Very true radioviewer, DAB can sound good when it is used properly BUT the system is creaking under the strain of the ever increasing plethora of stations that are appearing on it.;the more and more stations you have and accommodate on DAB the poorer the quality and the poorer the robustness of reception because you cannot have quality AND choice at the same time, to accommodate the extra stations, bit rates HAVE to be reduced to a worrying point where robustness of reception and quality both suffer.:(
Hence the reason to boot off stations on FM and clear the airwaves.
If Lincs FM don't want to go on DAB, as has been suggested, put up their franchise to auction again.
Very true radioviewer, DAB can sound good when it is used properly BUT the system is creaking under the strain of the ever increasing plethora of stations that are appearing on it.;the more and more stations you have and accommodate on DAB the poorer the quality and the poorer the robustness of reception because you cannot have quality AND choice at the same time, to accommodate the extra stations, bit rates HAVE to be reduced to a worrying point where robustness of reception and quality both suffer.:(
Not how it works at all, the broadcasters themselves decide their bit rates, greater bit rates are more expensive.
Not how it works at all, the broadcasters themselves decide their bit rates, greater bit rates are more expensive.
Rubbish!!! Can you imagine a general entertainment station on DAB broadcasting in stereo at 80kbps 64kbps or 32kbps joint stereo or lower? Imagine the complaints that would come flooding in that the quality is cr*p!!! But you would argue that quality isn't important irrespective of what's broadcast!!! Music stations and entertainment stations DESERVE good quality stereo at 128kbps sampling not rubbish lower rates at joint stereo or mono even, which is what will happen if the current number of stations on DAB keep increasing. To get good quality on a DAB multiplex you can only have 6 stations at 192kbps stereo, to keep stereo you have to go down 128kbps full stereo or joint stereo (joint stereo is poor for certain types of music especially classical if you have extreme left and right stereo imaging in the music, and some classical pieces can sound watery as well).
in less time than you have spent shouting, putting multiple exclamation marks behind everything and ignoring what I said in my post you could have found out that the major part of a DAB contract is paying for capacity. http://www.utvdab.com/opportunities.asp?id=100098
That's why Jazz FM dropped their bit rate on Digital One. Ofcom did have minimum bit rates, they have now proposed scrapping these, see section 5.12 to 5.14
If that counts as an advert the ASA would be empowered to get them to remove that, there was a judgement about this several years ago.
It is an advert but strangely, like another example that was cited here for false advertising, it appears to be for an obsolete model (from around 8 years ago in this case).
DAB was, is, and always will be a mobile means of receiving over-the-air terrestrial audio content. Everything about the system is designed to cope with and counteract the vagaries of the mobile point-to-multipoint propagation channel, not the fixed point-to-point channel. The fact that somewhere in the middle of the night that's been overlooked by politicos and other Beeb and broadcast management wonks wanting to make it the de facto radio system in the UK is 80%, 20% financial and 0% technical.
No-one wants to lose services, but the nuts and bolts of the financial equation are that if FM simulcasts are scaled down, there will be more of the finite financial pot to devote to rolling out coverage and increasing quality of DAB. Irrespective of whether that's a good thing or not. As has been explained above, if you need ultimate quality then either stream, or invest in a cheap FreeSat receiver to connect to an amp, like I have.
I've read that Ofcom document and the bit where fixed bit rates for radio stations will be dropped is extremely disturbing and quite alarming;if the wherewithal is given to radio stations to ignore DAB bit transmission rates and do whatever they like; and that seems to be irrespective of how poor you are receiving it, or how good it is qualitywise, then it will be a total disaster waiting to happen. As soon the the proverbial sh*t-hits-the-fan through these changes, DAB set sales will go down, listenership will also drop like very heavy stones and the whole thing will be CHAOS. It seems more and more becoming the case that DAB means quantity over quality no matter what-and Ofcom is sowing the seeds to allow this to happen.
And this CAI genius thinks that DAB aerials should be highly directional to reduce choice (they can't even count the elements) and that no-one broadcasts FM with vertical polarisation...
And this CAI geniusthinks that DAB aerials should be highly directional to reduce choice (they can't even count the elements) and that no-one broadcasts FM with vertical polarisation...
How right you are!!! DAB ISN'T capable of CD quality sound at all;it's just false claims that are being trotted out by the people behind the sets to hoodwink people into thinking that's the truth, and as that tinpot CAI engineer he is utter WRONG;broadcasts on FM have ALWAYS used vertical or horizontal polarisation (or even mixed polarisation) for years.
Moving with the times means switching from mono to S-T-E-R-E-O and leaving 78rpm quality far behind.
Sadly, most DAB hasn't achieved either of those basics !
Outside the main cities most FM stations will be heard in mono in the car anyway. In my area I can only get Radio 1-4, Heart, Radio Berkshire and The Breeze in stereo! And all of these drop in to mono at times. DAB provides more stations in stereo in this environment and it provides much more real choice full stop.
