Daddy Dee Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 Occasionally there are posts/threads seeking and offering advice on finding quality FM tuners. I usually think, wow, that's someone living somewhere there's something decent on the air. That would be excellent geography. Anyway, lately I've been hearing radio adverts for HD radio from Crutchfield.com. I haven't picked up on this before now, and my understanding is pretty limited. In my understanding of this broadcast technology, digital signals will replace analog signals. Cool thing about this is that a single station can multicast several signals in it's bandwidth offering additional channels for different styles of music and advertisements, etc. Sounds like that offers potential for better programming, but who knows what the end result will be. Anyone know about the technical end of this? Will the quality of the signal be higher fidelity than current gear? It is being touted as near CD quality. Any take is appreciated. Below is a link to a little info. http://news.com.com/High-definition+radio+gears+up+for+reality/2100-1041_3-5722285.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 "Near CD quality" is the operative word. Given that CD is the bare minimum for audiophiles (and inadequate for some of us), that's the bottom line. OTOH, it's quite good for all but the most demanding applications. Houston NPR is using it to expand their programming. Personally, I am quite convinced that satillite distribution will result in the end of radio as we have known it since KDKA. Like WalMart, there are good and bad aspects to this. It is possible that some method may be found to provide a local service for ads, weather, and news, but the internet and satellites will make what we grew up with a distant memory, like Western Auto, the local hardware store, and the mom and pop grocery. As one who put himself through college with a 3rd class ticket, waited precious minutes for one of the 3 or 4 radiotelephone circuits to be available to file a news report, and cut my teeth by cutting tape while chatting up the local dj groupie girlies on the request line, I will miss it. [O] marches on... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 8, 2007 Author Share Posted April 8, 2007 Dave, thanks. anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 No radio is owned by a bunch of suits in a room selling adverts. We both have to put up with the same pathetic airwaves. NPR is the only thing that gets me to turn it on but have you actually listened to what "music" is on the radio lately? BS BS BS I can't believe people think that is music. I had XM radio for a couple years and was completely happy with the programming. It was like a breathe of fresh air as every genre you could think of was represented. They didn't just play the popular artist or hits. I often got to listen to bands that I had only read about or heard of...brilliant. The question I have is how does this signal compare to fm or cd? How is HD different from XM or Sirius? I have been thinking about getting an XM receiver for my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody_Mack Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 I believe Dave nailed it. And the chatter and commercials you will always get off the free air waves, high definition or not, is still noise to me. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 According to a newspaper article today HD radio tuners will offer AM-digital, FM-digital, & Digital with the AM freq response stretched to 15khz and no noise in either format. Not sure I am in full understandingment of the situation. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 According to a newspaper article today HD radio tuners will offer AM-digital, FM-digital, & Digital with the AM freq response stretched to 15khz and no noise in either format. Not sure I am in full understandingment of the situation. JJK That is just like gold plating a turd....It is still a turd..... I'll stick with satellite radio as there are no commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 I believe Dave nailed it. And the chatter and commercials you will always get off the free air waves, high definition or not, is still noise to me. Rick The HD in HD radio doesn't stand for high definition, it stands for Hybrid Digital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Sorta' like MP3's at first was "CD Quality"....horsehockey!!!!!, then it was modified to say, "NEAR CD like Quality"......Don't want to be a "Doomist", but Radio is headed towards Pay for Listen......Siruis, and XM, which recently merged together, not good for the consumer, started it, Pay for Radio is wrong in my book, and HD radio will travel the same road..........Pay for free airwaves.......it never stops,pay for this, pay for that, to honestly answer your question Daddy Dee.....................NO !!!!.......just my take on it.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Sorta' like MP3's at first was "CD Quality"....horsehockey!!!!!, then it was modified to say, "NEAR CD like Quality"......Don't want to be a "Doomist", but Radio is headed towards Pay for Listen......Siruis, and XM, which recently merged together, not good for the consumer, started it, Pay for Radio is wrong in my book, and HD radio will travel the same road..........Pay for free airwaves.......it never stops,pay for this, pay for that, to honestly answer your question Daddy Dee.....................NO !!!!.......just my take on it.................. The only good free radio in Little Rock is our public radio with NPR all the other stations suck and the music is either american idol like or classics that they have been playing for 30 years. If pay radio means I get 170 channels of music and no commercials and no DJ than I would gladly pay $12 a month. Yeah I wish it were free but normally I wouldn't even touch a radio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Some of you know that I rebuild classic AM radios. Here in the Fort Worth Dallas market there is a 10,000 W AM station KAAM 780, that runs its high end frequency past 10,000 Hz with no compression that I have been able to detect. Its format is Golden Oldies. I listen to it on a 1937 Zenith floor-model with P-P 6L6's in the final. It produces that rich, throaty sound that made Zenith famous. AND there is a switch that disables the roll-off at the top end. Although mono, it beats anything on local FM. I'm going to enjoy it while I can. Everybody who has heard it has been amazed. DRBILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Some of you know that I rebuild classic AM radios. Here in the Fort Worth Dallas market there is a 10,000 W AM station KAAM 780, that runs its high end frequency past 10,000 Hz with no compression that I have been able to detect. Its format is Golden Oldies. I listen to it on a 1937 Zenith floor-model with P-P 6L6's in the final. It produces that rich, throaty sound that made Zenith famous. AND there is a switch that disables the roll-off at the top end. Although mono, it beats anything on local FM. I'm going to enjoy it while I can. Everybody who has heard it has been amazed. DRBILL Wow local radio no compression that must be nice. I can't remember where I read it but it was regarding the early days of radio and listening to wide bandwidth broadcasts of BBC symphonies on old Voight horns. It seems early on there was no compression. The problem for me is not so much the quality but rather the music being played. If you have a local station that plays high quality broadcast and material you enjoy that is great. Could you post a pic of your Zenith if you have one available? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByteWrangler Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Some of you know that I rebuild classic AM radios. Here in the Fort Worth Dallas market there is a 10,000 W AM station KAAM 780, that runs its high end frequency past 10,000 Hz with no compression that I have been able to detect. Its format is Golden Oldies. I listen to it on a 1937 Zenith floor-model with P-P 6L6's in the final. It produces that rich, throaty sound that made Zenith famous. AND there is a switch that disables the roll-off at the top end. Although mono, it beats anything on local FM. I'm going to enjoy it while I can. Everybody who has heard it has been amazed. DRBILL I didn't think that the 20+ kHz bandwidth required for that was allowed on the AM band. If there is no local or DX adjacent station, I guess there is no harm done, at least as long as no one in authority cares - or notices. It must sound nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 "...will result in the end of radio as we have known it since KDKA." Since killer dinosaurs knew Adam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 KEEP THE AIRWAVES FREE.....................To pay for Radio should be ILLEGAL !!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 "...will result in the end of radio as we have known it since KDKA." Since killer dinosaurs knew Adam? I suspect you know this. KDKA, Pittsburgh. First radio station in the US on the air 2 November, 1920. First election returns, first baseball game...and first commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 Ah Yes, radio broadcasts of BaseBall before it was big on TV. Curt Gowdy calling the Red Sox games, kinda' a lost art now with Tv and all. Feel the old radio days were almost better, you had to use your imagination, close your eyes, and listen to the game unfold..............Boy, Radio did have it's Golden Days............shame it's changed so much............................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRBILL Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 I'm sorry about the picture I posted. It was too large and oriented sideways. This is the first attempt to send a picture since the forum software was upgraded. I'm sure that I needed to go through a picture editor instead of right out of the camera. I'll do beter with practice. DRBILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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