[BC] Creating the right sound on HD

[James Somich]

We had better realize that analog is going to be around for a long, long
time.
Today's HD receivers are expensive for a number of reasons:

1) They are not being mass-produced.
2) They are designed to be somewhat programmable to allow for changes in the
system
3) Manufacturers were (are) highly optimistic about what someone would pay
for the radio
4) The license fee (however much it is) is too high. I think GE/Zenith was
asking for something like a quarter a radio when FM Stereo receivers went
into production.

Adding HD to a radio should not increase the cost to any noticeable degree.
A little more can be "hidden" in the price of a car radio but Detroit needs
motivation to push HD.
They don't have it now.  Motivation = $



On 12/21/06, Gary Glaenzer <gglaenzer at todaysbestradio.com> wrote:
>
> the question is not whether 'broadcasters can transistion'
>
> the question is 'who will be listening after they p*ss off 800 million
> receivers' owners by shutting down analog ?'
>
> will those owners rush out an pay big bucks for a different receiver ?
>
> or will they just say 'screw it' and let AM-HD rot on the vine ?
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "James Somich" <jsomich at gmail.com>
> To: "Broadcasters' Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
> Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 12:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [BC] Creating the right sound on HD
>
>
> > Rah, Rah, Rah.
> > Check out WJR when you are in The Motor City. ecchh!
> > Processing will always make or break a station: analog OR digital.
> > The processing may be different (and it is) but it is still very, very
> > important.
> > I have a gut (feeling) that in 20 years we will have forgotten all about
> > analog radio.
> > The BIG question is whether terrestrial broadcasters can transition to
> the
> > new digital world.
> > I have some doubts.
> > If I thought HD radio sucked, I would be the first person to knock it.
> > I have already pointed out how it has ruined a great AM analog signal in
> > Cleveland.
> > I wanted a separate band for digital radio. It wouldn't take much space
> on
> > an unused TV channel. Too bad it never happened. But this is what we
> got.
> >
> >
> > On 12/21/06, Kent Winrich <kwinrich at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > Jeeez James.  Look out!  You are going to be tagged a CHEERLEADER
> > > now.  You have been assimilated!
> > >
> > > I have set up a few HD stations myself, and found that the processing
> > > is much pickier than on analog.  Some of the Chicago CC stations have
> > > done a great job.  Have not been over to Cleveland yet, but will be
> > > heading to Detroit between Christmas and New Years.
> > >
> > > But the point is, processing is everything on HD.  There are some
> > > pretty bad sounding HD stations out there with a lot of "digitalness".
> > >
> > > If you ever find yourself in the car, heading towards Ft Wayne, IN
> > > try out WBOIs HD3 feed.
> > >
> > >
> > > On 12/20/06, James Somich <<mailto:jsomich at gmail.com>jsomich at gmail.com
> >
> > > wrote:
> > > WNCX (CBS-Oldies) in Cleveland is set-up so that there is absolutely
> NO
> > > change when the Sangean blends to HD. WGAR(CC-Country) sounds
> perceptively
> > > better in HD. This is not a big difference, but I think the
> improvement
> is
> > > appealing. WGAR also has the best sounding HD-2 (Classic Country) in
> the
> > > Cleveland market. It has no competition on the HD-2 dial. The others
> sound
> > > underprocessed or not processed at all! Thin, dead, lifeless, boring.
> > > WMJI (CC-Oldies) sounds very much the same in HD or Analog. Ditto WMVX
> > > (CC).
> > >
> > > My Conclusions: HD radio has more sonic potential than the Cleveland
> > > broadcasters are using (except for WGAR). I don't go in for these
> little
> > > table radios with the micro speakers. The Sangean lets me hear
> > > "everything."
> > > And I don't hear a lot of digital artifacts on anybody's station.
> > >
> > > . . .
> > >
> > > HD is relatively cheap to implement and the public will gradually be
> > > buying
> > > radios that have HD capability. I don't think it is going away, but
> it's
> > > not
> > > going to be a revolution either.
> > >
> > > It has some warts, but it really isn't a bad system. And I was a
> skeptic.
> > >
> > >
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