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[HCDX] European HD Radio examined
European HD Radio examined
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/link.asp?smenu=1&twindow=Default&sdetail=2
538&mad=No&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=
Kevin Hilton
Germany could be the key European country in the development of digital
radio as this month sees the start of test broadcasts for both DRM+ and HD
Radio.
This coincides with the second meeting of the European HD Radio Alliance
this coming week in Amsterdam, reflecting the growing interest in the
American-developed "HD Radio" system.
The first European trials of HD Radio took place in Poland and Switzerland
last year and have been followed by tests in the Czech Republic, Ukraine,
Romania and Bosnia. The latest test site is Heidelberg, which went on air on
December 1 and is scheduled to run until February 29 next year. This
overlaps with trials of DRM+, the extended version of the digital AM format,
which began on November 20 in Hanover. A second DRM+ test will be held
in Kaiserslautern from March 1 to May 31 2008.
HD Radio had been confined to the US, where the in-band, on-channel
(IBOC) system was considered to be better suited to the country's radio
frequency structure than DAB, which requires new transmission bands to
carry the multiplexed signals. Although DAB is now well established across
Europe there is concern within the radio industry that the cost of getting on a
multiplex could be a barrier to small, commercial stations going digital.
As a consequence iBiquity Digital, the company that developed HD Radio,
has been receiving enquiries from European radio stations. "DAB is very
well suited to multiple programme supply, along the lines of RTL and the
BBC," said Perry Priestley, director of broadcast business development at
iBiquity Digital. "But it doesn't really suit commercial broadcasters with only
one channel. We've been hearing from European broadcasters who say
'DAB doesn't benefit us', partly because it's expensive to implement."
The European HD Radio Alliance, of which Priestley is treasurer, was
formed at the beginning of October to promote the technology on the
continent. Its chairman, Juerg Bachmann, former managing director of
Energy Zurich in Switzerland and now head of digital projects at the station's
parent group, Goldbach Media, explained the need for the Alliance: "With a
number of countries in Europe testing or deploying HD Radio technology, we
believe that now is the right time to form an organisation to share our
experiences and help co-ordinate our collective marketing efforts."
When IBOC was first proposed for digital radio the European radio
technology industry criticised it on the ground that it was unstable and prone
to interference. Another objection was that the patents are owned by a single
company, which charges fees for use. Perry Preistley at iBiquity responds
that HD Radio is used successfully by 50 to 60 stations in New York, while
on the licensing question he says, "DRM and DAB have licences for the
technologies but the fees go to many companies through a patent pool. HD
Radio is similar but the fees come to one company. We're using a different
licensing scheme in Europe, with broadcasters contacting manufacturers
direct and not paying an on-going fee."
HD Radio is not seen as a replacement for DAB or DRM but an alternative
that could work for some European radio stations. A spokeswoman for the
UK's Digital Radio Development Board said that "everybody is looking at
everything", although there is currently no apparent interest in the country for
HD Radio. The general interest in various digital radio systems is shown not
only by the testing of HD Radio and DRM+ but also by Malta and
Switzerland making commitments to implement DAB+, while trials of the
upgraded version of DAB are being held in Germany, Holland, France, Italy
and Monaco. - (c) Rapid TV News 2007________________________
http://zlgr.multiply.com (raidio monitoring site plus audio clips )
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
.
on my main : www.geocities.com/zliangas
-tty-px.html : test of various TTY programs
-ethics.htm : greek ethics , days and institutions
-frape.htm: the greek way of cofee !!!
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
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