[BC] HD/2 (was: [Fwd: HD2])

[Kevin Tekel]

Mike Erickson wrote:
> At least we get country with WKTU.
>
> Oldies on CBS-FM-2 was a given, can we hope for adult standards soon?
>
> It may be time to break down and get and HD radio, since everything
> I like is on a secondary channel now.

But will you like hearing everything you like through a 32 kbps HDC
stream, or whatever miniscule bitrate the "HD2" channel is given?  And
when it comes to "HD2" channels, for now at least, they're all just
automated jukeboxes, so why spend $300+ on an IBOC receiver when you can
just as easily listen to any one of thousands of 32 kbps online audio
streams on your computer for free, with the same (crappy) audio quality?

Until stations put REAL programming on their "HD2" channels, I still see
the public's reaction to HD Radio being a collective yawn.

To adapt Joey Reynolds' old AM Stereo put-down, HD2 is "just two channels
of garbage instead of one".

In fact, they should call it "HD/2", because the bitrate is shared between
the two channels, and if you put them together you might get half of
something worth listening to.

I expect IBOC to die a quick death when broadcasters realize it's a
lose-lose scenario: they'll lose if the technology gets ignored and
becomes a dead duck, and they'll also lose if the automated-jukebox HD2
channels start stealing listeners away from their main full-personality
formats.  The only good thing to come from it is that someone might get
the bright idea that "hey, our HD2 channel is so popular with HD
listeners, why not put it on the main channel where everyone can hear
it?"....



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