|
||||||||
DAB+: When will the big boys wake up? |
![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
#176 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 13,570
|
Quote:
You could call DAB+ the HD of digital radio, and you’ll recognise the benefits as soon as you turn it on. Delivering crisper and richer audio, you’ll discover new quality in radio tunes.
John Lewis are correct with DAB+ audio, just that no UK station currently meets this but take the set to some European cities and the quality is on some stations.Would be good if TWG/Switchdigital could simulcast Virgin on London 2 in DAB+ stereo at good bitrate? |
|
|
|
|
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
|
|
|
#177 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,436
|
Quote:
some Freeview HD TVs are, very confusingly, still advertised as "HD Ready" to indicate that their panels are not full HD.
Using the same analogy, MW/FM-only car radios could be described as "DAB/DAB+ Stereo Ready" because you could use a Pure Highway converter with them ! |
|
|
|
|
|
#178 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,436
|
Quote:
John Lewis are correct with DAB+ audio, just that no UK station currently meets this
|
|
|
|
|
|
#179 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,436
|
Quote:
John Lewis's products do appear to be clearly marked as either DAB or DAB/DAB+.
I know they shouldn't be selling DAB-only radios at all but they don't appear to be misleading anyone. It's one thing to use in-store boosters to overcome the building's screening and interference levels because they aren't representative of domestic conditions, but IMHO secretly boosting the signals dramatically so that they receive muxes that are far out of area (e.g. Surrey & N. Sussex) is very dishonest, especially for the majority of sets that have captive aerials. |
|
|
|
|
|
#180 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: West London
Posts: 24,303
|
Quote:
It's also rather misleading to use in-store DAB/DAB+ signal boosters. The result is that at Bluewater for example you'll find their radios will receive far more far more stations than you are likely to get at home.
It's one thing to use in-store boosters to overcome the building's screening and interference levels because they aren't representative of domestic conditions, but IMHO secretly boosting the signals dramatically so that they receive muxes that are far out of area (e.g. Surrey & N. Sussex) is very dishonest, especially for the majority of sets that have captive aerials. |
|
|
|
|
|
#181 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: South Notts (Waltham TV TX)
Posts: 20,200
|
Quote:
It's also rather misleading to use in-store DAB/DAB+ signal boosters. The result is that at Bluewater for example you'll find their radios will receive far more far more stations than you are likely to get at home.
It's one thing to use in-store boosters to overcome the building's screening and interference levels because they aren't representative of domestic conditions, but IMHO secretly boosting the signals dramatically so that they receive muxes that are far out of area (e.g. Surrey & N. Sussex) is very dishonest, especially for the majority of sets that have captive aerials. And of course, no less "dishonest" than the mobile networks which offer in-store boosters to ensure the customer is able to test the device even if coverage a few stores away may be non-existent. |
|
|
|
|
|
#182 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Buckingham
Posts: 28,534
|
I wish my local supermarket used a booster so I could carry on listening to TMS while shopping.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#183 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,455
|
Quote.
"It's also rather misleading to use in-store DAB/DAB+ signal boosters. The result is that at Bluewater for example you'll find their radios will receive far more far more stations than you are likely to get at home." At my local JL there was no DAB reception, and very little FM, in their TV and radio department until they installed a distribution system because it is in the basement. I suspect that if you tried your DAB radio at Bluewater, especially if it has a multi-storey carpark you could go up the roof level of, you would get all those stations. Stores can't be held responsible for poor reception at your house which could be due to a vast number of reasons. I get more stations at home than in their store. |
|
|
|
|
|
#184 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,436
|
Quote:
I suspect that if you tried your DAB radio at Bluewater, especially if it has a multi-storey carpark you could go up the roof level of, you would get all those stations. Stores can't be held responsible for poor reception at your house which could be due to a vast number of reasons.
![]() The key point is that John Lewis need to have a prominent notice that they are using boosters, so that customers will be aware that the in-store conditions are optimum and that their mileage may well vary. |
|
|
|
|
|
#185 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 8,077
|
Quote:
Quote.
