Comments on: iBiquity: How a closed-source model is killing HD Radio http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/ Strategies for Public Media 2.0 Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:38:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Dr. Paul Vincent Zecchino http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/#comment-73 Dr. Paul Vincent Zecchino Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:40:30 +0000 http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/#comment-73 What can one add to the above astute comments? HD jams. That's all it does. HD jams at BigRadio's insistence. BigRadio hoped HD would jam competitors off the air and listeners into submission. BigRadio thought listeners wouldn't notice the jamming. They did. Stick a fork in HD. It's done. Dr. Paul Vincent Zecchino Manasota Key, Florida 19 March, 2008 What can one add to the above astute comments? HD jams. That’s all it does. HD jams at BigRadio’s insistence. BigRadio hoped HD would jam competitors off the air and listeners into submission.

BigRadio thought listeners wouldn’t notice the jamming. They did.

Stick a fork in HD. It’s done.

Dr. Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manasota Key, Florida
19 March, 2008

]]> By: John Proffitt http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/#comment-58 John Proffitt Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:58:09 +0000 http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/#comment-58 HD Radio, even if the intellectual property were open sourced today, is not likely to catch on for several technical reasons I didn't mention in the post. But put simply, digital radio signals, as designed within the HD Radio format, lack the power necessary to be as ubiquitous as FM or AM. They don't penetrate buildings as well, they don't degrade gracefully (into fuzzier and fuzzier sound), and they're inefficient, as digital wireless designs go (because they're designed to ride on the coat tails of the main FM or AM signal. Plus, HD Radio isn't the Internet, which offers all the benefits of one-way distribution in conjunction with two-way communication. However, I suspect that if an open source project (or a fully shared industry standard development process like the IEEE does with 802.11 and other standards) were to undertake the development of a new wireless 1-way (or mildly 2-way) technology, it might work. If we are to dump analog radio for a new digital format at some point, this would be the preferred development process. The resulting service needs to be owned by no one and everyone at the same time. As Rob says above, web "radio" or audio streams are the successor to FM and AM, if there's any successor. Internet audio streams remain bigger than HD Radio even after several years of iBiquity's pushing on the market and it continues to grow faster. Check out this graphic (by Bridge Ratings) for proof... http://tinyurl.com/2prdmm The upshot is that it's too late for HD Radio anyway. HD Radio, even if the intellectual property were open sourced today, is not likely to catch on for several technical reasons I didn’t mention in the post. But put simply, digital radio signals, as designed within the HD Radio format, lack the power necessary to be as ubiquitous as FM or AM. They don’t penetrate buildings as well, they don’t degrade gracefully (into fuzzier and fuzzier sound), and they’re inefficient, as digital wireless designs go (because they’re designed to ride on the coat tails of the main FM or AM signal.

Plus, HD Radio isn’t the Internet, which offers all the benefits of one-way distribution in conjunction with two-way communication. However, I suspect that if an open source project (or a fully shared industry standard development process like the IEEE does with 802.11 and other standards) were to undertake the development of a new wireless 1-way (or mildly 2-way) technology, it might work. If we are to dump analog radio for a new digital format at some point, this would be the preferred development process. The resulting service needs to be owned by no one and everyone at the same time.

As Rob says above, web “radio” or audio streams are the successor to FM and AM, if there’s any successor. Internet audio streams remain bigger than HD Radio even after several years of iBiquity’s pushing on the market and it continues to grow faster. Check out this graphic (by Bridge Ratings) for proof…

http://tinyurl.com/2prdmm

The upshot is that it’s too late for HD Radio anyway.

]]> By: smiller http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/#comment-56 smiller Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:33:32 +0000 http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/#comment-56 If closed-source HD is dead, would open-source change that? If closed-source HD is dead, would open-source change that?

]]> By: Rob Paterson http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/#comment-53 Rob Paterson Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:09:27 +0000 http://gravitymedium.com/2008/03/17/ibiquity-how-a-closed-source-model-is-killing-hd-radio/#comment-53 The perfect set up for the Innovator's Solution - a much cheaper not so good alternative - the web. HD radio has no chance at all - its a Zombie - the walking dead The perfect set up for the Innovator’s Solution - a much cheaper not so good alternative - the web. HD radio has no chance at all - its a Zombie - the walking dead

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