HIGH-DEFINITION (HD)
DIGITAL radio may sound like an obscure technical term, but it is likely to be a household name by the end of the year, or at least as familiar as its cousin, high-definition television.
So-called 'terrestrial radio' (as opposed to satellite radio) is cranking up a $200 million advertising blitz aimed at speeding acceptance of HD radio technology among consumers, and among auto
makers, because they make the products where people listen most.
D radio operates like regular radio, but when it receives a digital signal, AM-band broadcasts sound like FM and FM-band broadcasts have digital compact disc-like quality.
STREAMS OF DATA
HD technology also enables broadcasters to divide their existing frequencies so they can carry multiple, simultaneous broadcast streams and wireless data.
That means radio stations can offer different programming on a separate channel on the same frequency known as a multicast HD2 channel. HD2 stations are expected to be commercial-free for the next 18 months or so, and they will allow conventional radio stations to branch out into more innovative formats.
HD Radio, with a frequency response of 20 Hz to 18 kHz on the FM band, eclipses analogue FM's bandwidth ceiling of 15 kHz. Digital AM expands to 40 Hz to 15 kHz, in stereo, from the limited 60 Hz to 7.5 kHz of mono AM stations. The improved audio performance could mean the return of music on AM stations, which during the last 30 years largely converted to news and talk because the AM band couldn't match the stereo performance of its FM counterpart. Although AM stereo tried to take off in the early 1990s, it never gained a foothold among radio stations or listeners. AM in the HD age just might make waves.
FACTORY OPTION
BMW AG was the first OEM to offer HD radio as a factory option on its '06 7-Series, but eight more auto makers are expected to offer the technology on 36 models over the next several years.
HD radio is a $500 option on a BMW, where it now is available on the 6-Series and 5-Series.
Prices for HD radios in the aftermarket recently dipped to less than $300 and are expected to drop under $200 by the end of the year, McGannon says.
Even though HD Radio is debuting on expensive luxury
cars, consumers soon will find it available on a wide variety of vehicles and brands, including those aimed at the youth market and the less affluent, such as Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. products, McGannon tells Ward's.
Visteon and BMW were first to put factory-installed HD Radio on the road in the BMW 6-, 7- and now 5-Series cars.
Sources: www.wardsauto.com and www.popularmechanics.com
