Why are DAB and HD radios so ugly?
HD Radio Farce
Richard Evans
> I'm serious - just curious...
I reckon it it's part of trying to keep the costs down.
Cases designed to be made cheaply, containing cheap circuit boards glued
together somewhere in the far east.
Martin
"HD Radio Farce" <hdradi...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:295cd2a6-b8a5-4238...@h2g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
> I'm serious - just curious...
Probably the same people that design (?) battery operated cars or the like.
J G Miller
> I'm serious - just curious...
Most radios produced today are ugly in comparison to the better designs
of the 1970s and 1980s.
And the Pure Bug radio must be one of the ugliest designs ever.
But do you really consider the Pure 1, 2, 3 series that ugly?
HD Radio Farce
wrote:
I think you are right about keeping the costs down. The Insignia
portable HD Radio is especially cheap, 1/2 the size of a deck of
cards, yet costs $40 - $50. There are licensing costs that
manufacturers have to pay iBqiuty and these are passed along to
retailers, then to consumers:
"RadioShack's Inadequate Accurian"
"One look underneath the base of an Accurian explains its $200 price
tag. There, a sticker reads: 'HD Radio Technology Under License From
iBiquity Digital Corporation.' Instead of developing a radio capable
of superior sound quality, I'm guessing that RadioShack paid iBiquity
a fortune for the license, cheaply put together a subpar product, and
passed the licensing cost on to consumers."
The Accurian is probably the crappiest HD radio, and it looks like it
has wings and is about to take-off - LOL! Do the DAB hustlers get a
percentage of the sales of DAB radios, like iBiquity does for HD
radios?
Richard Evans
> Do the DAB hustlers get a
> percentage of the sales of DAB radios, like iBiquity does for HD
> radios?
Not as far as I know.
As far as I understand, most of the Research and Development was done by
the BBC, and none of the techniques used require any licensing.
DAB+ is slightly different, as parts of the aac+ codec (SBR and
parametric stereo) are owned by Encoder Technologies. However as I
understand it, they only charge for the rights to decode it, and the
fees are cheap, something less than £1 per receiver.
Presumably Encoder technologies are counting on very wide use of their
codec to get their money back, and it looks like that may be a good
policy, as aac+ is becoming very common.
Richard E.
IanT
"HD Radio Farce" <hdradi...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:295cd2a6-b8a5-4238...@h2g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
It was some idiot responsible for the design in the first place. They were
told to make the
DABradio appeal to a wide range of people and to get "old" people to buy
them. So they
decided that an old case looking like an old fashioned radio would be
recognised by those
who are "older". They would be told how good they were and buy them. Old
case, new insides
sort of thing. It backfired as PURE cocked it up completely, they made
something that looks
like a cigar box with a towel rail attached. PURE also allowed broadcasters
to get away with
using MONO audio as they put ONE speaker. So much for "crystal clear stereo
audio" that
they all lied about in the early days and were forced to admit.
I bought a DABradio when manufacturers realised this serious error and got
one that looks
like a "normal" radio. This silly design at the start made the radios
unattractive. Most young
people looked and thought, "I'm not buying that old thing, it looks crap and
has one speaker".
Designs were changed after a result of feedback from customers and people
who refused
to buy DABradios. The old fashioned radios you see on sale now are the ones
that were
all stockpiled because they couldn't sell them. SO you're getting something
5 years old. The
only NEW ones are in normal looking cases, so best to stick to those.
The whole DABradio thing is ugly! Poor quality low bitrate mono stations,
mainly automated
jukeboxes with loads of adverts and music repeated every 2 hours. You are
much better off
with FM stereo or even a decent MW station as both sound better than DAB
does now.
When DAB was first tested in the UK the bitrates were much higher, but that
didn't make sense
for the purpose of lots of stations selling advertising. It was decided to
lower bitrates and
cram as much in as possible.
So, ugly DABradio is here for a while longer until it is phased out. People
said they liked
having more stations, but if they bothered fitting an aerial to their normal
tuner they would get
plenty!
DABradio gets the thumbs down, MW AM mono (or stereo) and VHF FM mono and
stereo
sound much much better. DAB multiplexes don't carry as far as a single
AM/FM signal as
a multiplex is much wider and takes more bandwidth, so you need a higher
transmitter power
and better aerial for the radio! You might only listen to one station but
must be able to
get the entire multiplex at a high enough signal!
You are right, DABradio is definitely UGLY!
IanT
"J G Miller" <mil...@yoyo.ORG> wrote in message news:126554...@vo.lu...
Definitely, they are not a good design and do not appeal to people.
