What's with HD radio?

Question

I just read something about HD radio. I get the impression that this is a way to get people to buy new radios. Are they really better. With XM radio you can carry a station everywhere you go. Will HD do the same?

Sounds like the switch to digital cameras. They refined film cameras all they could and so couldn't sell as many as they liked, so the came up with digital to get people to spend on new equipment which really isn't as good as film with dynamic range and resolution. Even the 21MP Canon wont match medium format film in those respects.

Answer 1

There are three things about HD radios....

1.  AM sounds like FM and FM sounds like CD....and it's only those stations that are transmitting in HD where you can notice the difference.

2.  You get more stations on the dial playing different formats.  If you are near a major city you can pick up stations in HD-2 and in some cases HD-3.  Example...in New York, WKTU's (103.5) main station (SD - Standard Definition) is rhythmic adult contemporary but their HD-2 station plays country music.

3. HD radio is free...you don't have to pay a subscription, but basically if you hear radio now, HD is pretty much more of the same.  Plus the signal on the HD-2's and 3's don't travel that far outside of a major city.  And if you don't live near a sizable city, then you are out of luck.

You are NOT required to upgrade your current radio to HD....your regular radio just won't "upgrade" the sound quality.  Yet if HD does take off, more stores will stock radios with HD as the "norm"

Answer 2

It's a way to try to expand what the FCC won't allow to be expanded.. More stations and supposed better quality.

As others have said, it won't replace the radios we have right now (unlike in the UK where it apparently is) and no plans to replace in the future.

The XM radio technically can't be carried everywhere (such as I can't hear it without a outside antenna in my home) bu the HD radio I will be able to.

HD radio is supposed to bring hi-definition for near XM quality to broadcast radio and to add more variety that radio can't offer right now due to limits in number of stations in one area. HD radio is basically a piggyback signal on a regular radio station's signal so is limited in range unlike XM.

Jury is still out on it, but to sample what some of them extra channels sound like:

http://www.clearchannelmusic.com/hdradio...

These are those extra channels that a major ownership company called Clear Channel is providing on their stations in the nation currently.

And on the switch to digital....

People have grown up with film, but unless you are a very detailed oriented person, most are loving digital due to the fact that the picture can be easily manipulated and can be deleted whereas on film it can't... Most semi-pros and pros I know run digital for everything except actual events they are professionally shooting like weddings where people are more likely to pose and more likely rather the texture of film

Form (film's quality if high pro grade film) over Function (unlimited editing of digital)

Answer 3

To clear up some misconceptions about what most people think the "HD" in HD radio stands for.  It stands for Hybrid Digital, not high def.  Stations are still using 16bit digital recordings, at least for now.

Answer 4

Basically instead of the music sounding like it's coming out of a tin can it sounds more like a CD.  That's it.