What can possibly be HD about radio?
by Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Apr 13th 2006 at 8:30AM
We all know how great HD is, if we didn't love it then we wouldn't be here at HDBeat. HD is taking the world by storm and starting to hit critical mass. It's no wonder that some marketing departments have tried to latch on to take advantage, but HD radio? What could possibly be considered HD about radio? HD or High Definition as defined by answers.com is "The clarity of detail in an optically produced image, such as a photograph, effected by a combination of resolution and contrast." or "The degree of clarity with which a televised image or broadcast signal is received." As you can see this has nothing to do with sound, the worst part is that sound has it's own high quality designation; Hi-Fi, but unfortunately for us and the iBiquity's marketing department that term is so 1970. Regardless of the correct terminology HD Radio is here to stay and the worst part is the sound quality isn't even close to be as good as the audio from HDTV. It is better than AM or FM, but does it deserve to be tagged HD?
So if you have something to market in the consumer electronics world don't forget to either put a 'i' in front of it(iRadio?) or call it HD or it won't succeed.
Filed under: Industry
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan in DC/VA @ Apr 13th 2006 10:06AM
Slow news day?
Daniel Clausen @ Apr 13th 2006 10:27AM
Actually this isn't the worse marketing misuse I've seen of the term HD. I was at Home Depot a couple of weeks back and saw a company selling a "HD" kitchen countertop. Nope, no TV involved here just a plain old ordinary countertop that they tagged "HD" because of the "clarity of the design".
Addex @ Apr 13th 2006 10:29AM
Well i understand that High Definition defines a more detailed audio experience but hd in audio should be more like the quality of SACD or DVD-Audio.
wassim @ Apr 13th 2006 2:12PM
Yeah, hd's been used for exploitation because of its appeal. Remember those commercials for a glass cleaner had a real estate agent claiming "high definition windows?" haha...well, if nothing else then, at least this shows the wide adoption and public knowledge about hd, or else they wouldn't be using it in a commercial. Also, I remember about 2 years back when hd radio first came out, a radio station saying they had hd radio, and I thought it was a joke, and a bad one at that, because they have those sorts of bad jokes all the time (WROR for anyone in the Boston area).
Odiwan @ Apr 13th 2006 2:15PM
Daniel are you sure the HD didn't stand for "Home Depot" counter top?
Our news radio station here claims to broadcast in "Crystal Clear HD Digital". It's an AM radio station, and when I listen to their live audio stream, it sounds like they are in the bottom of a pickle barrel
Jake @ Apr 13th 2006 2:34PM
Odiwan, dude, you have to have an HD radio in order to hear the HD Radio broadcast. Not unlike, oh, HDTV.
And while no, HD Radio doesn't sound as good as PCM Dolby Digital (the audio in HD audio), it sounds a whole lot better than regular FM. A WHOLE lot.
And not to diss answers.com (answers.com, really?), but "definition" doesn't refer only to visual image quality. Audiophiles will recognize the term as refering the level of detail discernible in the audio signal. How crystal clear is the triangle in that symphony? Can you hear not just the sound produced by that cello, but also its acoustic resonance? "Well defined" is a badge of honor for a good sound system and a good source recording.
Bottom line: lets not be HD snobs. High definition means "far greater clarity and detail than you are used to from the analog century." And we should embrace it if it means that the broadcast and media companies will upgrade their infrastructure, all to enhance our experience.
Keith @ Apr 13th 2006 4:18PM
In my city, one of our stations just went to HD radio about a month ago. As far as I can tell, it still sounds about the same. The only difference is you can get the signal farther away before (meaning you get less static in the same areas as before) and they now have the option to display the song names on your radio. To me, displaying the song name is kinda cool, but it is pretty much the same old radio as before.
Terrence @ Apr 13th 2006 4:59PM
I'm not sure people are understanding. You have to go out and buy and HD Receiver in order to get HD Radio. Similar to needing an HD Tuner to get get HDTV (as Jake has already mentioned.)
The great thing about HD Radio (and TV if you've got the time know how and money) is that its free. All you have to do is buy the reciever. Although, like the original article, I am skeptical of its High Definition.
Rob Austin @ Apr 15th 2006 7:57AM
The fact that even the HD techies who read this blog don't realize that when a radio station says is broadcasts in HD digital, that you actually need an HD radio - is testament to the lack of education the radio industry has done/is doing on the subject. HD Radio will never go mainstream if the radio industry can't get consumers to understand it. If the techies don't get it, then average joe consumer certainly won't.
--*Rob
Mike @ Apr 15th 2006 10:04AM
HD Radio is in competition with XM and Sirius Sat Radio. If you haven't noticed, both of the satellite radio providers are feverishly inking deals with car and radio manufacturers to enable easy access to their service. This competition is suppressing HD Radio, in that, XM and Sirius can negotiate for "exclusive" rights to whatever system they are paying to be attached to. Up to now, consumers haven't been asking for HD Radio (because they don't know about it), but this will change over time. As soon as car manufacturers begin offering it as a free or low cost option, it should take off.
Ben Drawbaugh @ Apr 15th 2006 11:57AM
To me the biggest hurrle for HDRadio compared to XM or Sirrius is price.
I was very excited about this when it came out, but have yet to buy one because the tuners cost $300 which I think is too much. Especially considering you can buy a xm or sirrius tuner for less than $100 the 200 will pay for your monthly expenses for almost two years before you break even.
It has also surprised me how few people understand you need a new tunner to take advantage of HD Radio.
ktwdallas @ Apr 15th 2006 3:20PM
Shortly after CDs started coming out in the early 80's, there was a company that released cassette tape blanks labeled as "CD Cassettes", which were supposed to be "Cassette tapes with the dynamic range of CDs"... there will always be unscrupulous companies preying on nieve consumers. As Audiophile magazine put it at the time, "What's next..? 'CD Vinyl??'"
apacit @ Apr 17th 2006 8:24AM
I don't have an HD Radio, nor have I heard it, but I do live in a market with plenty of stations, Atlanta. I have enough choice that I never went for satelite radio. I'm sure it's great, and I can't say I'm thrilled with broadcast radio programming, but I can usually find something I like, I have one favorite for mornings and another for afternoons, both avoid mindless chatter. I still get news from AM on a portion of my hour plus drive. So for me, adding higher quality at the cost of optional hardware is a winner. Why argue? So the name may infringe on the whole video thing, but I think it makes sense to the public, it's a digital broadcast with higher quality and actually has extra content. I like having another "channel" per station because I will like having tunes available when they switch the primary signal to a ball game. By the way, my cable "radio" has no talk, but the music programmed is so bad I don't use it. I'd like to see more receivers with HD Radio than freakin' iPod inputs.