That's why they are being sold off cheap as there are thousands of
the things stockpiled after being returned to PURE because retailers
couldn't get shut of them!
It was a silly design idea that backfired as the market research part
was missed out.
HD Radio Farce
> "J G Miller" <mil...@yoyo.ORG> wrote in messagenews:126554...@vo.lu...
Interesting - I'm sure that unsold HD radios are stockpiled at
retailers, as they remain unsold. iBiquty keeps fudging sales figures,
and mostly talks about the number of HD radio chipsets shipped, but
not sold. One retailer dared to admit that return rates for HD radios
is higher than on other products because of the fragile digital
signals.
DAB sounds worse than FM
> On Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:44:06 -0800, HD Radio Farce wrote:
>
>> I'm serious - just curious...
>
> Most radios produced today are ugly in comparison to the better designs
> of the 1970s and 1980s.
>
> And the Pure Bug radio must be one of the ugliest designs ever.
Agreed.
> But do you really consider the Pure 1, 2, 3 series that ugly?
I would describe them as being "twee" looking. BTW, I think you're referring
to the Pure Evoke 1, 2 and 3.
--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - digital radio news & info
The BBC's "justification" of digital radio switchover is based on lies
DAB sounds no worse than -FM
On Feb 6, 9:32?pm, Richard Evans <rp.evans.nos...@tiscali.co.uk>
wrote:
> HD Radio Farce wrote:
> > I'm serious - just curious...
>
> I reckon it it's part of trying to keep the costs down.
> Cases designed to be made cheaply, containing cheap circuit boards glued
> together somewhere in the far east.
> I think you are right about keeping the costs down. The Insignia
> portable HD Radio is especially cheap, 1/2 the size of a deck of
> cards, yet costs $40 - $50.
I got mine for $35. $35-50 is a pretty good price for a great little radio.
> There are licensing costs that manufacturers have to pay iBqiuty
Just the way microsoft operates...and we all know they are headed out of
business, right? LOL!
DAB sounds no worse than -FM
> Interesting - I'm sure that unsold HD radios are stockpiled at
> retailers, as they remain unsold.
This is another statement (not an opinion). Do you have anything to back it
up?
HD Radio Farce
@fooked..com> wrote:
> "HD RadioFarce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in message
"Struble: Radio Is the Last Analog Medium Standing"
September 2009
"Insignia HD — I think this will be a nice little interim step for
jogging or working out. It proves the viability [of the technology]
and hopefully we'll get sales; but no, this is not going to sell in
the hundreds of thousands... Radio alone — the sad reality of where it
is — as a standalone device, it just doesn't exist anymore as a
category. Nobody goes into Best Buy and says 'Where's the radio
department?'"
HD Radio Farce
@fooked..com> wrote:
> "HD RadioFarce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:2a1d4977-3ba8-419a...@l19g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
> > > I'm serious - just curious...
>
> > I reckon it it's part of trying to keep the costs down.
> > Cases designed to be made cheaply, containing cheap circuit boards glued
> > together somewhere in the far east.
> > I think you are right about keeping the costs down. The Insignia
> > cards, yet costs $40 - $50.
>
> I got mine for $35. �$35-50 is a pretty good price for a great little radio.
>
> > There are licensing costs that manufacturers have to pay iBqiuty
>
> Just the way microsoft operates...and we all know they are headed out of
> business, right? �LOL!
That $35 radio is for the Little Red Insignia only available to
broadcaters - it is a cheap POS. My Kaito WRX-911 AM/FM/SW radio cost
about $20 and can run forever on two AA batteries. It is also built
like a tank. Evidentially, the truth has come out about the Insignia
only running on batteries for TWO hours - LOL! Also, HD radios
discourage bandscanning, as the lock times are up to 8 seconds per
station - LOL! Consumers will never put up with that - LOL!
DAB sounds no worse than -FM--
On Feb 7, 5:51?pm, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM" <dab.is-
@fooked..com> wrote:
> "HD RadioFarce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in
> messagenews:2a1d4977-3ba8-419a...@l19g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 6, 9:32?pm, Richard Evans <rp.evans.nos...@tiscali.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
> >HD RadioFarce wrote:
> > > I'm serious - just curious...
>
> > I reckon it it's part of trying to keep the costs down.
> > Cases designed to be made cheaply, containing cheap circuit boards glued
> > together somewhere in the far east.
> > I think you are right about keeping the costs down. The Insignia
> > portableHD Radiois especially cheap, 1/2 the size of a deck of
> > cards, yet costs $40 - $50.
