First HD tabletop with itunes tagging now available April 5, 2008 11:38

 
Radio Online reported yesterday that the Polk Audio I-Sonic ES 2 with iTunes tagging is now available at most Apple stores, online and in June, BestBuy stores.

The post also reported that receivers with iTunes tagging are expected soon from Alpine, JBL and Sony.

The receiver can be purchased through the Polk Audio web site for $499. It has an integrated iPod dock and what Polk calls "four specially-designed fullrange speakers ... Through the magic of Digital Signal Processing, Polk engineers create full stereo all the way around the system."

Sounds like a lot of money for a desktop receiver but I guess that if you have the bucks and you listen to the radio at home a lot, it would be OK.

If you'd like to know more about this new receiver click on the Go to URL link.

Do you live in one of the lucky cities? April 10, 2008 09:50

 
Clear Channel has announced that all of its 345 digital FM stations wil lbe linked with the iTunes online music store. In other words, if you live in a city with Clear Channel, you will now be able to take advantage of this feature. If you're not familiar with iTunes tagging, it' a technology that allows you to transfer a song heard on one of Clear Channel’s digital stations directly to an Apple iPod.

Let your radio be your guide

Here's more good news for HD radio fans. According to the web site The Earth Times, "Eight leading radio companies have formed a new joint venture, the Broadcaster Traffic Consortium, LLC (BTC), to build a first-of-its-kind nationwide network to distribute traffic data via radio technology. ... BTC will use HD Radio(R) technology to broadcast real-time NAVTEQ Traffic and other location-based information to portable navigation devices and automobile in-dash systems. The high bandwidth capacity provided via HD Radio technology will enable consumers to obtain high-quality, up-to-date information including traffic flow and points of interest when and where they need it most."

Click on the Go to URL link to get more details. (Go to URL)

HD radio awareness is up. No, wait, it's down. April 16, 2008 11:22

 
I found an article the other day on a website called MediaBuyer Planner which reported some interesting awareness studies regarding HD Radio.

The survey from the HD Digital Radio Alliance showed awareness of HD radio at 77% of radio listeners. However, an Arbitron/Edison Media Research Report found that awareness of HD and actually declined slightly during 2006 -- 2007 or 26% to 24%. And American Media Services has a report showing that 35% of American adults are familiar with HD radio.

The article went on to say "this is not the first time that conflicting results have been found regarding awareness of HD radio. Last September, a poll suggested that only 42% of Americans were aware of HD radio while a study released the following week contradicted the finding, showing that 77% of Americans were aware of the existence of HD radio."'

So who do you believe?

Well, the HD Digital Radio Alliance naturally believes in its own research. As a result it is moving from a simple awareness campaign to a campaign that hopes to persuade customers to actually buy an HD radio.

Since the Alliance is clearly drinking its own Kool-Aid, one can only hope - for its sale - that it has the right Kool-Aid.

Sirius adds three TV channels. Verrry interesting. April 18, 2008 11:01

 
I happened across an ad today for Sirius Satellite TV - coming soon. The unit combines kid-friendly TV with Sirius radio.

Verrry interesting.

But what does this really mean? If Sirius can broadcast three TV channels, how many more can it add? Does this mean Sirius is worried about the future of satellite radio?

Who knows?

The unit's advertised cost is $249 but it's BYOM - in other words, you have to provide the TV monitor.

The ad I saw said that it's children's TV plus Sirius in one system, that there is a dedicated child friendly remote control and that the unit is compatible with most aftermarket video monitors.

Who'd of thunk that Sirius could do TV?

PS: If you'd like to know more about this product, contact me: dfhanna@gmail.com

iLove and iLive - two, new, low-cost HD radios with iPod docks April 21, 2008 15:19

 
Two new companies, at least new to me, have announced low-cost HD radios with iPod docks.

The first of these, iLive of St. Louis, plans June shipments of its $149 IS808B that has a fold out iPod dock, gradual wake-up to iPod or radio, digital tuning of analog broadcasts, metadata display, multicasting, multiple line display, subwoofer output and line-in jack.

The other company, iLove, recently lowered the suggested retail price of its i168 HD radio to $89.99. It is a one-piece clock radio with FM multicasting, metadata display, 20 FM and AM presets, digital and analog tuning, dual alarms and a number of other features. iLove says that this is the lowest-priced HD radio on the market.

The step up to this unit is iLuv's i169 which has had its price reduced to a suggested retail of $169. It appears to be very much like its cheaper brother, except it has an iPod dock on the top, remote control of iPod functions and wake/sleep to iPod music, radio or buzzer. It also features five EQ presets, 20 FM and 10 AM presets digital analog tuning and dual alarms.

iLove and iLive, hmmm. I wonder if they're related or if this is just one of those wacky coincidences of life.

If you can't lock in on an HD station or HD2 channel, this might be the reason April 27, 2008 12:01

 
I found an interesting article on a website called TheStreet.com. The article was written by Gary Kraków, who made several very interesting points.

First, according to Kraków, "HD was supposedly created to improve the quality of FM reception and give listeners a bigger choice as well as give broadcasters a new way to make money. FM stations broadcasting HD signals alongside their normal stations can split the new digital signal into two or more programming/revenue streams.

He then went on to say, "HD station sound different from their analog relatives. There is usually less background noise, and much less interference that can be heard. That's because the receiver 'locks in' on the station's digital component. In simple terms, just like digital TV broadcasts, a digital signal is either good or bad, on or off. If it's not tuned in properly, it's usually not enjoyable at all.

"That said, digital HD radio signals can be more difficult to receive than their analog counterparts. Many listeners complain that they can receive their favorite FM station -- but can't walk in on the digital signal."

So, if you're HD radio is having trouble locking in on an HD station or an HD2 channel, now you know why?

The solution? Maybe it's to get an FM antenna but I can't swear to that.