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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

The Digital Radio Frequency Spectrum...

may be limited and though offering choice(if a decent signal can be obtained)we know all too well we are trying to squeeze too many stations into too small a space so often the bit rate is reduced and where possible some stations that would be better appreciated in stereo are broadcasting in mono. Or in the case of the BBC sometimes it will borrow a little of another station to allow a part time broadcast sound a little better ie: Radio 5's Sports Extra takes some of Radio 4's allowed rate and it then goes into mono until Extra closes.

The problem of reception came up on the Points Of View messageboard at the BBC Site and it appears that I am not alone in having to use a digital radio in a bedroom to attempt to get a signal at all. One of these posters suggests other problems with DAB that I had not thought of as adding to the problem...not enough repeater transmitters to boost the signals and the frequency that is being used as being too high and that a lower frequency spreads over a greater distance.

I am not an engineer but take this as likely to be true, after all the other information that has come to my notice of late.

Well, the media company behind some of the UK's most popular station's will launch digital a new DAB service on Christmas day which will be cross promoted on another station it runs Classic FM. I await to see if it is able to broadcast in stereo but again it will be available on line, on satellite alongside DAB and it will play Jazz of many kinds and hope to make jazz more popular and accessible.

I discovered that an artist I purchased on cd a few weeks ago will be on the playlist. I purchased that because I liked the sound but never thought it was jazz.

Like many media outlets in the press and broadcasting what actually is a particular genre is open to interpretation, I find show tunes and some movie music included within Radio 3 and Classic FM's output and at what point is newer material allowed onto such stations and accepted as classical? I suspect the same will be true of this new Jazz station.

Update:Take a look at this link on another blog I link to Shrew MediaThe DAB problem is happening in Sweden, this blog entry also has a direct link to the story.

When will it get the coverage in the UK that this starting to get around the world?

4 Comments:

Blogger ja said...

I wish our dab system was more robust, I would have had it fitted in the car but as it stands I'm not prepared to spend money on a product which comes with no guarantees as to whether it will work in all environments or not.

28 November 2006 at 20:56  
Blogger The Great Gildersleeve said...

Hope your trip into town about the Freeview box went ok...

Yes, not only does my DAB radio have to be in one place in the bedroom, even walking or standing around it the signal can drop and start sounding horrible. So I have to avoid going close to it(especially if timeshifting to hear later as the recording will be spoilt)or walk past it a little quicker so the signal does not get the chance to drop.

Really, if Ofcom or the industry does not make more with an external socket to connect an areial(I always spell that wrong)or get more repeat transmitters powered up, its not all its cracked up to be for many.

I hear that a DAB radio works much better in a car, perhaps the body of the car helps draw the signal in...

28 November 2006 at 23:30  
Blogger ja said...

I haven't had a chance to pop into town for the returning of the remote or taking the promised photos, which I'll do before the coming weekend is over.

You were so close with the aerial spelling, only one letter out. Don't worry about it, I think we all have certain words which we struggle with. One of mine is 'received'.

The placing of the dab radio can get quite tedious, as you say. The bubbling sound when the signal deteriorates is not nice on the ears at all. Thanks for the dab car info, sounds promising and I'll investigate further.

29 November 2006 at 00:26  
Blogger Curmy said...

Gildy, have you seen that Gavin's started a Radio 5 MB ?

29 November 2006 at 19:15  

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