>
>
> > There are licensing costs that manufacturers have to pay iBqiuty
>
> Just the way microsoft operates...and we all know they are headed out of
> That $35 radio is for the Little Red Insignia only available to
> broadcaters
That's how I got mine. But SHhhhhh! DOn't tell Higdon I'm in the biz!
> - it is a cheap POS.
It's actually a great radio fro $35. Most of my colleages that have them at
the station love them.
And for the price you cant go wrong.
> he truth has come out about the Insignia only running on batteries for TWO
> hours
I'm sur eit didn't have to "come out". It's much like a laptop that claims
hours and hours of life...that is, if it is idle. The more you do with it,
the faster the batteries go. With the Insignia, if you are constantly
tuning and unsing the lighted dial, it's only natural that the batery will
go quicker.
> - LOL! Also, HD radios discourage bandscanning, as the lock times are up
> to 8 seconds per
> station - LOL! Consumers will never put up with that - LOL!
Just like digital Cable TV...or have you expereinced that yet? LOL!
The public seems to be puttingup with that jsut fine! LMAO!
DAB sounds no worse than -FM--
On Feb 7, 5:50 pm, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM" <dab.is-
@fooked..com> wrote:
> "HD RadioFarce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:3d5dcfbc-6332-448d-9051-
>
> > Interesting - I'm sure that unsold HD radios are stockpiled at
> > retailers, as they remain unsold.
>
> This is another statement (not an opinion). Do you have anything to back
> it
> up?
Again, where are the facts, where is the data you have?
user
> I'm serious - just curious...
for the faint of heart ...
don't come with Adolf Hitler and "entartete kunst", or we'll say computer
viruses are entarted too...
--
--
What's on Shortwave guide: choose an hour, go!
http://shortwave.tk
700+ Radio Stations on SW http://swstations.tk
300+ languages on SW http://radiolanguages.tk
HD Radio Farce
@fooked..com-> wrote:
> "HD Radio Farce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:aa8e0829-8e38-4caf...@f15g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 7, 5:50 pm, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM" <dab.is-
>
> @fooked..com> wrote:
> > "HD RadioFarce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:3d5dcfbc-6332-448d-9051-
>
> > > Interesting - I'm sure that unsold HD radios are stockpiled at
> > > retailers, as they remain unsold.
>
> > This is another statement (not an opinion). Do you have anything to back
> > it
> > up?
>
> Again, where are the facts, where is the data you have?
"Struble: Radio Is the Last Analog Medium Standing"
September 2009
"Insignia HD — I think this will be a nice little interim step for
jogging or working out. It proves the viability [of the technology]
and hopefully we'll get sales; but no, this is not going to sell in
the hundreds of thousands... Radio alone — the sad reality of where
it
is — as a standalone device, it just doesn't exist anymore as a
category. Nobody goes into Best Buy and says 'Where's the radio
department?'"
http://www.rwonline.com/article/87370
Right here - out of Struble's mouth - LOL!
HD Radio Farce
> HD Radio Farce wrote:
> > I'm serious - just curious...
>
> for the faint of heart ...
>
> don't come with Adolf Hitler and "entartete kunst", or we'll say computer
> viruses are entarted too...
>
> --
> --
LOL!
DAB sounds no worse than -FM--
On Feb 8, 1:37 am, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM--" <dab.is-
@fooked..com-> wrote:
> "HD Radio Farce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in
> messagenews:aa8e0829-8e38-4caf...@f15g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 7, 5:50 pm, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM" <dab.is-
>
> @fooked..com> wrote:
> > "HD RadioFarce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:3d5dcfbc-6332-448d-9051-
>
> > > Interesting - I'm sure that unsold HD radios are stockpiled at
> > > retailers, as they remain unsold.
>
> > This is another statement (not an opinion). Do you have anything to back
> > it
> > up?
>
> Again, where are the facts, where is the data you have?
>"Struble: Radio Is the Last Analog Medium Standing"
> September 2009
This is not data, it's another opinion! LOL!
HD Radio Farce
@fooked..com-> wrote:
> "HD Radio Farce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:f1a02b9f-544f-46f5...@g28g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...
>
> - Show quoted text -
Jusr like Struble's "opinion" that HD radios aren't selling - LMFAO!
DAB sounds no worse than -FM--
On Feb 8, 1:01?pm, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM--" <dab.is-
@fooked..com-> wrote:
> "HD Radio Farce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in
> messagenews:f1a02b9f-544f-46f5...@g28g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 8, 1:37 am, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM--" <dab.is-
>
>
>
>
>
> @fooked..com-> wrote:
> > "HD Radio Farce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in
> > messagenews:aa8e0829-8e38-4caf...@f15g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...
