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

[Kent Winrich, K9EZ]

Kevin Tekel wrote:

>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?"....
>
>  
>
You are thinking that the Internet 32 kHz CODEC sounds the same as the 
HD Radio CODEC.  It does not.  It is rather surprising how well the HD 
and HD2 channels do sound.  I was comparing notes with another local 
engineer and we shared our surprise at the sound quality.