[BC] IBOC Query

[Phil Alexander]

On 31 Jan 2006 at 20:18, Robert Meuser wrote:

> There is not time frame for dropping analog nor will there likely ever be one. 
> There is nothing in this for the FCC or the government. Unlike digital TV there 
> is no spectrum to recover and resell.

Never-the-less, that was the theoretical raison d'être of IBOC, 
and that theme runs through the proceedings of the FCC dockets 
and the NRSC as I read them.

It is true in the present scenario (written by Ibiquity) that
it is in their interest to preserve their monopoly for the
foreseeable future. This is probably the reason they have
elected the "trade secret" route rather than patent disclosure
for technology protection. That, however, is a double edged
sword when/if IBOC gains traction. In the Street, there
are bulls, bears and hogs. The bulls make money on the upside,
bears make it on the down side, and hogs ultimately get their 
throats cut. Ibiquity may offer yet another proof of this wisdom.

If we speak of DAB rather than IBOC, the route to REAL service
demands increasing signal strength by an order of magnitude
if primary market penetration (IOW city center buildings) is to
be achieved.

Then, there is also the day and night adjacent interference 
problem which is sure to intensify as stations deploy IBOC. 
The only long term answer for this is elimination of adjacent 
channel radiation, and that means using the entire ASSIGNED 
channel for digital information.

It appears the 'temporary' use of the adjacent infringement
might not prevail in Court unless there is a clear benefit,
and it is doubtful that benefit can be shown absent an
analog sunset at a yet to be determined time certain.

Regardless of motivation, it remains incumbent on the Commission
to regulate equally or, at some point, face a Court mandate.

IMHO we have been spending too much time looking at the trees 
to see the forest.

But to Stanley's question: If terrestrial broadcasting continues
long term, at some point it probably will be DAB, but Ibiquity
has so clouded the picture that predicting if or when has now 
become impossible. However, in 2001, the best thinking was 2013
to 2016. The automotive market forces a minimum time frame of
about 8 or 9 years depending on the automotive scrap rate if you
look at it from a practical standpoint. That does not mean it
can happen in that time frame, just that it is unlikely to 
happen in a shorter time frame regardless of circumstances.


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





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