ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 27, 1996 TAG: 9602270072
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: At Home with Technology
SOURCE: DAVID BUTLER
Q: With all the hoopla about digital video and digital television, AM and FM radio seem destined to remain in the dark ages of analog! What's the story?
A: The wholesale move to digital audio began more than a decade ago with the debut of the compact disc. Today, nearly all recorded music is available in CD format.
Meanwhile, more than a million homes now receive super-sharp TV images, beamed in digitally from a new generation of high-power satellites. Experts say HDTV isn't far behind. Yet digital radio is not even on the radar screen - or so it seems.
Has video shamelessly leapfrogged audio on the path to digital nirvana? Read on. Things aren't quite as they appear ...
For the past several years, a joint committee of the Electronic Industries Association and the National Association of Broadcasters has been evaluating proposals for an all-digital terrestrial radio system. Engineers have been conducting live tests in a handful of cities across the US.
The most promising proposal is a dual-mode system whereby FM (and possibly AM) stations will transmit both digital and analog signals on their original frequency or channel. Since this approach consumes no additional radio spectrum, it greatly simplifies the transition while allowing analog broadcasts to continue. It also minimizes the investment stations must make in new equipment.
The resulting audio signal will be comparable to a compact disc and virtually free of interference! Especially noticeable will be the absence of multipath distortion, a major problem for urban FM stations. An adjunct data channel will carry the station ID along with program information. Excess data capacity could be made available to paging services, electric utilities and even public schools.
Non-commercial digital audio programs are already available to millions of cable and direct satellite customers. With most systems, subscribers who choose a deluxe service package receive more than two-dozen CD-quality music channels Artist, title and other details appear on a special LCD remote.
One audio programmer offers a stand-alone package with more than 100 digital music channels. Included are no less than five classical, six jazz, five rock, and over two-dozen ethnic/international channels. A subscription costs $15 monthly. You must also purchase a one-meter dish and special receiver. C-band customers only need to buy the receiver and a KU-band conversion kit.
In another effort, four companies await FCC approval to operate an all-digital satellite radio network. Targeted primarily at commuters and long-distance road warriors, the silver dollar-sized antenna can be factory-molded into the roof of the car or mounted on the rear window. New car radios would receive three bands: AM, FM and S-Band. Home and portable receivers would also be available
Collectively, seven satellites would blanket the nation with up to 120 CD-quality audio channels plus 500 regional channels. This could put S-Band in direct competition with terrestrial radio, but so far, only one proponent expects to follow an advertiser-supported model. The others will serve up multi-channel audio by subscription or pay-per-listen. Service could begin as early as 1998.
There's no doubt that the massive effort to develop broadcast standards for HDTV has overshadowed the evolution of digital radio. Competition from cable TV, along with the deployment of all-digital direct satellite systems, has proved to be a strong motivator for the broadcast television industry.
Radio, now facing competitive threats from every direction, has seen the writing on the wall. Don't be surprised if terrestrial radio makes its digital debut ahead of HDTV - possibly by 1998. Let's hope radio manufacturers are up to the challenge!
By the way, just in case you haven't heard enough about the Internet, live radio recently debuted on the Web. Although the sound quality leaves much to the imagination, there's no doubt that the future of radio is still being written.
To receive more information about digital radio and non-commercial audio services, please send $1.50 and a self-addressed envelope to David Butler F-601, Department TWN, 14713 Pleasant Hill Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28278-7927.
LENGTH: Medium: 80 linesby CNB