Or if you.have satellite you can listen to 80's and Absolute @128kbps, Classic FM @ 192kbps and Planet Rock @ 160 kbps
I don't have satellite (at least, not Sky/Astra 2) so I was wondering if someone does, and who has it hooked up to a hifi, could say what Absolute 80s and Planet Rock sound like via satellite?
I've got Virgin Media, and on cable they're atrocious. No idea what bitrates are used, and where the feeds are sourced, but Planet Rock is mono (maybe it's sourced off DAB, which has of course just gone mono). Absolute 80s is still stereo on cable, but it's so appallingly "swooshy" that I'm guessing it must be being decoded and re-encoded somewhere along the chain. It's utterly unlistenable, except perhaps through tiny telly speakers.
Meanwhile, things remain tough at Pure, its digital radio arm. The company diversified into digital audio broadcasting (DAB) some 11 years ago, but despite being touted as the next big thing, DAB has never really caught on, and looks to be left behind in a lo-fi world where consumers are happy to listen to MP3s through cheap headphones connected to their smartphones.
Slightly ironic reasoning when DAB is on average even more lo-fi!
Ireland's communication minister thinks going online is more important in the long run than DAB:
“Digital Audio Broadcasting – or DAB – looks very much like a false start, even if there were a market rationale for it in the Irish market.
“No, as with so much else, radio is ultimately going to have to go online. It may take awhile; there are a lot of FM radios out there, in cars, or on window sills around the country. But there are relatively few new radios sold, certainly relative to the number of smartphones or other connected devices, and that is where the audience is going, not just for radio or TV, but for everything.”
Better get that 4G/multicasting sorted out then.
Just thought I'd post the other side of the coin compared to the posts from South City, lundavra and hanssolo.
After a peak in listening in September 2011 listening on Abs 80 is slowly growing, will be interesting to find out what the listening figures will be like in 6 months and if dab and internet use will continue to grow, assuming Absolute is still there
I don't have satellite (at least, not Sky/Astra 2) so I was wondering if someone does, and who has it hooked up to a hifi, could say what Absolute 80s and Planet Rock sound like via satellite?
I've got Virgin Media, and on cable they're atrocious. No idea what bitrates are used, and where the feeds are sourced, but Planet Rock is mono (maybe it's sourced off DAB, which has of course just gone mono). Absolute 80s is still stereo on cable, but it's so appallingly "swooshy" that I'm guessing it must be being decoded and re-encoded somewhere along the chain. It's utterly unlistenable, except perhaps through tiny telly speakers.
My satellite system is linked up to a hi-fi and the stations sound absoutely fine with plenty of strength. They are certainly not unlistenable, in fact far from it. I don't get D1 on DAB where I live but I do get Classic FM at 128 kbps Joint Stereo which is OK and I have compared that to the satellite signal which is 192 kbps Joint Stereo and the satellite does sound better. Planet Rock at 160 kbps JS should sound infinitely better than 80kbps mono.
It's a shame that UK stations don't follow some continental stations when it comes to satellite bit rates, many stations I listen to are 192 kbps stereo and above. FIP the French station for instance broadcasts at 256 kbps stereo - and sounds terrific.
I don't have satellite (at least, not Sky/Astra 2) so I was wondering if someone does, and who has it hooked up to a hifi, could say what Absolute 80s and Planet Rock sound like via satellite?
I've got Virgin Media, and on cable they're atrocious. No idea what bitrates are used, and where the feeds are sourced, but Planet Rock is mono (maybe it's sourced off DAB, which has of course just gone mono). Absolute 80s is still stereo on cable, but it's so appallingly "swooshy" that I'm guessing it must be being decoded and re-encoded somewhere along the chain. It's utterly unlistenable, except perhaps through tiny telly speakers.
The Sky/Freesat Planetrock feed sounds mono, maybe it is also a rebroadcast of DAB, or using the output of the DAB encoder via landline to the uplink site? More listening is required to confrm?
Abs 80 is stereo so not the DAB feed!
Hertz and vinnielo assert that Planet Rock is mono on satellite; peter_sharp and markelliott say it's stereo. Of course spanners is right that 160k JS should sound better than 80k mono, but not if some goon is doing something daft like feeding the satellite uplink with a mono stream (anything's possible). So vinnielo's right: can someone actually confirm (with their ears) whether it's mono or stereo, and what it sounds like? (Judging from another thread I looked at since my previous post, it sounds like it might have changed in the last couple of days, the same as on DAB.)
I've no idea what bitrates are used on cable, and can think of no easy way of finding out, but I can tell using my ears that Planet Rock is mono and Absolute 80s sounds bloody awful.
