting the HD Alliance. If that bullshit story was the best you guys can do, good luck. "Boy, if only I had known about that HD station in Kansas City, too bad I'm stuck with music and talk of every genre". You do realize that no one believes you, right?

bobyoung said: "Anyone who believes anything anyone says at all who is associated in any way with iblock ought to have their heads examined."

You obviously didn't pay attention to what I said, if that message was directed towards me. I never said anything about believing anyone in particular. I only was pointing out WHO said what.

If I (or what I said) was not what you were directing your response to, then pay no attention to this response.

"DEAD AIR: Radio's great leap forward stalling in the Valley"

"Retailers say no one is buying HD radios in South Texas despite scattered attempts by broadcasters to promote the digital signal technology..."

http://www.themonitor.com/news/radio_7098___article.html/digital_new.html

"HD Radio Has Yet To Take Off"

"But the technology hasn't taken off as expected. NBC 5 could not find one person who owns a hi-def radio and neither could KISS FM's program director. I don't know anybody that has one yet, Davis said."

http://www.nbc5i.com/technology/14878368/detail.html

"High-def radio is here, but is anyone listening?"

"But 19 Utah stations are broadcasting 31 high-definition radio channels with six more coming soon... It seems the stations are investing in technology the public isn't quite ready to embrace.... Some have heard it referred to but never had cause to get one. Unless you are a gadget person, few of these radios have sold."

http://www.sltrib.com/technology/ci_7852904

"HD's here. Who's listening?"

"But consumers haven't exactly been stampeding to electronics stores for the new HD Radio sets that are required to tune in the digital signals."

http://www.twincities.com/business/ci_7991990?nclick_check=1#recent_comm

Stop the lies, Struble!

John said...

"The interference is not because the station has sloppy modulation it is because of the millions of radios that have wide if bandwith for better sound."

"HD Interference: Not Just For AM Anymore"

"Radio World Engineering Extra dropped a bomb this month with a very provocative cover story: 'What Are We Doing to Ourselves, Exactly?' Written by Doug Vernier, the man who authored the technical specifications for an ongoing Corporation for Public Broadcasting-sponsored HD Radio interference analysis, the report is the first of its kind to document interference between FM-HD stations around the country. Using anecdotal reportage, some sophisticated contour-mapping, and presumably 'early data' from the CPB study, Vernier's article conclusively proves how stations running in hybrid HD/analog mode can (and do) interfere somewhat significantly with not only themselves, but their neighbors on the FM dial."

http://diymedia.net/archive/1207.htm#122307

"Citadel Halts AM Nighttime IBOC Operation Amid Complaints"

"An excerpt from his memo to staff reads: In response to the lackluster performance, the limited benefit and various reports of significant interference, Citadel is suspending nighttime AM HD operations at this time. Please reinstate your previous procedures for daytime-only HD operation as soon as possible.”

http://www.radioworld.com/pages/s.0121/t.8847.html

Quoting Abe Hirschfeld: "SuperH- One, I repeat, ONE, HD station would have prevented you from purchasing satrad and it's dozens of channels? I had no idea that the writers strike was affecting the HD Alliance. If that bullshit story was the best you guys can do, good luck. "Boy, if only I had known about that HD station in Kansas City, too bad I'm stuck with music and talk of every genre". You do realize that no one believes you, right?"

What are you talking about? I still subscribe to both XM and Sirius. I have HD Radio on my Sony Tabletop alarm clock, and my Integra DTR-8.8 receiver soon-to-arrive that I just ordered. I don't even listen to my XM or Sirius here. I have it on that station constantly.

I have two XM tuners: Pioneer GEX-P10XMT, XM MyFi
-I subscribe to NavTraffic.
I have two Sirius tuners: Pioneer SIR-PNR1, Sirius Stiletto 100
I have one HD Radio: Sony Tabletop XDR-S3HD
I have one new receiver coming in: Integra DTR-8.8 with HD Radio coming in.

How is it hard to believe that I keep it on one station? I don't fancy the sound quality on the formats on XM that I prefer, and I don't like the compressed dynamic range of Sirius.

Before XM and Sirius, I listened to one terrestrial radio station. That's it. I only find "The Heat" and "Fine Tuning" pleasantly listenable on XM, and "SuperShuffle" pleasantly listenable on Sirius. I listen to some religious programming on Sirius for talk, and the NFL. Beyond that, I would do without if Subterranean were available to me BEFORE XM and Sirius.

