Ofcom DAB switchover coverage planning proposals
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV The proposals cover the most pressing needs for the DAB network:
- provision of local radio DAB for those areas with no current coverage
- coverage of both homes and in-car use
- the addition of a new block (5A) that will allow the local radio blocks to expand to fill the "editorial" coverage areas to match the current FM areas
- the use of 99%/99% DAB prediction for indoor home reception, and normal car use.
Of particular interest are:
- FM current coverage maps and tables which show maps for the current BBC local radio and largest commercial local radio for each "editorial region".
- Local DAB build-out plans that show the expected coverage for each DAB area after various plans have been implemented.
Ofcom is asking for responses using this online form: Responding to the DAB Coverage Planning consultation by 5pm on 14 September 2011.
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Wednesday, 13 July 2011
J
Jonathon3:02 PM
Braintree
Steve P.: "And as Digital Radio is already broadcast on DTB, what point is there in having a second digital broadcast network?"
This comes up time and time again in discussions of digital radio...
I've never seen a standalone "audio only" DVT-B receiver, I don't have a TV in the bedroom, kitchen, or garage, I don't want a TV in the bedroom, kitchen, or garage and I'm pretty confident I'm far from alone in that view.
This idea makes about as much sense as the other old chestnut, which is the suggestion that (for instance) my 80-something-year-old mum (who's delighted by the simplicity of the Pure Evoke DAB set I bought her for Christmas a few years back) should sign up for a broadband connection, install a router with WiFi, and replace the Evoke with an internet streaming box...
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Jonathon's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Steve P4:33 PM
Mike/Jonathon - Lest there is any doubt, I'm not saying that radio on the digital telly is a substitute for FM/MW/LW; simply that it should be enough for those who want digital toys to play with.
For those of us who just want to listen to the wireless, we do not have a problem with what we now have.
As to commercial radio on digital, how much are they paying for it?
In Portugal - seems not willing to pay at all. And the Portuguese BBC had the sense to take the same view.
I'm surprised that speeds below 100miles per HOUR cause an effect on waves at 186,000 miles a SECOND - but I suppose once you are cramming a lot of information into a waveform things get trickier.
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Mark7:24 PM
@ Steve P
Given the economic situation in Portugal this news isn't that surprising. The important point to note is that the Portuguese are not tearing down the DAB transmitters, they are keeping them in place for a possible launch of DAB+ in the future.
It's fair to say that they and other countries are monitoring the German situation closely, which could make or break DAB+ in several EU countries.
For the BBC their DAB transmitter rollout to 97% (and possibly further) by 2017 is a licence fee commitment inbcluded in the October 2010 settlement so they are not permitted to shut it down.
@ Trevor Harris
Ford have announced that all of their models will have DAB fitted as standard by the end of 2012 (I believe the Fiesta and the Focus are still the no 1 and no 2 selling cars). Other car manufacturers have pledged to follow by 2013, so that 14% figure is set to rise fairly rapidly over the next few years.
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Thursday, 14 July 2011
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michael9:33 AM
DAB car radios - presumably all DAB car-radios will also have FM? And "good old" AM - probably not ??? The rationale of the Ofcom licence just granted to NowDigital for block 10C to expand into population centres of North Devon is doubtless indicative of future intentions. Coverage maps suggest that even post-2013 significant areas will not be covered, so it will be interesting to see what the future of BBC local radio will be in less populated areas.
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Jonathon2:49 PM
Braintree
Steve p: "For those of us who just want to listen to the wireless, we do not have a problem with what we now have."
Actually we do. Either through poor implementation, poor management, the laws of physics, or some combination of all three we don't seem to have enough broadcast FM spectrum available to support an adequate choice of National broadcasters.
Or is there some other reason why, for example, BBC 6 Music, 4 Extra, 5 Live, Kerrang, and Planet Rock aren't available nationally on FM...?
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Jonathon's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Mark6:37 PM
@ Jonathan:
Ofcom said that if they carried out an FM frequency audit they could probably find space for another two national networks like Classic FM, but some local stations may have to be ditched.
These would probably go to commercial stations (highest bidders) so that would still leave 6 Music out in the cold.
By the way you missed out Jazz FM, which apparently has been responsible for a surge in DAB sales since March.
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Steve P6:50 PM
Jonathon - I wonder what the total audience of those is? But if they cannot be accommodated on FM, by all means let them be on digital broadcast. I am not hostile to the new; only to the forced obsolescence of what we have.
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Friday, 15 July 2011
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Trevor Harris11:25 AM
@Mark
I don't think that any car manufacturer has made a firm commitment. At the Digital Radio Stakeholders Group meeting on 17 May 2011 the car manufacturers were complaining of a lack of clarity of a switch over date which is preventing them from making any commitment. Even if all new cars have a DAB radio it does not solve the problem of existing cars.
Some more breaking news Spain is reducing it's DAB coverage from 50% to 20% because of a lack of audiance. The failure of DAB in Europe is important as it will increase the cost of DAB radios because of a very small market.
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Mark12:08 PM
@ Trevor Harris
Ford has definitely made a firm commitment- see link here:
UPDATE: Ford phases-out CD players and launches 'wireless hotspot' system | whathifi.com
All new Minis (except the basic entry level model) now have DAB fitted as standard.
Of course there are a lot of older cars on the road but by 2020 most cars should have DAB. There was a similar situation in 1990 when Radio 2 went FM-only and many older cars only had MW/LW radios so could no longer receive the station.
The situation in Spain isn't quite as clear as it may look at first sight. Spain is interested in going with DAB+ but they are monitoring the situation in Germany closely before committing to it.
DAB+ is launching in Germany on 1 August with a national multiplex and Audi & BMW have committed to fitting DAB+/DAB radios in their models to coincide with this. DAB+ radios will receive the UK DAB broadcasts.
Spain & Portugal of course are both economies that are in deep trouble so it's no surprise that they are allowing a cooling-off period in digital radio investment at this stage.
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Saturday, 16 July 2011
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Trevor Harris10:40 AM
The automotive agreement on DAB radios is dependent on the switch off decision being made in 2003. The government will not make that commitment. Ford has made this announcement as a marketing ploy to "future proof their cars". In other words they are trying to gain a marketing advantage by scareing people into buying Ford so they will still be able to listen to Radio 4. The BBC and the government tried the same tactic but it did not work.
I think we all know now that the switch will not happen in the forseable future. This means that there is no incentive for the car manufacturers to switch to DAB.
Ford also points out that DAB does not support trafic alerts. For me this is a big issue as I always have the alerts switch on.
As for DAB+ yes everyone except the BBC says they are looking at it. DAB+ does reduce the burbling which is a feature of DAB by adding an extra layer of error correction. DAB+ does use a better codec but this is likely to be used to reduce bitrates rather than improve sound quality.
Having switched off more than half the DAB transmitters no one is going to invest in DAB+ in Spain.
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