Hertz and vinnielo assert that Planet Rock is mono on satellite; peter_sharp and markelliott say it's stereo. Of course spanners is right that 160k JS should sound better than 80k mono, but not if some goon is doing something daft like feeding the satellite uplink with a mono stream (anything's possible). So vinnielo's right: can someone actually confirm (with their ears) whether it's mono or stereo, and what it sounds like? (Judging from another thread I looked at since my previous post, it sounds like it might have changed in the last couple of days, the same as on DAB.)
I've no idea what bitrates are used on cable, and can think of no easy way of finding out, but I can tell using my ears that Planet Rock is mono and Absolute 80s sounds bloody awful.
I've heard that some things on cable will look and sound worse than on satellite. Apparently the stuff that Virgin does not have direct (fibre) access to is taken off satellite from 28E and then re-compressed and re-distributed over the cable network.
I've just taken a listen to Planet Rock on satellite, it definitely sounds mono to my ears as well and very flat. The music isn't to my taste anyway, but even if it was I couldn't listen to it as it sounds terrible. 160kbps joint stereo should sound much better than that, take Heart and Capital for example, which use the same bit rates. It must be being fed by a dodgy stream or something...
Absolute 80s also sounds compressed and swooshy as you say.
The waveforms for the left and right channels on Planet Rock don't half look similar.... http://kjs1982.me.uk/3rdparty/digitalspy/PlanetRock-S113E050408.pdtv.png (and that was during a Muse song - and they have some really obvious stereo bits which were notably absent!). On my stereo the left hand channel is clipping quite badly - mono feed to both sides with the volume of the left too high perhaps?
With stations like Xfm and Magic it's obvious the two channels differ a bit
The Global stations, such as Heart and Capital are the same.
On the website it says Abs 80s is 128k so also might go mono at sometime.?.
Perhaps Bauer are getting ready to reducing Planetrock!
's bandwith to also save money on Astra?.
Eventually connected TVs and STBs like Youview will get radio via apps like Radioplayer or Tunein.
After a peak in listening in September 2011 listening on Abs 80 is slowly growing, will be interesting to find out what the listening figures will be like in 6 months and if dab and internet use will continue to grow, assuming Absolute is still there
Analogue is still the only platform that you can stick a couple of batteries in and it will keep going for days.
Dab still uses loads of power even if they are better than they used to be, any internet based system even if they use mobile broadband will only last a couple of hours at least.
Try running a tablet all day on wi-fi or 3g if they got that with a radio station playing. then you need extra speakers.
i can take my Fm radio outside and not worry about it running out of batteries.
Why waste 160 kb/s of bandwidth by restreaming a dodgy mono feed though?
My guess - was set-up as a rebroadcast of DAB - and as you'd want to use a slightly higher bit rate than the source to minimise re-encoding artifacts it was setup at 160; and since it's changed on DAB no one has bothered reducing the satellite feed or finding an alternative source.
Still, not the worst rebroadcast I've heard - the Freeview rebroadcast of Heart 106 retains that award http://kjs1982.me.uk/heart.html
My guess - was set-up as a rebroadcast of DAB - and as you'd want to use a slightly higher bit rate than the source to minimise re-encoding artifacts it was setup at 160; and since it's changed on DAB no one has bothered reducing the satellite feed or finding an alternative source.
Still, not the worst rebroadcast I've heard - the Freeview rebroadcast of Heart 106 retains that award http://kjs1982.me.uk/heart.html
Oh dear. Sounds like it's an off-air feed of a weak signal with something 200 kHz away bleeding over slightly, possibly Galaxy 105.8 from Emley Moor.
The Sky/Freesat Planetrock feed sounds mono, maybe it is also a rebroadcast of DAB, or using the output of the DAB encoder via landline to the uplink site? More listening is required to confrm?
Abs 80 is stereo so not the DAB feed!
Planet Rock is a station I very rarely listen to but I've just had a closer listen and compared Planet Rock with the adjacent station Heart which also broadcasts at 160kbps JS and according to my ears Heart is definitely stereo and Planet Rock is mono.
Oh dear. Sounds like it's an off-air feed of a weak signal with something 200 kHz away bleeding over slightly, possibly Galaxy 105.8 from Emley Moor.
Probably Saga/Smooth on 105.7 as I believe it was off-air reception in Birmingham. (or maybe even a Birmingham pirate the other side - it was always hissy but the bleed through from another station came and went)
Comments
I don't have satellite (at least, not Sky/Astra 2) so I was wondering if someone does, and who has it hooked up to a hifi, could say what Absolute 80s and Planet Rock sound like via satellite?
I've got Virgin Media, and on cable they're atrocious. No idea what bitrates are used, and where the feeds are sourced, but Planet Rock is mono (maybe it's sourced off DAB, which has of course just gone mono). Absolute 80s is still stereo on cable, but it's so appallingly "swooshy" that I'm guessing it must be being decoded and re-encoded somewhere along the chain. It's utterly unlistenable, except perhaps through tiny telly speakers.
