All posts by Alvin Pritchard
Below are all of Alvin Pritchard's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
DRM+ in UK
Preparations have started for the DRM+ trial in the UK, with equipment being set-up and tested in London before being sent to the transmission site in Scotland. All going well and with weather permitting, the test transmissions should start in early February.
DRM+ in UK
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Problem with Standard Definition V High definition TV.
I have perfected all my TV settings regarding Colour, brightness, contrast ect.
However, when i select any HD channel, i find that i need to tweak the Tv settings again for optimum picture quality.
Being that the majority on digital channels are still in standard def, this constant playing about with TV settings can be annoying.
Has anyone else noticed this?
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Is the DAB+(plus) format going to soon replace standard DAB transmission in the U.K and render over a million standard DAB receivers useless?
A major clue is that manufactures of DAB receivers are now launching the DAB+ model format in abundance!
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By reading the above posts regarding the DAB+ as being the national standard in the UK,we should learn what our European neighbours approach is to this problem.
Germany for example has just gone totally DAB+plus with no apparent problems.
This format dilemma is a problem that is not going to go away and so needs to be addressed sooner than later.
IMHO we should just bite the bullet and roll out DAB+ as the long term National solution.
A DAB+ tuner will cater for standard DAB transmission as well as dramatically increasing transmission quality thus allowing us to dispense with and freeing up the F.M wave band space.
Regarding the disappointment factor to owners of standard DAB sets, a generous trade in offer could be arranged on a like for like basis.
Formats do change for the better with technological advancement (VCR players to DVD players being a classic example) and society accepted it due to it's clear advantages.
Think of this ... If we only had a DAB+ waveband and no other wavebands at all, nobody would complain as there would be nothing to complain about! We would have just one universal waveband that would be both superior in station availability as well as reception quality = Everybody Happy!
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Further to my above post, a typical roll out plan of a single universal DAB+ format could be ...
2012. The introduction of a ban on the production of all future F.M and standard DAB receiver models whilst allowing only DAB+ format model production.
2020. Implement The great national switchover.
The 8 year gap used to ....
1. Give consumers ample notice of intention.
2. Give Authorises ample time to set uo the necessary transmitters.
3. allow manufacturers of DAB+ radio to produce ample production of models for the consumer.
After this universal standardisation is completed, there would be no need to ever change the broadcasting radio format ever again.
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michael: Once you employ DAB+ you really do have it all.
DAB+ has a number of clear advantages over standard DAB and is simply "state of the art" in audio broadcasting.
To ask for any more out of this medium would be unreasonable!
We have the technology, so why not use it?
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michael: And FM is not without limitations?
I am pulling in 27 active stations on standard DAB from my location on the North Wales coast and 16 on FM,and 5 of them are registering as "weak signal" i certainly Can not pick up any foreign stations on neither FM or DAB.
All DAB National radio stations are indeed "long distance" services.
So on balance DAB wins.
DAB+ would further improve this platform.
Each to their own i guess.
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Sorry but SKY is indeed a rip off.
More and more consumers are switching over to the Freeview and Freesat boxes, and two million sales of these boxes should be enough evidence to prove my point.
With SKY's full HD package, your looking at £800 per year plus your regular TV licence on top and your nudging a grand!... That's a lot of money for most working class people.
SKY's boast of being able to receive 500+ channels is a white elephant considering that you can only physicality watch one programme at a time.
I saw the light and bought a HUMAX HD box, it did everything for me that Sky's box did minus a few hundred channels admittedly, but so what?
Around 80% of what i watched on SKY i can get on Freesat and i save a cool £52 per month to boot which now pays for my central heating oil instead of lining Rupert Murdoch's pockets!
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Just as i was getting used to a here today and gone tomorrow type TV station platform, along comes a here today and gone tomorrow satellite, BBC HD, Medium and Long Wave radio service to boot!
I can see this never ending patten of change going on forever now.
Can't the boffins leave anything alone?
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Monday 3 January 2011 12:13AM
I believe that the long awaited breakthrough in DAB broadcasting can now be seen on the horizon.
Introducing the all new Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM)
What are the benefits over the current inferior DAB system?
DRM is greener, clearer, wider, bigger, better quality & audio content and cost efficient.
DRM provides digital sound quality and the ease-of-use that comes from digital radio, combined with a wealth of enhanced features: Surround Sound, Journaline text information, Slideshow, EPG, and data services.
Check it out right now and see what you think at WWW.drm.org