All posts by Michael Rogers
Below are all of Michael Rogers's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Extract from public-domain minutes of a BBC Southwest audience panel meeting in 2011, which informs the national Audience Council and the BBC Trust :-
Digital Audio Broadcasting
The following represents the discussion at the meeting, plus comments from the members
networks:
1& 2. Seven members and their networks (more than 40 people canvassed) could access
DAB, only a few listened via a radio the majority listened on TV or online.
DAB was not available on the radio (only via TV or online) in the Channel Islands.
3. People were listening across all services, national and local.
Radios 2, 4 and 5 were amongst the most popular services, plus local radio.
4. Five Live really benefits from DAB - it makes a big difference
Reception online and on TV was very good, but unlike a normal radio they are not
portable.
DAB radios running on a battery did not last very long about three football matches
Reception, even within a small village (Yelverton, Devon) can vary from one end of the
village to the other.
In the car, reception comes and goes as you move through the county. (Devon)
5. A few members networks valued this development. However, the majority reported
that their networks were concerned about the future and the cost of having to replace all
their radios, particularly since reception was not reliable.
I need three four radios over the house, but thats impossible with Digital, I cant afford to
buy more Digital Radios.; They are happy with AM and FM;
Why alienate a huge tranche of BBC listeners by pursuing this concept.
I have a radio in my greenhouse cost £10.99 in three years no problems at all just
new batteries. Why would I want to spend around £100 on a digital radio?
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Little new in our comments here:-) DAB reception is and will remain an issue in many areas as propagation at twice the FM frequencies is even more topography-dependent. Also, Local and Regional BBC Radio will not be available on DAB in areas where the commercial operators deem the potential audience insufficiently "remunerative" to warrant investment in a DAB relay. The portable/battery issue is likewise a genuine concern. Even rechargeables cost money and many (like CFLs...) do not to have anything like the life-span claimed. Some DAB radios, like the PURE, require a very expensive rechargeable battery pack. As stated some time back, I might get a cheap headphone DAB that runs relatively efficiently on two AAs and build it into a box with an amplifier module and a speaker and D-cell battery pack. When I find the time! Enough for now - Beethoven's 5th beckons on digital audio from 28°E.
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... and the service I would most miss were it
to get the chop in my lifetime...
Deutsche Welle used to be nearly as professional, but is now mainly a sorry tangle of webradio podcasts and a few shortwave broadcasts to Africa. France is still presentable. But, as consolation, we do have effulgent newscasts about the noble nation-lifting activities of the Great-Beloved-Newlywed Leader. So there must be a real fear that the WS may some day defer to such world-beating broadcasting superiority...
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What will public reaction be when it is fully realised that all AM/FM radios will have very limited use and need replacing by more expensive, less portable DAB radios? In order for coverage to equal FM, thousands of DAB relays would be needed. Increased costs both for listeners and for operators are unavoidable, so operators will shut down as many AM and FM transmitters and build as few DAB relays as they dare. In many areas with DAB now, coverage, audio quality and reception are inferior to FM or AM. For listeners, low cost and portability are prime criteria. The transition to DTV was different inasmuch as television is mostly static. Also, the mostly improved picture quality and significant number of new services available made the outlay for set-top boxes acceptable. The BBC Audience Councils are monitoring public sentiment. Disaffection with DAB thus far is giving rise to concern. This will inform further planning and implementation. The public debate will continue, including our contributions!
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Bitrates sure are an issue. DAB+ would help, but that is politically untenable now. Stable doors etc. DTV bitrates are likewise not optimal, but post DSO, most viewers do get "better and more pictures" than before on vulnerable analog. (Please note: I say this on behalf of the majority, although locally we are cursed with daily CCI from another DTV transmitter, in which OFFcom etc show no serious interest.) Of course, I would love to have the shopping channels in HD, nay 3D, as do residents of Planet Zog... The divine market will decide whether there is demand for a Stravinsky or Crudthump DAB channel. There is, sadly, little merit in perusing what might have been (my defunct hobby-horse: 150KHz-240MHz DRM). Government, BBC, Ofcom et al need reasoned input as to how to dig ourselves out of the hole of despond: what imperfect combination of AM/FM/DAB is most viable to ensure a bright future for radio? Maybe Danny Boyle could help...
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Make that 700 and just maybe we, too, will one day get a DAB relay with local BBC radio. Since we don't get a reliable local BBC FM signal, equal DAB coverage inspires little. Thus far I have seen no plans that would give us hope. And we are not alone. A "memorandum of understanding" is not a binding contract, more "it would be nice if...". I do hope my scepticism will be utterly confounded.
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Mike : Roger is correct. German channels on 19°E have gone digital; almost any cheapo digital receiver will work. HD requires subscription, but is probably not worth the outlay. There is lots of Italian on 13°E, including low grade regional and shopping crud, but enough mainstream RAI, Rete4, Canale5 etc for most needs. You will need to be able to swing your dish round from 19°E to 13°E to get both German and Italian. A twin LNB option just might do it with a fixed 90cm dish. Prime-time Italian is restricted on the main channels. You need a tivu box to get everything (free) all the time, which requires you to register with a bona-fide Italian code fiscal. I find unregistered broadcasts sufficient to my needs. See other posts on this site for further details.
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KILVEY HILL, Arqiva B,ch28, 530Mhz - all is well as received Sat 4 August at 22:30 the other side of the water on an indoor aerial.
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Petra : you need a dish pointing at 19°E or at 5°W to receive French TNT channels by satellite. You need a TNT-box for whichever satellite you prefer, which should be authorised on purchase to an address in France. The communal dish just might "stretch" to receiving both 28°E for Sky/FreeSat AND 19°E with a twin-LNB arrangement, but only a competent specialist could advise on this. IF technically possible and IF you can justify your need (eg native tongue, MFL teacher), the landlord might have to allow it. French friends, institutions or language teachers might be able to advise on how to proceed. If you have a clear view to the 19°E or 5°W satellite positions, it would be possible to set up a temporary dish to watch specific programmes, but it would probably only work through an open window or a balcony, and would need to be aligned each time. Not ideal, but if there is no other option, worth a thought. If you have a fast broadband connection, you can watch some programming online.
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Monday 9 July 2012 10:28PM
Distribution: Mais non, mon ami. France24
est disponible uniquement par satellite.