Sadly, it's also on mono on Sky. Absolute 80's in stereo though.
Why are there so many mono radio stations on Sky now ?
Same reason as for DAB probably - keeping costs down.
Even on my little radio, i can tell the difference between the quality of different stations and also the same station on FM.
Even classic Fm, which is one of the higher quality stations on Dab, still sounds far better on Fm.
If the quality of stations is being reduced on Dab again, then it will be a total waste of time bothering with it.
Pure is going through a tough time apparently:
http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/56497/imagination-technologies-slumps-after-warning-on-profits-56497.html
Slightly ironic reasoning when DAB is on average even more lo-fi!
Ireland's communication minister thinks going online is more important in the long run than DAB:
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/32489-rabbittes-radio-shocker/
Better get that 4G/multicasting sorted out then.
Just thought I'd post the other side of the coin compared to the posts from South City, lundavra and hanssolo.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8c6db72a-b31e-11e2-b5a5-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2SF7QeeqE
The future of radio will be multiplatform with internet and DAB growing and analogue declining.
After a peak in listening in September 2011 listening on Abs 80 is slowly growing, will be interesting to find out what the listening figures will be like in 6 months and if dab and internet use will continue to grow, assuming Absolute is still there
Surely one of these posts is wrong? Surely Planet Rock isn't broadcasting on satellite at 160 kbps in mono?
Planet Rock is 160kbps joint stereo on satellite according to the following site which scans streams daily: http://en.digitalbitrate.com/dtv.php?mux=12523&pid=9575&live=69&lang=en
The Global stations, such as Heart and Capital are the same.
My satellite system is linked up to a hi-fi and the stations sound absoutely fine with plenty of strength. They are certainly not unlistenable, in fact far from it. I don't get D1 on DAB where I live but I do get Classic FM at 128 kbps Joint Stereo which is OK and I have compared that to the satellite signal which is 192 kbps Joint Stereo and the satellite does sound better. Planet Rock at 160 kbps JS should sound infinitely better than 80kbps mono.
It's a shame that UK stations don't follow some continental stations when it comes to satellite bit rates, many stations I listen to are 192 kbps stereo and above. FIP the French station for instance broadcasts at 256 kbps stereo - and sounds terrific.
Even Planet Rock?
Abs 80 is stereo so not the DAB feed!
I've no idea what bitrates are used on cable, and can think of no easy way of finding out, but I can tell using my ears that Planet Rock is mono and Absolute 80s sounds bloody awful.
I've heard that some things on cable will look and sound worse than on satellite. Apparently the stuff that Virgin does not have direct (fibre) access to is taken off satellite from 28E and then re-compressed and re-distributed over the cable network.
I've just taken a listen to Planet Rock on satellite, it definitely sounds mono to my ears as well and very flat. The music isn't to my taste anyway, but even if it was I couldn't listen to it as it sounds terrible. 160kbps joint stereo should sound much better than that, take Heart and Capital for example, which use the same bit rates. It must be being fed by a dodgy stream or something...
Absolute 80s also sounds compressed and swooshy as you say.
With stations like Xfm and Magic it's obvious the two channels differ a bit
Perhaps Bauer are getting ready to reducing Planetrock!
's bandwith to also save money on Astra?.
Eventually connected TVs and STBs like Youview will get radio via apps like Radioplayer or Tunein.
Analogue is still the only platform that you can stick a couple of batteries in and it will keep going for days.
Dab still uses loads of power even if they are better than they used to be, any internet based system even if they use mobile broadband will only last a couple of hours at least.
Try running a tablet all day on wi-fi or 3g if they got that with a radio station playing. then you need extra speakers.
i can take my Fm radio outside and not worry about it running out of batteries.
My guess - was set-up as a rebroadcast of DAB - and as you'd want to use a slightly higher bit rate than the source to minimise re-encoding artifacts it was setup at 160; and since it's changed on DAB no one has bothered reducing the satellite feed or finding an alternative source.
Still, not the worst rebroadcast I've heard - the Freeview rebroadcast of Heart 106 retains that award http://kjs1982.me.uk/heart.html
Oh dear. Sounds like it's an off-air feed of a weak signal with something 200 kHz away bleeding over slightly, possibly Galaxy 105.8 from Emley Moor.
Planet Rock is a station I very rarely listen to but I've just had a closer listen and compared Planet Rock with the adjacent station Heart which also broadcasts at 160kbps JS and according to my ears Heart is definitely stereo and Planet Rock is mono.
Probably Saga/Smooth on 105.7 as I believe it was off-air reception in Birmingham. (or maybe even a Birmingham pirate the other side - it was always hissy but the bleed through from another station came and went)