Radio Caroline has been added this week to the Trial Birmingham multiplex in DAB+
Meanwhile, despite being 80kbps mono, Like Radio is absolutely unlistenable, the worst DAB sound quality I have ever heard, sounds like it is actually a 32kbps DAB mono stream, has to be heard to be believed
Radio Caroline has been added this week to the Trial Birmingham multiplex in DAB+
Meanwhile, despite being 80kbps mono, Like Radio is absolutely unlistenable, the worst DAB sound quality I have ever heard, sounds like it is actually a 32kbps DAB mono stream, has to be heard to be believed
Hi there,
We're currently experiencing some technical problems with the Like Radio service which we're working to resolve at the moment. I can assure you, it's not supposed to sound like that! We're working hard to get the service back up and running; hopefully we should be back in business soon enough.
We're currently experiencing some technical problems with the Like Radio service which we're working to resolve at the moment. I can assure you, it's not supposed to sound like that! We're working hard to get the service back up and running; hopefully we should be back in business soon enough.
Switch Radio
Sounds "like" the same audio quality as on the Trial Glasgow mux. Like is on 128 kbts stereo but really hard on the ears! All treble, little bass; just sounds horrible and always has.
Sounds "like" the same audio quality as on the Trial Glasgow mux. Like is on 128 kbts stereo but really hard on the ears! All treble, little bass; just sounds horrible and always has.
When 'Like' started on the Hereford and Worcester multiplex the sound was dreadful as you describe. I contacted a guy called Matt who works for Muxco and he just fobbed me off with a load of inaccurate technical mumbojumbo and something about spectrums..? I didn't bother replying to him, but I have heard other references to this lack of midrange sound.
This station simply has by far the worst sound quality of any DAB station that I know of.
The DAB+ stations on birmingham mux are good pitty ofcom will not allow all DAB+
Do you mean the Trial Birmingham multiplex? If so, Ofcom has suspended the DAB+ restriction for the trial multiplexes - so it is possible to have an 'all-DAB+' multiplex.
Why doesn't one or both of these 80s stations now the Manchester trail get onto the Norwich one ? The reason I say this is people in the city have lost Absolute 80s a few months back & you would think they might find a few listeners .
Why doesn't one or both of these 80s stations now the Manchester trail get onto the Norwich one ? The reason I say this is people in the city have lost Absolute 80s a few months back & you would think they might find a few listeners .
Currently Norwich is full but if the existing stations reduce bandwidth then more stations will be possible.
What stops existing multiplex operators from also adopting the much cheaper new technology and therefore being able to invest more money into content (or profit) rather than transmission bills? It seems like reducing the cost of something like transmission is a win-win for everyone. Whining that your competitors are reducing their costs by using an advanced new technology without using it yourself seems disingenuous. What is really happening here is that Spencer and co. are swallowing the costs of testing out a new tech that, once it has matured, will likely end up benefiting the Bauers of this world.
The costs are in the open source software used in the SFN multiplexing and codec kit, if there is a fault then they will not have the backup of the current main manufacturers so existing commercial mux operators will keep existing kit they brought at high cost.
But as kit needs replacing then costs will reduce.
It was thought the minimuxes will be run by local small stations supplemented by other stations like Chris Country, CDNX, Caroline, Angel, Solar, Breeze etc. This now seems to be working out and I noticed Bauer had popup Magic Abba on the Manchester minimux recently so presumably helping the running costs?
The costs are in the open source software used in the SFN multiplexing and codec kit, if there is a fault then they will not have the backup of the current main manufacturers so existing commercial mux operators will keep existing kit they bought at high cost.
But as kit needs replacing then costs will reduce.
Is it realistic to scale up the 200W minimuxes to 'real' 10 - 20kW main station installations?
I thought that the minimuxes made compromises such as omitting the massive and expensive filters used by the big boys.
Wouldn't it be the DAB equivalent of Wrotham main FM stations trying to use a £10 in-car FM transmitter and a big RF amplifier?
Is it realistic to scale up the 200W minimuxes to 'real' 10 - 20kW main station installations?
I thought that the minimuxes made compromises such as omitting the massive and expensive filters used by the big boys.
Wouldn't it be the DAB equivalent of Wrotham main FM stations trying to use a £10 in-car FM transmitter and a big RF amplifier?
Only if you really want to rock the entire local DAB model. This would seriously upset the 'big' boys who pay a lot of money to have Arqiva etc to operate robust multiplexes with kit, TX sites, licensing etc that cost a small fortune. The minimuxes are effectively far more cost efficient (but you get what you pay for).
The minimuxes aren't allowed to be more than a certain (sorry exact figure not to hand) percentage of their local commercial counterpart. Rightly so.
The minimuxes aren't allowed to be more than a certain (sorry exact figure not to hand) percentage of their local commercial counterpart. Rightly so.
The Ofcom rule is up to 40% of indoor coverage area of the area local commercial mux. Most trial muxes have been allocated 100W ERP except London SFN with 200W per DAB tx.
The situation is similar to analogue community radio which has restrictions placed on it, so as to ensure the sector remains seperate from existing commercial radio and doesn't have too heavy an impact on the commercial sector. Radio is still a very highly regulated sector.
Seems to be a Private Member's Bill, not sure how that would affect its chances of making its way to the statute books. Also it isn't clear whether it's aimed just at making the 10 minimuxes permanent or widening small-scale digital into a free-for-all. The parliament website just reads that such bills are usually only published on or around the time of second reading.
Seems to be a Private Member's Bill, not sure how that would affect its chances of making its way to the statute books. Also it isn't clear whether it's aimed just at making the 10 minimuxes permanent or widening small-scale digital into a free-for-all. The parliament website just reads that such bills are usually only published on or around the time of second reading.
