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Sunday, October 29, 2006
10/30: HD Radio story
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
i did a story on HD Radio for the Arts & Books section Sunday.
I do have to say it’s so early in HD radio’s life, it’s hard to say how long it will take to penetrate the mainstream mind. I suspect it’s going to be awhile and won’t become a big deal until it starts becoming standard. Very few people are going to go out of their way to get HD radio right now.
Here are some technical feedback from a skeptical reader. I’m no technical expert so if anyone wants to challenge David, feel free:
Mr. Ho —-
A few salient points, requiring only a minimum of research, went missing from your piece on HD Radio:
1) Ibiquity made generous deals with the big radio station owners to get HD broadcasting equipment installed. In turn, radio station owners have additional avenues (i.e., stations or channels) for ad revenue without needing more bandwidth from the FCC.
2) Large radio station owners have proven time and again more stations does not equal more variety. In fact just last week the AJC ran a story on this very subject. True variety only happens when small stations are nourished, something the FCC in recent years has not encouraged. Whatever this is about, is likely NOT about giving consumers something they’ve been hungering for. Witness HD Radio sales (and contrary to the story, a “$200 starting price” ISN’T a significant deterrent.)
3) Caution your editors if you can about hed and dek hype. HD Radio is most definitely NOT “high definition.” Like most things digital, HD Radio is about clean reception and playback, not necessarily better resolution or fidelity. Ibiquity is also guilty of hyperbole. The “demo” available on hdradio.com that purports to compare HD Radio with FM is not only invalid but disingenuous. FM can, under good conditions that admittedly aren’t often met, sound outstanding.
4) HD Radio, while supposedly living on harmony with analog broadcasting, has been shown to in fact further degrade it in some instances due to interference. Analog and digital radio stations must share the same allotted chunk of bandwidth, and making room for digital doesn’t help analog. The FCC, “protector of the people’s airwaves” has similarly turned a deaf ear about this, but that’s another argument.
-David Deckert
Here’s another thought from an analog supporter:
Rodney—
Your story will be well received by those who were raised on digital sound.
However, digital sound is by definition -inferior to analog sound.
All sound waves begin life in the analog format. In order to create digital sound - the analog sound waves are dissected into digital bits. Think of it as you would a digital picture — if you look closer and closer at a digital picture — you eventually see a mosaic of pixels. Digital sound is a pixilated representation of analog sound waves.
Audiophiles have long known that digital sound is by definition, a compromised facsimile of analog. Sure— analog recordings are often plauged by unwanted audio interference and noise—which makes my point: analog is the “whole”, whereas digital is a sum of parts.
Tommy Meers - Decatur
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10/30: Denny protests CNN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denny Schaffer, mid-morning host for WGST-AM, is hosting an anti-CNN protest Monday at 3 p.m. Here’s the info:
Denny’s CNN Protest!
When? Monday, October 30, 2006, 3PM Who? Denny Schaffer, Host of Denny Radio 8am to Noon, 640 WGST
Where? Corner of Marietta and Centennial Drive, in front of CNN
Why? CNN has gone to far in now showing sniper videos of our U.S. Troops getting shot at!
Join Denny as he takes on CNN for showing video of snipers shooting our troops in an obvious move of propaganda!
“Somebody needs to take a stand against CNN and their desire to help the enemy”, Denny Schaffer, 640 WGST
The time is now! Actions like CNN’s only weaken us in the eyes of our enemies!
Join the good fight!
Join us on Monday, October 30, 2006, 3PM!
Bring a sign to show your support!
