Consumer friendly Digital Radios are now finding their way in significant numbers to Australia as this country’s digital radio trials evolve. First reactions from consumers and industry people are good, if the responses from this week’s ‘road tests’ are any guide.
radioinfo this week trialed a range of models including a portable PocketDAB receiver (pictured above), a Pure bedside alarm model – featured in our WIN a DIGITAL RADIO competition page – and a high end component HiFi receiver. Radio industry professionals, consumers and Radio Students at AFTRS, mostly gave them the thumbs up.
Responses included:
One programming specialist, hearing 2CH in digital stereo for the first time, told radioinfo: “Now I know what the fuss is about. 2CH sounds as good as WS or any of its FM rivals. As a programmer I can now see the audience benefit.”
A former ABC announcer who tested the set was delighted when she discovered she could hear DIG RADIO on the portable DAB radio rather than having to be hooked up to the internet to hear it streaming online.
Consumers who trialed the pocket stereo commented on the clear reception even while jogging, and on the improved quality. “The tuning dial works like a mobile phone, it’s easy,” was one consumer comment. “If it costs more than a normal radio I wouldn’t buy it, but if it’s the same price I would,” said another.
Two engineers invited by radioinfo to make systematic comparisons with the other bands on the AM/FM/DAB Hi Fi tuner were impressed with the DAB quality when the antenna was working well, but commented on the significant loss of signal when the antenna was retracted while inside a building, compared with the better FM reception in the same room.
AFTRS Radio students were most interested in the text data screen, which currently has messages such as “2SM is switched on to digital radio” and “Nova 96.9 Sounds Different.” They also noticed that stations such as 2Day and Mix 106.5 were streaming song and artist data via RDS on the FM band, which the Hi Fi receiver picked up.
Because the digital signal is received flat the portable units had a variety of preset Eq settings built in, which allows the consumer to choose the frequency response to suit their listening preferences.
radioinfo continues its focus on digital radio stories this week – see other stories on the news page and enter our competition to win your own digital radio.