Private members bills hardly ever make it unless they end up with government backing.
In Birmingham, Gaydio has changed from 128k stereo to 80k mono and the audio level is really low.
Ambur has changed from 80k mono to 128k stereo, but the actual feed sounded mono when I listened, may just have been the content that was playing at the time, but this station is broadcasting in FM mono in Walsall, so a bit odd that it has upgraded to stereo on DAB in Birmingham.
The sound quality on Touch and Unity FM is also very distorted and Big City seems to have switched to DAB+
In Birmingham, Gaydio has changed from 128k stereo to 80k mono and the audio level is really low.
Ambur has changed from 80k mono to 128k stereo, but the actual feed sounded mono when I listened, may just have been the content that was playing at the time, but this station is broadcasting in FM mono in Walsall, so a bit odd that it has upgraded to stereo on DAB in Birmingham.
The sound quality on Touch and Unity FM is also very distorted and Big City seems to have switched to DAB+[/QUO
The best thing would be to go all DAB+ at 32kbs & 48kbs & forget the old MP2
Nearly all radio receive DAB+ & all car DAB radios
The best thing would be to go all DAB+ at 32kbs & 48kbs & forget the old MP2.
Nearly all radio receive DAB+ & all car DAB radios
I'm all in favour of switching to DAB+ rapidly, but sadly it's not the case that nearly all radios receive DAB+. A 'twilight' period of dual illumination whenever possible would be the way to go.
Many home radios, probably the majority, are limited to only plain vanilla DAB. Even worse, some or all of the radios currently on sale in places such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Currys and John Lewis still don't have DAB+. Presumably they are expecting punters to buy another radio when they find their shiny new purchase was already obsolete before they left the store.
It's true that most DAB car radios have DAB+, but not all do. For example, DAB+ was crippled on the original version of the Pure Highway sold in the UK.
Maybe there should now be an assumption that all new services should be introduced in DAB+ with existing DAB services migrating over time as/when their listeners are (depending on the station's target audience) likely to have moved on to a DAB+ set.
Comments
Meanwhile, despite being 80kbps mono, Like Radio is absolutely unlistenable, the worst DAB sound quality I have ever heard, sounds like it is actually a 32kbps DAB mono stream, has to be heard to be believed
Hi there,
We're currently experiencing some technical problems with the Like Radio service which we're working to resolve at the moment. I can assure you, it's not supposed to sound like that! We're working hard to get the service back up and running; hopefully we should be back in business soon enough.
Switch Radio
The processing hasn't changed in quite a few months. PC based running on Win XP and hasn't needed a reboot since launch someone told me.
Sounds "like" the same audio quality as on the Trial Glasgow mux. Like is on 128 kbts stereo but really hard on the ears! All treble, little bass; just sounds horrible and always has.
When 'Like' started on the Hereford and Worcester multiplex the sound was dreadful as you describe. I contacted a guy called Matt who works for Muxco and he just fobbed me off with a load of inaccurate technical mumbojumbo and something about spectrums..? I didn't bother replying to him, but I have heard other references to this lack of midrange sound.
This station simply has by far the worst sound quality of any DAB station that I know of.
No they have not. See post 481.
Birmingham was a whole separate issue sorted out 2 days ago and is delivered differently to Glasgow. Glasgow sound is changing this weekend.
HW was changed some time ago and sounds completely different.
Do you work for this station? Problems with sound quality should be sorted out before transmission start date, not weeks or months later.
Do you mean the Trial Birmingham multiplex? If so, Ofcom has suspended the DAB+ restriction for the trial multiplexes - so it is possible to have an 'all-DAB+' multiplex.
But as kit needs replacing then costs will reduce.
It was thought the minimuxes will be run by local small stations supplemented by other stations like Chris Country, CDNX, Caroline, Angel, Solar, Breeze etc. This now seems to be working out and I noticed Bauer had popup Magic Abba on the Manchester minimux recently so presumably helping the running costs?
I thought that the minimuxes made compromises such as omitting the massive and expensive filters used by the big boys.
Wouldn't it be the DAB equivalent of Wrotham main FM stations trying to use a £10 in-car FM transmitter and a big RF amplifier?
Only if you really want to rock the entire local DAB model. This would seriously upset the 'big' boys who pay a lot of money to have Arqiva etc to operate robust multiplexes with kit, TX sites, licensing etc that cost a small fortune. The minimuxes are effectively far more cost efficient (but you get what you pay for).
The minimuxes aren't allowed to be more than a certain (sorry exact figure not to hand) percentage of their local commercial counterpart. Rightly so.
The Ofcom rule is up to 40% of indoor coverage area of the area local commercial mux. Most trial muxes have been allocated 100W ERP except London SFN with 200W per DAB tx.
on the A516 digital website
Private members bills hardly ever make it unless they end up with government backing.
Ambur has changed from 80k mono to 128k stereo, but the actual feed sounded mono when I listened, may just have been the content that was playing at the time, but this station is broadcasting in FM mono in Walsall, so a bit odd that it has upgraded to stereo on DAB in Birmingham.
The sound quality on Touch and Unity FM is also very distorted and Big City seems to have switched to DAB+
Many home radios, probably the majority, are limited to only plain vanilla DAB. Even worse, some or all of the radios currently on sale in places such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Currys and John Lewis still don't have DAB+. Presumably they are expecting punters to buy another radio when they find their shiny new purchase was already obsolete before they left the store.
It's true that most DAB car radios have DAB+, but not all do. For example, DAB+ was crippled on the original version of the Pure Highway sold in the UK.