redlil
lister bc canada
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Now that TV is going digital,what happens to radio?Will we still recieve analog radio fm and am stations or will they go to a digital format?
Thanks in advance.
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SCVJeff
Santa Clarita, CA.
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Both AM & FM Bands in the US are already carrying digital subs, but there are no plans to shut down the analog modulation at this point. Don't forget that the analog television shutdown was in part to sell spectrum (and that's not doing real well), but the AM & FM bands are not moving or compressing, so there is zero incentive (and that's just fine).
Jeff - WA6EQU
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sch911
Rochester Hills, MI
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It's already there. Called HD radio. Receivers are available at many electronic stores, and some automobiles have started to show up with it also....
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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I suspect that some day in the future Radio too will go all digital.. However as the other poster said, I know of no plans to do so any time soon.
When they do.. It will be just like this, with 10,000 people asking "Do I need a new antenna" and such, (NO, same frequencies, different mode)
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
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The Weekenders
Harvey, North Dakota
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We own a AM station and no mandates YET to go digital. With the FCC you never know.
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Gdetrailer
PA
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Actually HD radio is a replacement for a older system called SCA (Sub Carrier Audio) that never really took off. Radio stations have in the past used SCA to broadcast to businesses for a fee (ever here of Musak?).
HD radio just lets the broadcasters open up unused broadcast spectrum an helps the station to sell more air time.
The downside is not many manufacturers offer HD radio receivers and the ones that do are much more expensive.
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SCVJeff
Santa Clarita, CA.
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Gdetrailer wrote:Actually HD radio is a replacement for a older system called SCA (Sub Carrier Audio) that never really took off. Radio stations have in the past used SCA to broadcast to businesses for a fee (ever here of Musak?). Where did you get that from?
Totally incorrect! While there CAN be multiple streams just like Digital Television, it was never envisioned, intended, nor designed to replace ANY SCA service. It's mainstream digital radio, period.
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Gdetrailer
PA
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SCVJeff writes "Where did you get that from?
Totally incorrect! While there CAN be multiple streams just like Digital Television, it was never envisioned, intended, nor designed to replace ANY SCA service. It's mainstream digital radio, period."
OK, SCVJeff, here is the just one of the facts I based my post on, since most folks won't go to the website I am copying the text here also.
Please pay close attention to the LAST paragraph where it specifically states in no uncertain terms and I quote " ...As the market reaches maturity, broadcasters will transition out of analog broadcasts and offer "all-digital mode"..."
This means over time when the HD market matures (people buy or accept or FCC decides to mandate) that analog AM/FM AND SCA BROADCASTS WILL BE REPLACED with the ALL DIGITAL broadcast.
Keep in mind that once the analog radio is turned off that will free up more bandwidth to transmit digital ENCODED (scrambled, secure) information which most likely will include former SCA broadcasts and a whole lot more. So HD radio broadcasts are not just "mainstream radio" as you state.
Granted it is vague since there is no date but so is many other things like over the air DTV transition which was talked about for 10+ years which now analog TV broadcasts cease in a few months...
HDRADIO.COM
Text from the website...
"Ever wonder how technology can split the radio signal into analog and digital channels and then transmit it over the existing AM/FM bands? It’s a process known as In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) Broadcasting. It’s DIGITAL, and it’s FREE.
Digital Broadcasting
HD Digital Radio supports CD-quality sound as well as song titles and artist names. And because the digital signal piggybacks onto a conventional broadcast signal, it is free to the listener.
The Power of Free
With HD Radio, broadcasters can use the current radio spectrum to transmit free analog simultaneously with new higher quality digital signals. This eliminates the static, hiss, pops and fades associated with today’s radio caused by conditions known as multipath, noise and interference.
Transitioning Out of Analog
With IBOC-based HD Radio technology, radio receivers and other consumer electronics will receive traditional analog broadcasts from stations that have yet to convert and digital broadcasts from stations that have converted.
Current analog radios will continue to receive the analog portion of the IBOC-based broadcast, allowing for a smooth transition to a digital world. In fact, specific features have been designed into HD Radio-supported receivers to improve the existing analog reception during the "Hybrid Mode."
As the market reaches maturity, broadcasters will transition out of analog broadcasts and offer "all-digital mode". As a result of our digital architecture, enhanced services such as increased data capacity, surround sound or other multicasting solutions can be made available across this unused bandwidth."
End of text from website.
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camperguy99
Loveland CO
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SCA was allowed as I recall 10% of the modulation capability. Even at that it was difficult to receive the SCA signal unless you were pretty close to the station. HD Radio only allows 1% of the modulation capacity! That's less than the power allocated to light the red stero indicator. I think that is why HD has been so slow to catch on. You have to have a very strong signal to receive HD Radio. You don't even hear the ads for HD anymore. A year ago the stations were promoting it a lot.
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SCVJeff
Santa Clarita, CA.
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Rather than responding to all that, go back and read what you said in the beginning. Digital radio was NOT conceived to replace SCA, PERIOD!
IF what's left of SCA even survives there is plenty of room in the bitstream for it, but it was NOT the reason for digital radio.
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