> > On Feb 7, 5:50 pm, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM" <dab.is-
>
> > @fooked..com> wrote:
> > > "HD RadioFarce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> > > news:3d5dcfbc-6332-448d-9051-
>
> > > > Interesting - I'm sure that unsold HD radios are stockpiled at
> > > > retailers, as they remain unsold.
>
> > > This is another statement (not an opinion). Do you have anything to
> > > back
> > > it
> > > up?
>
> > Again, where are the facts, where is the data you have?
> >"Struble: Radio Is the Last Analog Medium Standing"
> > September 2009
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
> Jusr like Struble's "opinion" that HD radios aren't selling - LMFAO!
Great line from Lost last week. "It ain't over, and anything before that is
just progress!" LOL!
HD Radio Farce
@fooked..com-> wrote:
> "HD Radio Farce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:30802bf8-575f-4c5c...@d30g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
>
> - Show quoted text -
iBiquity can't be "floated" forever by investors - LOL!
DAB sounds no worse than -FM--
On Feb 8, 4:13?pm, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM--" <dab.is-
> is
> just progress!" ?LOL!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
> iBiquity can't be "floated" forever by investors - LOL!
"It ain't over, and anything before that is just progress!" LMAO!
By the way, did you hear about the big power increase? LOL!
HD Radio Farce
@fooked..com-> wrote:
> "HD Radio Farce" <hdradiofa...@gmail.com> wrote in messagenews:ca3de4b3-5b71-4810...@w16g2000yqw.googlegroups.com...
>
> - Show quoted text -
"Warp Factor 6, Mr. Scott"
"To wit, how many existing installations will have sufficient headroom
to implement the increase without significant retooling of
transmission hardware?.. Some simply won't make it with their existing
transmitters, and plant cooling capacity will also have to be bumped
up along with electrical power mains service, and back-up generating
plant output... Those using high level combining schemes will face
similar issues, as reject loads, digital transmitters, etc., will all
have to be upsized... One thing's for certain: approval of a 6dB HD
digital boost will mean lots of extra hours, as managers and owners
task their engineers with delivering a wee bit more digital drive
without melting down already overheated corporate budgets. For many,
actually making it happen is likely to be an agonizing process."
BTW - did you hear that many broadcasters have turned off HD. BTW -
few will have the headroom, or funds, for any power increase - LOL!
DAB sounds no worse than -FM--
On Feb 9, 12:21?pm, "DAB sounds no worse than -FM--" <dab.is-
>
> By the way, did you hear about the big power increase? ?LOL!- Hide quoted
>
> - Show quoted text -
> "Warp Factor 6, Mr. Scott"
FCC authorizes a power increase for HD Radio FM signals
Published on Friday, January 29, 2010
Most HD Radio operators had long sought the relaxation of the rules that
kept digital power far below analog power levels, which hasn't helped sell
the new technology to consumers who can't pick up the digital signals. Today
(Jan. 29) the Media Bureau adopted an Order permitting most stations to
immediately make a four-fold power increase of 6 dB, and allow stations to
apply for even more power, up to a 10 dB increase over current levels.
Bandwidth
>
> "HD Radio Farce" <hdradi...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:295cd2a6-b8a5-4238...@h2g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
> > I'm serious - just curious...
>
> It was some idiot responsible for the design in the first place. They
> were told to make the DABradio appeal to a wide range of people and
> to get "old" people to buy them. So they decided that an old case
> looking like an old fashioned radio would be recognised by those
> who are "older".
I was thinking along the same lines.
We all know that old radios (and TV, audio, etc.) were made to
a standard, designed and built to last. Modern equipment is
made to a price, and manufacturers want it to fail as soon
as the warranty runs out. Many devices do exactly that, days
after the guarantee. As repairs are expensive, the manufacturer
makes another sale.
So the old design gives the impression of quality, something that
will last. The problem is that this only works with the extreme
wrinklies, even I would not bother with a fake vintage radio. But
wrinklies are unlikely to rush out to replace a perfectly good
radio, just because new technology exists.
I suspect that the younger people would be most likely to buy
something just because it's new. They are always buying "cover"
versions of old songs because of the new artist. But trying to
sell old looking mono radios to young people is crazy.
So I think they shot themselves in the foot.
Peter.
A Radio Listener
The power increase should be sufficient to overcome many of the
complaints about HD.
> BTW - did you hear that many broadcasters have turned off HD. BTW -
> few will have the headroom, or funds, for any power increase - LOL!
This is an incorrect statement that you keep repeating...even though
you've been corrected.