"It's also rather misleading to use in-store DAB/DAB+ signal boosters. The result is that at Bluewater for example you'll find their radios will receive far more far more stations than you are likely to get at home." At my local JL there was no DAB reception, and very little FM, in their TV and radio department until they installed a distribution system because it is in the basement. I suspect that if you tried your DAB radio at Bluewater, especially if it has a multi-storey carpark you could go up the roof level of, you would get all those stations. Stores can't be held responsible for poor reception at your house which could be due to a vast number of reasons. I get more stations at home than in their store. The important thing is to have good reception of something (I'd suggest the BBC national mux) to assess the audio quality of a DAB radio, and in the case of a mobile phone shop, have reception of the network(s) that store is a dealer for, to be able to demonstrate problems etc, and for the store to activate SIMs etc |
|
|
|
|
|
#186 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Whitchurch, Hampshire, England
Posts: 4,323
|
Quote:
John Lewis are correct with DAB+ audio, just that no UK station currently meets this but take the set to some European cities and the quality is on some stations.
Would be good if TWG/Switchdigital could simulcast Virgin on London 2 in DAB+ stereo at good bitrate? |
|
|
|
|
|
#187 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 8,077
|
Quote:
It's misleading because if you are buying from John Lewis you are almost certainly going to be in the UK, so then "as soon as you turn it on" you get the same sort of audio quality as plain vanilla DAB, given the 24-48 kb/s bitrates of the DAB+ stations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#188 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,436
|
Quote:
I don't understand the problem. You don't live in the store, you live at home !! So it's irrelevant the number of services you can and or cannot receive inside the shop.
The important thing is to have good reception of something (I'd suggest the BBC national mux) to assess the audio quality of a DAB radio The BBC National Mux would be the worst possible one to demonstrate because it doesn't have any DAB+ stations, half of its stations are simulcasts of analogue transmissions, and nothing has launched recently so people are already familiar with its offerings. |
|
|
|
|
|
#189 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,455
|
So why didn't you just take the radio back? Not that there was anything wrong with it. If you try out a DAB+ radio in central Manchester you will get the Manchester mini mux, in the suburbs you probably won't, that's life isn't it.
I get more stations at home than the radios in JL get, the fact that I can see Winter Hill, Piccadilly Plaza and Manchester One out of the window needless to say is the reason. |
|
|
|
|
|
#190 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 175
|
Quote:
According to Wohnort there are now 28 DAB+ transmissions in the UK, with several now using a fairly respectable 48kbit/s stereo
I had a browse through Wohnort a few days back at some of the European DAB multiplexes, particularly Germany and the Netherlands and had a look at the bitrates. Most are broadcasting at least at 80kbps aac and many are at 96 kbps. Clasical music stations even higher. 24 and 32 kbps aac is a bit of a travesty, surely. There aren't even that many at 48 kbps in Europe. Until the BBC lead the way I fear this will be the norm in the UK. I doubt the BBC will run their stations at 32 kbpsd. |
|
|
|
|
|
#191 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,475
|
Quote:
I had a browse through Wohnort a few days back at some of the European DAB multiplexes, particularly Germany and the Netherlands and had a look at the bitrates.
Most are broadcasting at least at 80kbps aac and many are at 96 kbps. Clasical music stations even higher. 24 and 32 kbps aac is a bit of a travesty, surely. There aren't even that many at 48 kbps in Europe. |
|
|
|
|
|
#192 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: South East England
Posts: 5,714
|
Quote:
A lot of European stations are using the v1 variant of HE-AAC. The UK stations are using the more efficient HE-AAC v2.
|
|
|
|
|
#193 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Essex
Posts: 3,858
|
Quote:
HE-AAC v2's only of any use at lower bitrates and would be detrimental to the audio reproduction at higher bitrates.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#194 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Retford
Posts: 20,449
|
Quote:
I doubt the BBC will run their stations at 32 kbpsd.
|
|
|
|
|
#195 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 503
|
The question is, are these low bit rates being done for cost saving or are Arqiva trying to cram more in to make more money?.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#196 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Retford
Posts: 20,449
|
Quote:
The question is, are these low bit rates being done for cost saving or are Arqiva trying to cram more in to make more money?.
...except, digital radio listenership habits are not the same as digital television viewership habits. |
|
|
![]() |
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 19:03.