I am not a member of the NAB, you're nuts if you think so. I got out of radio a few years ago. I am SuperH on both XMFan and Sirius Backstage. I am legit, not an HD lobbiest. I am simply stating that that one station would have been good enough for me.

I have no intentions of canceling either XM or Sirius, Mr. Hirschfeld. I just merely stated that I would be satisfied with ONE station, and I'm sure there are others that are the same way.

One huge benefit satellite radio has is that it's nationwide. HD Radio, unless a station is simulcast nationally, will NEVER have that.

SuperH-Here's the way I see it- you're a tech guy. You have a plethora of satrad equipment, yet you don't seem that enamored with it. This is a site of mostly satrad enthusiasts. Yeah we have the Sirius/XM investor guys, and the crazed shock jock fans but it's mostly people who LOVE satrad and HATE regular radio. I'm sorry, but when you say one HD channel could replace your need for satrad, just realize that to an enthusiast of the medium that statement is ludicrous.

SuperH, if that's how you truly feel, then I respect your opinion, but I think it's a singular opinion. Congrats on getting out of the radio business at the right time, take care.

HOMER985 I LIKED YOUR POST WAS AGREEING WITH IT.

bobyoung said: "Anyone who believes anything anyone says at all who is associated in any way with iblock ought to have their heads examined."

You obviously didn't pay attention to what I said, if that message was directed towards me. I never said anything about believing anyone in particular. I only was pointing out WHO said what.

If I (or what I said) was not what you were directing your response to, then pay no attention to this response.

HOMER985: I WAS NOT DISAGREEING WITH YOU I LIKED YOUR POST

bobyoung said: "Anyone who believes anything anyone says at all who is associated in any way with iblock ought to have their heads examined."

You obviously didn't pay attention to what I said, if that message was directed towards me. I never said anything about believing anyone in particular. I only was pointing out WHO said what.

If I (or what I said) was not what you were directing your response to, then pay no attention to this response.

Abe: That's just it. Every opinion is singular unless it is not an opinion, then it is fact. Nowhere did I say that my statements pertained to the majority of people, however, I personally know others out there who, if they were satisfied with one radio station, would not see need to pay for radio.

That's the thing: there is a wide market of consumers. Those willing to pay to be happier, and those satisfied with "Good enough."

I have been a subscriber since Mid-2003, so the initial "Wow" factor has worn off. I still think it's neat, but I also feel that the competition in satellite radio has hurt satellite radio in one part that I consider an issue: sound quality.

Remember as XM and Sirius were competing against each other? They kept adding channels to match quantity. Well, here we are with almost 70 commercial free music stations per service, and reduced bitrates from the initial ~55 when each service launched. Hopefully, with the merger (if it occurs), this will stop. I like variety as much as anyone else, but aacPlus has some REALLY INTERESTING artifacts at 32kbps, no matter what pre-processing algorithm you try to use to avoid artifacts. Neural can only do so much; Orban can only compress dynamics so well until you reach such low bitrates on ePAC on Sirius that the percussion sounds watery, and the vocals quiver.

For the record, despite my qualm with satellite radio, I still consider myself an enthusiast. I promote the product to those who are interested; I've gotten many people to get satellite radio. I continue to do that. However, if anyone asks me if I know anything about HD Radio, I tell them everything pertinent to this area; I also tell them about the advantages of satellite radio.

HD Radio: Local, digital, free, limited content selection
Satellite radio: National, digital, subscription, content variety

That's it.

There will be a seperate international airport at Devanahalli near Jakkur flying club. The schedules, however, may be delayed due to political changes in the state government (which is unfortunate). There’s more info here on the new international airport (designed by Kaufmann van der Meer AG ).

Most people I have talked to mistakenly think the HD in HD Radio stands for "High Definition." It stands for "Hybrid Digital." IBiquity was clever in coming up with such a misleading name.

I have an HD radio in my car, and I have found nothing but the same type of programming on HD that is available on conventional radio. It is simply "more of the same."

I have yet to find an AM HD station in the Atlanta area with an HD stream. On the FM, I find no difference in the audio quality when my radio switches to HD. The only exception is the local PBS station which appears to broadcast a pre-emphasized signal on their HD1 and HD3 streams. To say the least, neither is listenable. In contrast, their HD2 stream is acceptable.

Two of the Atlanta FMs simulcast AM talk signals from co-owned stations. I have read, but have not verified, that one FM simply runs a 12-hour delayed signal on its HD2 channel.

I am back to using my XM-To-Go radio. I can use it in the car, in my house, and with earbuds on my belt. At work, I stream XM from my computer.