Re: BBC to chop DAB radio flops



Richard Evans wrote:
hwh wrote:
Richard Evans wrote:
DAB sounds worse than FM wrote:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/04/bbc_dab_no_listeners/


Haven't had time to read much of this one, but could be a cloud with a silver lining, if DAB capacity freed up can be used to increase the bit rates of the other stations.

Or rather better put some of them on in DAB+. They could start putting BBC R1 thru 4 on n DAB+, so people with DAB/FM receivers would still be able to get them (in FM).

I like that idea, but unfortunately the BBC seem to be against DAB+ at the moment.

Actually if they did want to use DAB+, they could start using it now. Change the 128k stereo broadcasts to 64k mono, to carry on supporting all the low quality receivers that are mostly only mono anyway. Use the other 64k freed up in PL4A mode DAB+ giving around about 88k, used in aac+ to provide reasonable quality stereo, for those who are willing to buy DAB+ receivers. It looks very unlikely however that the BBC would actually do that.

Strange isn't it, because the remaining 90% of analog receivers waiting to be replaced should be able to play DAB+ to be future proof.
Or would the BBC have everyone get new receivers when they finally do the upgrade?
Or do they plan to use DVB-T2 sooner rather than later? :-)

gr, hwh
.



Relevant Pages

  • Re: what system ?
    ... presume that any receivers would be bulky valve based receivers. ... It's true that there doesn't seem to have been a great deal of advance in DAB chips. ... If more money was available in digital radio, then perhaps some of the new techniques in chip design could be applied to the design of digital radio chips, and then things should rapidly improve. ... Well the fact that digital radio allows broadcasters to reduce quality to fit in more stations, ...
    (alt.radio.digital)
  • Re: Use of DRM to free up DAB capacity
    ... combined DAB/DRM receivers. ... DAB network, in a few years time, by moving some of their services to DRM. ... moving certain BBC programmes to DRM ... Carry on thinking, Richard. ...
    (alt.radio.digital)
  • Re: Use of DRM to free up DAB capacity
    ... combined DAB/DRM receivers. ... DAB network, in a few years time, by moving some of their services to DRM. ... moving certain BBC programmes to DRM ... everybody will eventualy dump or relegate their current DAB radio ...
    (alt.radio.digital)
  • Re: New member
    ... This would have been a problem with receivers built in the 80s and probably also the 90s. ... If DAB had been software upgradeable from the start, then very few receivers in use today would not be capable of coping with mp3, and perhaps most would be capable of decoding aac. ... BBC mux, and to me, at 192kpbs the audio was excellent. ... The initial reason for commercial operators to want to switch to DAB+ would be to save costs, although some might also improve sound quality to some extent. ...
    (alt.radio.digital)
  • Re: Expert tears DAB to pieces in Norwegian newspaper
    ... systems by comparing how many radio stations at the same audio quality ... Who before me proposed that because all DAB/DRM receivers have an AAC+ ... If it was left to the DAB "engineers" ...
    (alt.radio.digital)