All posts by Trevor Harris
Below are all of Trevor Harris's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
@mark
Mobile operators are not going to drop unlimited plans. In fact it is a major selling point.
The Brighton test does not prove anything. Software DAB encoders have been around for years. There is nothing new in this trial and infact only a few basic measurements were made. One point though just look at how patchy the predicted coverage area is. The main problem is that so few people actually listen on DAB so the audience would be very small. Community radio is often used for temporary stations at big events and use very cheap in-ear FM recievers. DAB is just not feasable.
I agree DAB+ is not much better than DAB.
@Michael
Radio 6 sounds grotty on DAB. Just compare the sound on internet. You are one of the small number of people with a DAB car radio. This is the point the BBC have spent hundreds of millions on a system that most people cannot listen to in thier car. DAB is not fit for purpose because of the awfull sound quality and the lack of error correction. DAB has 23% of listening after 18 years and so fails the BBC value for money test.
| link to this comment |
@PJH
The first thing to notice in low signal areas with FM is a decrease in signal to noise ratio. eg hiss. Switching to mono improves signal to noise radio. Most modern FM recievers gradually change from stereo to mono to reduce the audibility of this effect.
DAB does not have proper error correction and so the is susceptable to the burbling everone experiences. DAB+ does have full error correction and so has a much sharper cut-off.
If FM is to be replaced it should be replaced with a better system.
PJH you are right it is driven by commercial interests. Ofcoms own research showed that the public felt sound quality was more importent than the choice of stations. Still Ofcom bent to commercial pressure to alow low bitrates and mono.
| link to this comment |
Radio today is reporting that owners of 80 stations want a DAB switch halt. We have constantly been told that the commercial stations have "bought into the DAB switchover" by the vested interests. It is now clear that there is a large section of the commercial radio sector against it. It now looks as though a switchover will not only be damaging to the BBC but will destroy local commercial radio. Of couse the BBC would love the competition to be destroyed.
Radio Today | Owners of 80 stations want DAB switch halt
| link to this comment |
The Guardian has also covered this but just look at the comments practically all against switchoff.
Abandon digital radio switchover plans, stations tell ministers | Media | theguardian.com
| link to this comment |
Ah yes well quality of content is yet another issue. In the car I tend to listen Classic FM and Radio 4 for some news programs. The quality of BBC radio and television has deteriated in recent years. Television news has deteriated to "Daily Mail" standards with almost no indepth analysis. I do listen to Radio Jackie which I use to listen to when it was a pirate station in the 70's. Most of the other commercial stations have the same playlist and all sound the same.
| link to this comment |
The head of Digital Radio UK has told RadioToday that the DAB switchover could be many years away
Radio Today | DigitalRadioUK: Switchover is years away
| link to this comment |
More details of the local radio coalisions opposition to the switchover have been published. One point is
In their strategy document, exclusively published here by RadioToday, the coalition calls for Ofcom regulations to be relaxed so that broadcasters can choose to end analogue transmissions whenever they want and without impediment but also so that they can withdraw a station from DAB without the associated threat of losing their analogue frequency.
Ofcom has been bribing stations to go onto DAB with the threat of loosing thier FM frequancy. Put this together with the way the BBC is trying to bribe people into buying DAB radios it reveals how corrupt this whole process has become. So much for democracy when BBC and Ofcom have have been planning all this behind closed doors.
The coallitions point of a common FM and DAB EPG is interesting. Clearly DAB having an EPG which is not available to FM stations is an unfair advantage to FM stations. It could be argued that it is against european law as that the EU does not alow unfair competition between different delivery methods.
| link to this comment |
It is now clear that the proposal for local DAB stations not a viable solution local radio.
Radio Today | OPINION: What Brighton DAB test tells us
This is the second accusation that Parliament is being mislead over DAB radio in as many days. It just shows what supporters of DAB will go to to try and force DAB on listeners.
| link to this comment |
Are these channels going to be available on satellite and cable?
It is going to be interesting to see if these stations can survive. Previous attempts at local television have failed but production costs are very much lower today.
| link to this comment |
Thursday 31 October 2013 12:43PM
I listen to internet radio indoors and FM in my car. My points are
1) FM should not be switched off while a significant number of people listen on FM.
2) DAB is not fit for purpose and I am paying for it.
A statement to the European Commission is issued by the two pan-european community radio organizations against an FM switch-off. For a future transition DRM+ is the preferred digital alternative to DAB+
Digital Radio FM Europe 2013: Community Radio Makes Its Stand for FM Radio in Brussels