Re: [IRCA] HD Surround Sound?

[Scott Fybush <scott@xxxxxxxxxx>]

W. Curt Deegan wrote:
> While enjoying commercial free oldies on XM the other night, a brief 
> technology update item by "Lazlo"(?) spoke about Surround Sound now on some 
> FM and AM IBOC stations -- or HD as he called it.
> 
> What is this all about?  Or has he just convoluted his concepts?  He said 
> surround sound more than once.
> 
> I have to wonder if someone is now using the term "surround sound" to mean 
> something altogether different than what it really does.
> 
> Maybe with proper Dolby processing equipment the received hiss can be 
> isolated on back channels and sold as surround.  A new slogan for IBOC: 
> "Soothing white noise to augment your listening experience."
> 
> Anyone know what this latest IBOCism is about?

Sure - there are a couple of companies promoting different schemes for 
doing full 5.1 surround via HD Radio. It's been a topic of some dispute 
at the last couple of NAB shows - Frank Foti's Omnia has linked up with 
the Fraunhofer folks from Germany for a discrete multichannel system, 
while Neural Audio is promoting what I believe is a matrixed system. 
I've heard Foti give long dissertations on why Neural's system can't 
work properly. I've heard the Neural folks explain why their system can 
work within the bandwidth of existing FM HDs and Foti's can't. I've 
listened to the opening riffs of Pink Floyd's "Money" in the back seats 
of several vehicles parked on the NAB show floor, demonstrating both 
systems. They both seem to work, if you're into that sort of thing.

WZLX in Boston announced during this past April's show that they're 
teaming up with the Omnia/Fraunhofer camp to run surround on their HD 
signal, so it's apparently out there at least for testing. I certainly 
haven't seen any receivers yet.

(Apropos of which, I just got back from a few days outside NYC, where I 
had the chance to see how the BA Recepter performed on the fringe of the 
market. I suppose I could post a review here...or would everyone just 
prefer being snarky to actual on-the-ground testing? I can go either 
way... :-)

s
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