I have excellent hearing and so does my many friends who love DAB, we also love the variety from listening to stations such as Heat, Chill and Gaydio. These stations are not available on FM so if it wasn't for DAB I wouldn't listen to the mainstream stations as they are boring and tedious - So going back to our hearing we DO NOT notice any difference from mono - stereo.
I have excellent hearing and so does my many friends who love DAB, we also love the variety from listening to stations such as Heat, Chill and Gaydio. These stations are not available on FM so if it wasn't for DAB I wouldn't listen to the mainstream stations as they are boring and tedious - So going back to our hearing we DO NOT notice any difference from mono - stereo.
I would have thought that if you had excellent hearing it should be easy to tell the difference between mono & stereo...
I bought a DAB radio must be three years ago now and I wasn't impressed. There was a constant low level hum in the background when I was expecting crystal clear clarity (or was lead to believe). The set then died and I took it back to the shop and went for the refund rather than replacement.
Maybe the set was just faulty with the hum business but I haven't gone back to DAB. I get good reception for FM and MW in the Midlands and I don't tend to rush after new technology anyway.
Wasn't there an expectation that analogue broadcasting would be phased out? Im sure a date was set at some point but then rescinded. There must be reasons for that, presumably take up of DAB has not been as quick as projected?
Wasn't there an expectation that analogue broadcasting would be phased out? Im sure a date was set at some point but then rescinded. There must be reasons for that, presumably take up of DAB has not been as quick as projected?
It was decided that two years' notice would be given of a date when duplication of stations on DAB and FM would cease. One of the thresholds was that 50% of listening would have to be via DAB, but when it became clear that this would not be achieved for a decade or two, it was quietly changed to 50% of listening via digital platforms. The plan was for the announcement to be made at the end of 2013 with most FM being switched off at the end of 2015.
However, even that relaxed target was missed by a mile, as was the 2013 deadline for all new cars to have DAB as standard.
With fewer than 5% of cars on the road having DAB, the coalition government realised that annoying millions of people just before a General Election to appease a handful of DAB advocates made as much sense as a hole in the head, so switchover was kicked into the long grass.
Little has changed since then, and many major manufacturers such as Mazda, Hyundai, Nissan and Vauxhall still don't offer DAB on many or all of their vehicles, even as an expensive option. Similarly, most people still don't have a DAB radio, so it's nowhere near critical mass.
Er because DAB when used properly has a better sound and quality signal than crackling FM and creaking AM.
AM maybe, but not a good FM signal. DAB could be better but like digital terrestrial TV, everything is squeezed into a small space and they try to get away with the minimum sound quality they can.
I would have thought that if you had excellent hearing it should be easy to tell the difference between mono & stereo...
It does depend on the radio and where the speakers are.
If you got a portable radio where each speaker is attached either side of the unit then you are not going to notice. In a car you should because the speakers are either side of you, but to be honest the driver should be concentrating more on the road. On a home hi-fi again depending where you are relative to the speakers you should be able to tell the difference between stereo and mono.
AM maybe, but not a good FM signal. DAB could be better but like digital terrestrial TV, everything is squeezed into a small space and they try to get away with the minimum sound quality they can.
I will stick to FM thank you.
I can't. As I said, I can't get BBC Leeds on 92.4 here, but can get it on DAB at 100%.
I can't get BBC Lincolnshire on FM, yet can't get it on DAB because of the refusal of Muxco and Lincs FM to get their arses in gear with the Lincolnshire multiplex.
It was decided that two years' notice would be given of a date when duplication of stations on DAB and FM would cease. One of the thresholds was that 50% of listening would have to be via DAB, but when it became clear that this would not be achieved for a decade or two, it was quietly changed to 50% of listening via digital platforms. The plan was for the announcement to be made at the end of 2013 with most FM being switched off at the end of 2015.
However, even that relaxed target was missed by a mile, as was the 2013 deadline for all new cars to have DAB as standard.
With fewer than 5% of cars on the road having DAB, the coalition government realised that annoying millions of people just before a General Election to appease a handful of DAB advocates made as much sense as a hole in the head, so switchover was kicked into the long grass.
Little has changed since then, and many major manufacturers such as Mazda, Hyundai, Nissan and Vauxhall still don't offer DAB on many or all of their vehicles, even as an expensive option. Similarly, most people still don't have a DAB radio, so it's nowhere near critical mass.
Comments
Hence the reason to boot off stations on FM and clear the airwaves.
If Lincs FM don't want to go on DAB, as has been suggested, put up their franchise to auction again.
Not how it works at all, the broadcasters themselves decide their bit rates, greater bit rates are more expensive.
