[BC] HD Radio -- Folks we have to get it right!

[Rich Wood]

------ At 09:16 PM 10/13/2005, Mike Bergman wrote: -------

> >The mistiming is a serious problem. Very noticeable.
>
>I agree this is a serious problem.  Once PDs and GMs are listening to
>their own station on digital, the engineers will have the most immediate
>and natural feedback mechanism, but it needs to be fixed ASAP before we
>permanently lose the car OEMs.  Maybe BMW should get the word out to its
>dealer network.

We have the same issue you have. IBUZ is irrelevant to BMW, 
particularly to the dealers. What will happen is that BMW will issue 
a dealer advisory that says pull it out, install a standard radio and 
give the customer something else, like a CD changer. The problem is 
solved. The car won't come back for a radio problem again.

>There's hysteresis in the receiver algorithms that can be increased to
>prevent fast switches back and forth (from digital to analog).  The
>receiver can be programmed to require a better quality and more stable
>RF signal before blending to digital.  I expect this will be more
>conservatively set as the car OEMs become sensitized to this.

All this had better be done and tested at the factory. No dealer is 
going to assign an expensive mechanic to twiddle with the radio. BMW 
has to compensate dealers for warranty work. In New York, labor for 
my Jeep was $150 an hour. In Western MA it's $100. If a computer in 
the car goes bad the mechanic doesn't fix it. He replaces it. The 
radio will be no different.

I'm just amazed at the number of things that weren't considered in 
the IBUZ design and rollout.

I'll repeat. I don't hate IBUZ. I hate anything that craps all over 
its neighbor's signal. I dislike anything that costs us money and 
makes it impossible to make any money from it. Especially if the cost 
is ongoing. I'm still racking my brain to figure out how Arbitron is 
going to differentiate between main and secondary. Even after about 
80 years broadcaster are still trying to figure out the best way to 
get listeners to remember what they're listening to. Even though Bob 
Grant has been on WOR for several years, WABC still gets often gets 
credit because he spent so many years there. It's important to WOR 
but not important to listeners.

Rich