HD Radio: DOA?
oldschool Philco model
HD Radio, quietly introduced about seven years ago, has yet to find a large following. One of the reasons is that no one really knows what it is. A few notes about HD Radio:
- the “HD” does NOT stand for “high definition” and has no real meaning
- you need to buy a special HD radio receiver to receive any of the HD radio stations
- unlike satellite radio, HD radio is broadcast free of charge
- also unlike satellite radio, HD radio is limited to the same reception limitations as regular (analog) radio
Basically, with an HD radio receiver, many of the normal stations you listen to also broadcast one or two additional channels, usually more highly focused. For example, an easy listening station might broadcast an “old school 80s” channel and a “love songs” channel with the extra bandwidth. The quality is supposed to be better (broadcasting digitally), but most people have been reluctant to invest in a new radio just for a few extra stations playing much of the same playlists as their “parent” stations.
Using the Chicago market as an example, HDRadio.com lists 38 stations broadcasting 63 HD Radio channels. That’s only 25 additional channels, many of which may not even apply to you (market specific channels like gospel, Spanish speaking, kids songs, etc.).
My personal opinion is that if you are already in the market for a radio, getting an HD radio makes sense because the price is negligible (especially in a new car), but with iPods, satellite radio, internet radio, and good old fashioned CDs at the ready, investing in an HD radio without a secondary need seems silly.
Read on:
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