Yesterday: AM and FM stations were a source of news and entertainment; on-air audio was seen as a good replacement for cassettes.
Today: the competition for listeners has sharpened: satellite radio, webcasting, podcasting, broadcasting via mobile phones. Analogue radio constantly strives toward digital sound quality, like CD or SAT.
Tomorrow: radio must evolve, adding more value for listeners: better sound, a wider choice of content, new possibilities.
HD Radio is coming
HD Radio IBOC (In-Band On-Channel) is a method of transmitting digital broadcast signals on the same frequency channel simultaneously with the traditional AM or FM signal. iBiquity developed a solution for standard AM and FM transmitters that requires no additional frequency assignments. The analogue and digital signals are transmitted separately at different power levels; HD-compatible receivers pick up both standards.
What HD Radio offers
- Cheaper to deploy: no need to build a parallel transmission network.
- No new frequency assignments required; the existing band is suitable.
- No barriers to immediate rollout.
- A smooth, phased transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Why it is possible and needed in Ukraine
- Coverage area increases while frequencies are preserved.
- Existing transmitters can simply be modified; the same towers and antennas, the same licence holders.
- Better sound, no multipath reception or the distortions it causes.
- Multicasting (several programmes on one frequency) and 5.1 Surround.
- Matches the global trend of moving from AM/FM to digital broadcasting.
Status around the world
In the USA more than 3,500 stations are registered, over 740 already broadcast digitally and over 100 use multicasting; a new HD station appears every day. Licensed receivers are made by Alpine, Clarion, Delphi, Denon, JVC, Kenwood, Panasonic, Sony and others; HD receivers are fitted as standard in some Toyota and BMW models.
The ITU (International Telecommunication Union) supported iBiquity FM HD Radio technology in preliminary recommendations in November 2001; 189 ITU members ratified them in August 2002. Testing was carried out in Brazil, Mexico, Australia and the Philippines.
The technology
FM HD Radio is an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex) system that creates a set of digital subcarriers symmetrically on both sides of the ordinary FM signal. It allows a smooth, phased transition: hybrid, extended hybrid and all-digital broadcasting. 5.1 Surround sound (six channels) adds depth to radio programmes.
Below is a gallery of slides from the original HD Radio presentation.
