New devices make the most of digital broadcasts
Posted 03.10.2009 at 8:58 am
3 Comments
Zune
Courtesy of Microsoft
Many ordinary FM and AM stations transmit small amounts of digital data, such as song titles. And nearly 1,800 channels are entirely digital. Radio manufacturers are starting to take advantage of this extra information, creating gadgets that can not only play music, but also take notes, help you shop, or even save your life.
NOW
Buy Music
The Zune MP3 player is the first device that lets you instantly buy songs you hear on FM radio. Click when you like a song, and Zune saves the title and artist info. If you’re near a Wi-Fi hotspot, it contacts Microsoft’s online music store and downloads the song. If the player can’t get online, it remembers the details for the next time it connects. Zune 16GB, $200; zuneoriginals.net
HD NPR Radio: Courtesy of Harris Corporation
SOON: End of the year
Read Your Radio
Completely digital broadcasts, called HD Radio, can carry more information than analog. Some stations, such as National Public Radio, plan to transmit closed-captioned text of talk shows along with the audio. Receivers with screens will display scrolling text, making radio available to the deaf as well as letting people decipher hard-to-hear words and phrases. They should hit the market late this year. npr.org
iBiquity: Paul Wootton
LATER: 2011
Get Disaster Warnings
Find out about a tornado before it strikes. HD Radio provider iBiquity is developing a radio that will turn itself on in an emergency. While the speakers are off, the chip inside will still tune in to government-issued weather and security broadcasts. If the receiver spots a digital data tag identifying an alert, it will turn on the speakers so you can hear what’s happening. ibiquity.com
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HD Radio - no one cares. HD Radio is jamming OUR public airways, especially on AM radio. HD Radio suffers from poor coverage, dropouts, and digital artifacting:
http://hdradiofarce.blogspot.com
Great analysis ... if it were 1986.
Not to be terribly critical, but the future of radio has little to do with terrestrial, satellite or so-called HD devices. As "Internet everywhere" becomes more-and-more of a reality, tomorrow's audio-only medium will be delivered over the Web.
With the advancement of WiMax, White Space, etc., the mobile net will find its way into our cars and hand held devices. Why would anyone stay tethered to traditional media when a listener can simply surf to one of 20-thousand plus (and growing) pre-programmed stations (or trip over to a site where you can personalize your listening experience - Pandora, play.it, et. al).
Amanda, I would have rather read about the real future of radio - Internet radio - and some of the existing and future toys we'll use to tune in to an already vital industry.