[BC] Mobile streaming - who needs IBOC?

[Phil Alexander]

On 29 Jun 2006 at 15:19, WFIFeng at aol.com wrote:

> This is very true, and the bandwidth numbers you gave are, indeed, 
> impressive... but how many users can each tower support at those bitrates? Like Cable 
> High-Speed, that B/W is shared. The more users are accessing a given node, the 
> less data rate each of them is going to get. Also, how robust are those 
> bitrates in a moving car, or for a walking person? 
> 
> I do agree that with these newer mobile data/phone systems, IBUZ looks more 
> and more like too little, too late. (It's already DOA for AM, IMHO. FM still 
> has a glimmer but not much more.) Plug a pair of "earbuds" into the phone, and 
> there's stereo music. Bluetooth it into your car or home stereo, and there you 
> go. Again, though, how many users can each tower (node) support at mega-bit 
> rates, each? Probably not many. Why pump 44K uncompressed WAV through the 
> system, when it's already been proven that most people will "happily" listen to 
> bit-rates well below 128K?

I'm catching up on a couple of weeks list reading today and normally wouldn't
reply to a post this old, but Willie asks a good question that doesn't seem
to be answered later. How many listeners to digital programming can be
supported by the cell site of what has been designed as a COMMUNICATIONS
medium? At what load point must the bitrates drop to an unacceptable level?

Granted, I can see several ways of solving the b/w problem, but, in that
event, WHO PAYS FOR THE AIRTIME MINUTES? The present generation has been
taught that commercials are a BAD thing, mostly by dull commercials and
PD's who insist on 15, 18 or 20 "in a row" followed by interminably long
stop sets. Obviously, an advertising model transmitted by cellular has no
more competitive advantage over iPods than conventional broadcast. So, WHO
is going to pay for the infrastructure expansion AND the minutes?


---------------------------------------------
Phil Alexander, CSRE, AMD
Broadcast Engineering Services and Technology 
(a Div. of Advanced Parts Corporation) 
Ph. (317) 335-2065   FAX (317) 335-9037





-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.1/389 - Release Date: 7/14/06