[BC] HD Radio multicasting bandwidth

[cld@admin.umass.edu]

Quoting Bernie Courtney <jerseyspikes at gmail.com>:

 
> I think this new young generation a few people area speaking of, those who
> grew up with Napster and digital music players have just lowered their
> standards for what is acceptable audio quality. Most MP3's that people
> outside the professional or DJ arena trade are still encoded at 128K which
> still is a far cry from CD quality, yet thousands, maybe tens of thousands
> listen to these files daily on their ipods or other playback devices. Many

I agree Bernie- but may I add that as we keep repeating that the young 
generation is "accepting" lower standards of playback, previous generations of 
youngsters listened to gawdawful Kingspoint and Clarinette stereo systems 
through terrible speakers in cheap fiberboard enclosures. And although the 
cassette certainly was capable of some audio fidelity, boom boxes and cheap 
players which were the common playback systems made sure to destroy any of 
that quality. But the kids of the 70's & 80's didn't mind because the could 
hear "their tunes". Most iPod units I have heard sound infinitely better than
any of my friends', their friends' friends', and their friends' friends' older 
brothers' playback systems of the 70's and 80's with the exception of a lucky 
few who had parents who were "hi-fi" enthusiasts.

So I really don't see this as a generational degradation of listener. Most 
digital systems sound much better than the cassettes and scratched LPs I grew 
up with, even though arguably these things could have sounded better had I 
access to a McIntosh amp, Grado cartridge, and a pair of Large Advents!
I don't see much has changed. You buy what allows you to hear what you want to 
hear when you want to hear it based on what it's worth to you. Sound quality 
is usually an afterthought.

Chuck Dube
WFCR, Amherst