"Five million do it, do you?"

22 June 2007

The Digital Radio Development Bureau is to launch a new campaign advertising
the benefits of Digital Radio. The DRDB will run ads on almost 100
commercial radio stations with the tag "Five million do it, do you?" -
similar to BBC's recent campaign of "Do you do digital?".

(Media UK)

That is the question the Digital Radio Development Bureau will be asking in
its campaign to promote DAB digital radio by publicising its benefits. It is
true that there are several benefits to DAB digital radio, and that in many
ways it is better than analogue radio. There are some disadvantages to DAB
digital radio too, and the UK public deserves to know about them.

The sound quality is the main problem. It is good for radio stations using a
high amount of bandwidth, but not all radio stations do. Some music radio
stations use a lower amount of bandwidth and broadcast in mono. This is due
to the limitations of bandwidth on each multiplex. On some radios, Kerrang!
Radio will increase and decrease in volume frequently during songs. This can
be off-putting. Radio stations on AM don't suffer from this problem, so if
the same loud song was played on Virgin Radio, it wouldn't sound as bad on
AM. Live music doesn't sound good on Kerrang! Radio, due to the poor sound
quality. Even in the West Midlands where it has an FM licence, the radio
station sounds far worse on DAB digital radio than it does on FM.

It is claimed that DAB digital radio is free of interference. This is a lie.
If you put a DAB digital radio next to a desktop computer which is switched
off and you turn on the desktop computer, the sound of the DAB digital radio
may be interrupted. If the DAB digital radio goes silent, you will be lucky.
It is true that there is no hiss on DAB digital radio. However, it is a lie
that you either get a signal or you don't. If the signal is weak, you will
hear a horrible sound on your DAB digital radio which is louder than static
on analogue radio.

Promoters of DAB digital radio love talking about choice, and I don't mean
the radio station in London. It is true that there is more choice on DAB
digital radio in terms of variety. However, people who claim that there are
more stations on DAB digital radio are mistaken. In some areas people
receive more choice on their analogue radios if they have a good Arial than
they do on DAB digital radio.

Whether or not there is more choice though, one thing promoters of DAB
digital radio avoid talking about is the quality of the content on the extra
stations. The content isn't that good. For example, Smash Hits! Radio plays
continuous pop music. There are no presenters, except on Hit 40 UK which is
already available on hundreds of radio stations. The playlist and jingles
are repetitive. On radio stations like Heart Digital, content featuring
presenters is not live. Radio stations such as Choice FM, LBC and XFM are
relayed on DAB digital radio to areas where they were previously
unavailable. However, the relays don't feature any local or regional shows,
so if you didn't know where you were and was listening to one of those
stations, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in London, even if you
were in Sunderland.

DAB digital radio may be the future, but your favourite local radio station
may not be on DAB digital radio yet, even if there are local multiplexes.
Dearne FM in Barnsley is a radio station which is unavailable on the South
Yorkshire multiplex. The majority of community radio stations are
unavailable on DAB digital radio. Other platforms offering digital radio are
better. If you want to hear digital services and you have access to the
internet or Sky Digital, I recommend not buying a digital radio. You will
still receive digital services on Sky Digital and the internet, most of
which are available on DAB digital radio.

http://waynenigelsenior.newsvine.com/_news/2007/06/22/796557-five-million-do-it-do-you


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: BBC DAB Roll Out 2008??
    ... BBC announces extension to DAB digital radio network ... Jenny Abramsky, BBC Director of Audio & Music, has announced the build- ...
    (alt.radio.digital)
  • Re: "Five million do it, do you?"
    ... The Digital Radio Development Bureau is to launch a new campaign advertising ... commercial radio stations with the tag "Five million do it, ... its campaign to promote DAB digital radio by publicising its benefits. ... The sound quality is the main problem. ...
    (alt.radio.digital)
  • Digital radios in most homes by 2010, say researchers
    ... The projection represents a near-fourfold rise in penetration from current levels and reflects the increasing availability of cheap models. ... The Digital Radio Development Bureau, the industry body charged with driving the uptake of digital radio, estimates that penetration of DAB sets will be 13.9% by the end of the year. ... "Over the past four years, we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of DAB digital radio sets available to consumers, and there are now about 300 different models available from all the leading consumer electronic brands," said the DRDB's chief executive, Ian Dickens. ...
    (alt.radio.digital)
  • Re: Secret DAB talks at RadioCentre
    ... Crisis talks regarding the future of DAB Digital Radio in the UK have been ... switch to DAB only, albeit over a long time period. ...
    (alt.radio.digital)
  • Re: free Orban loudness meter app now worthless vapourware
    ... As to Orban being dead, the Optimod is still the best and most ... Perhaps not with digital radio, ... The dynamic range of most commercially available program ... It would not surprise me if digital radio stations begin using audio ...
    (rec.audio.tech)