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Why isn't Digital Radio Widespread!!


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Old 27-12-2000, 16:21
Nikhil
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Digital radio is a great idea and the sound quality is excellent. A selection of digital radio can be seen by Joe Public on Sky digitals "900 region" channels. WHY hasn't DAB been taken up as readily in normal radios and especially car stereos. The are only a few (at most) DAB receivers on the market for the car, there are more that are DAB compatible (like the MD one i bought the other day) but howcome no electronics company is going forward in actually making a DAB in car radio with MD/CD and/or Tape at an affordable price now?
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Old 02-01-2001, 09:30
Richard46
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I understood and I may be wrong that the DAB standard is not yet used in the US or Japan and that this has inhibited the production of affordable DAB.
I have just had a Pioneer DAB fitted to my car. Am having some problems; not sure yet why but when I have got reception it is perfect and there seem to be more 'recievable' stations ie ones that you can actually hear clearly on DAB than on old FM. This includes quite a few that do not exist on FM like BBC world service.
Another problem of course is that most dealers do not know much about the technology.
Mine was fitted by Halfords in Chingford and it was (after five years of transmission) the first one they had sold. Some specialist car audio dealers clearly did not have any idea what I was asking for at all.
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Old 02-01-2001, 19:12
David Robinson
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I think the main problem for DAB in the UK is that with all the offers of subsidised systems for digital TV, people have come to expect everything for nothing. In the past when new systems were introduced - FM radio, colour TV, CDs etc. - it was the norm to pay the full price for the gear. I don't know what the answer is - DAB is stuck in a chicken/egg situation regarding the price of receivers and the quantity sold. Also little attempt has been made to sell it - most people don't know it exists.

The other problem is simply that FM radio in practice works very well so there is really no need to replace it. And increasing numbers of us have digital radio via Sky - at zero extra cost!
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Old 15-01-2001, 14:23
huxleypig
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I have just seen a Videologic Digital Radio receiver for list price of £300.

Prices are getting better.........
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Old 20-01-2001, 21:29
John_O
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The Videologic DAB receiver was supposed to be available in Dixons from last mid November but I`ve yet to see one, Dixons didn`t know much about them, I would have been interested in getting one. I wonder if anybody else has seen them available?
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Old 21-01-2001, 08:58
Ray Woodward
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Originally posted by John_O
The Videologic DAB receiver was supposed to be available in Dixons from last mid November but I`ve yet to see one, Dixons didn`t know much about them, I would have been interested in getting one. I wonder if anybody else has seen them available?
http://www.videologic.com

Should answer any questions you have.
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Old 25-01-2001, 13:54
Zog
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Does anybody yet sell a digital portable radio/CD combo?
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Old 25-01-2001, 22:39
Orbitalzone
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there aren't any portable CD/DAB type machines yet. Anotehr problem is that a large proportion of the country cannpt receive the DAB signal. Look at the BBCs map and it shows almost all of the coast of the country void of any service, due I believe because the French Milliatary are using this frequency also. This was said to me by a BBC digital radio engineer/pr guy.
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Old 28-01-2001, 14:32
John_O
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Does anybody have dab in London, just wondered what the stations are like, I like rock/pop music stations with very little chat, Planet Rock sounds ok but I would like to hear latest music as well as oldies. I still haven`t managed to track down a Videologic tuner yet, their web site gave my local Dixons address as a stockist but when I enquired they had never heard of it and it wasn`t listed on their computer.
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