Rubbish!!! Can you imagine a general entertainment station on DAB broadcasting in stereo at 80kbps 64kbps or 32kbps joint stereo or lower? Imagine the complaints that would come flooding in that the quality is cr*p!!! But you would argue that quality isn't important irrespective of what's broadcast!!! Music stations and entertainment stations DESERVE good quality stereo at 128kbps sampling not rubbish lower rates at joint stereo or mono even, which is what will happen if the current number of stations on DAB keep increasing. To get good quality on a DAB multiplex you can only have 6 stations at 192kbps stereo, to keep stereo you have to go down 128kbps full stereo or joint stereo (joint stereo is poor for certain types of music especially classical if you have extreme left and right stereo imaging in the music, and some classical pieces can sound watery as well).
However, when driving locally I can often receive BBC Radio Northampton !
Wunnerful, innit?
in less time than you have spent shouting, putting multiple exclamation marks behind everything and ignoring what I said in my post you could have found out that the major part of a DAB contract is paying for capacity.
http://www.utvdab.com/opportunities.asp?id=100098
That's why Jazz FM dropped their bit rate on Digital One. Ofcom did have minimum bit rates, they have now proposed scrapping these, see section 5.12 to 5.14
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/digital-radio-tech-codes/summary/Digital_Radio_Tech_Codes.pdf
Not sure if anything has yet been decided as a result of this consultation?
Seems some are still perpetuating that myth though...
With the sleek and portable Clock Radio Philips AJ5100, you can now enjoy CD quality music from the Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB).
If that counts as an advert the ASA would be empowered to get them to remove that, there was a judgement about this several years ago.
It is an advert but strangely, like another example that was cited here for false advertising, it appears to be for an obsolete model (from around 8 years ago in this case).
No-one wants to lose services, but the nuts and bolts of the financial equation are that if FM simulcasts are scaled down, there will be more of the finite financial pot to devote to rolling out coverage and increasing quality of DAB. Irrespective of whether that's a good thing or not. As has been explained above, if you need ultimate quality then either stream, or invest in a cheap FreeSat receiver to connect to an amp, like I have.
Yamaha "CD-quality DAB sound"
Audi Just how many mistakes and false claims can you spot?
Needless to say, the tinpot box-shifters don't know any better...
DAB broadcasts radio programmes via a digital signal usually assigned to the FM frequency range and offers CD-quality audio.
Even some CAI members haven't a clue...
DAB radio aerials deliver CD quality sound supported with text. The DAB aerials are tuned for optimum performance between 217-230MHz. Still at least you can listen to BBC7, Capital Life and NMR Radio as you wait for 2012 when the government will be switching off the old FM analogue service and replacing it with digital...
And this CAI genius thinks that DAB aerials should be highly directional to reduce choice (they can't even count the elements) and that no-one broadcasts FM with vertical polarisation...
How right you are!!! DAB ISN'T capable of CD quality sound at all;it's just false claims that are being trotted out by the people behind the sets to hoodwink people into thinking that's the truth, and as that tinpot CAI engineer he is utter WRONG;broadcasts on FM have ALWAYS used vertical or horizontal polarisation (or even mixed polarisation) for years.
Just get over it that some people enjoy DAB and others not so (normally the ones that can't move with the times)
Sadly, most DAB hasn't achieved either of those basics !
I would have thought that if you had excellent hearing it should be easy to tell the difference between mono & stereo...
Maybe the set was just faulty with the hum business but I haven't gone back to DAB. I get good reception for FM and MW in the Midlands and I don't tend to rush after new technology anyway.
Wasn't there an expectation that analogue broadcasting would be phased out? Im sure a date was set at some point but then rescinded. There must be reasons for that, presumably take up of DAB has not been as quick as projected?
However, even that relaxed target was missed by a mile, as was the 2013 deadline for all new cars to have DAB as standard.
With fewer than 5% of cars on the road having DAB, the coalition government realised that annoying millions of people just before a General Election to appease a handful of DAB advocates made as much sense as a hole in the head, so switchover was kicked into the long grass.
Little has changed since then, and many major manufacturers such as Mazda, Hyundai, Nissan and Vauxhall still don't offer DAB on many or all of their vehicles, even as an expensive option. Similarly, most people still don't have a DAB radio, so it's nowhere near critical mass.
AM maybe, but not a good FM signal. DAB could be better but like digital terrestrial TV, everything is squeezed into a small space and they try to get away with the minimum sound quality they can.
I will stick to FM thank you.
It does depend on the radio and where the speakers are.
If you got a portable radio where each speaker is attached either side of the unit then you are not going to notice. In a car you should because the speakers are either side of you, but to be honest the driver should be concentrating more on the road. On a home hi-fi again depending where you are relative to the speakers you should be able to tell the difference between stereo and mono.
I can't. As I said, I can't get BBC Leeds on 92.4 here, but can get it on DAB at 100%.
I can't get BBC Lincolnshire on FM, yet can't get it on DAB because of the refusal of Muxco and Lincs FM to get their arses in gear with the Lincolnshire multiplex.
Thanks for the information.