Russo on the HD Digital Radio Alliance
Font size:
Rich Russo
“WOW, I just read the first sentence about the HD radio alliance and am a bit confused…
‘The HD Digital Radio Alliance yesterday marked three successful years’
Successful? How are they defining that? I can write forever about the HD radio missteps and can even channel a previous article I had written called “HD, Huge Debacle” from a few years ago and it would seem just as timely now as it did then.
The bottom line remains this, they have had 3 years and have had Tens of Millions of dollars of free advertising and there is no awareness, no buzz and no movement. If the broadcasters used those spots to solicit funds for Katrina victims or for a charitable cause, the world would be a much better place.
The average person doesn’t get jazzed about buying new radios like they do TV’s, although it seems that the Bose Wave Radio is quite popular, oops that doesn’t have HD capability, why is that? Makes no sense not to have Bose on board…
How come HD radio capabilities aren’t built in the new TV sets with their digital tuners or with the TV satellite companies or cable companies?
Since everybody in the country has at least one radio, wouldn’t it be better to focus attention on some sort of an adapter that could convert any existing radio to pick up HD signals as opposed to asking people to buy new radios?
Ironically 3 years later and these are the same questions raised from day one, so if status quo or treading water for 3 years in a world of rapidly changing technology is considered successful, then I all I can say is WOW and invoke that famous quote of our current and soon to be gone president : MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.”
Click here to get daily news and observations delivered to your mobile, home or work email - free!
Add to:
del.icio.us |
Digg
del.icio.us |
Digg
Email to a friend
Print versionLog in
Classifieds
-
Radio Careers
- Geneeral Manager - Small Market, Perry, IA
- Experienced Account Exec., Durango, CO
- News Director, Manitowoc, WI
- View all radio jobs
- View Situations Wanted
- ENG Truck Oper/Photojournalist, Mason City, IA
- TV News Photographer, Ghent, WV
- TV Cameraman/Editor, Cape Girardeau, MO
- View all television jobs
- View Situations Wanted
TV Careers
Rate this article
Comments (1 posted):
So, the FCC is likely to authorize 800,000,000 converter boxes, at a cost of say $50/each for $20 walkman-style pocket-radios? Oh, let's not forget coupons for AM-loop and FM-dipole antennas, since HD Radio simply doesn't work. Let's see, so I am going to be willing to convert my analog radios, which get perfectly good coverage with no dropouts nd no external antennas, to HD radios with dropouts and 5 to 10 second delays for HD signal acquisition/reacuisition, and having to mount external antennas. What takes me a minute to scan the analog radio dial, would now take many times longer with an HD radio.
It is obvious, that retailers and manufacturers are figuring out that consumers have zero interest in HD Radio, thus adding expensive HD Radio tuners to digital TVs, or whatever, is not an option:
"Pioneer says HD Radio succcess should be decided by open market, not forced inclusion"
"The iBiquity conditions would limit the breadth of radio product offerings to consumers, limit which radio component suppliers’ products be designed into radios, have the effect of decreasing AM/FM tuning performance, unnecessarily increase costs to consumers uninterested in HD Radio."
http://tinyurl.com/5f9q2b
How many people come home and listen to the radio, versus watching TV and/or getting on the Internet. Yea, and the HD Alliance has met their objectives, and now Ferrera is gone.
Post your comment