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DAB+
digital radio on the way
Digital radio is on the way with the Australian Government
passing the Digital Radio Bill last month
and the industry set to kick off the first trials
of DAB+ in Sydney. The legislation allows for digital
radio to be rolled out by 1 January 2009
in the six state capitals.
Commercial
Radio Australia has welcomed the passing of the legislation,
which provides a six year moratorium on new entrants,
but will seek clarification on a number of aspects,
including the broadening of allowable digital program
content from “still visual images” to moving visual
images such as dynamic text, animations and
short burst video, which would encourage
take-up. More here.
To view details of the explanatory memorandum of the Digital
Radio Bill click here.
Meanwhile,
the industry is set to start switching off some trial
DAB broadcasts in Sydney and replacing them with DAB+ broadcasts.
The trial will give radio stations the ability to test the
new compression format, which will allow them to transmit
more than one audio channel or a combination of audio and
data.
This is great news for Australia and
other countries about to roll out digital radio because radio
stations will be able to use the increased efficiency
to deliver either better sound, more audio programs, or lots
of associated data such as text and images. More
here.
Digital
Radio and FM on your iPod
The UK has just announced a unique plug-in to allow users
to listen to DAB and FM radio via their iPod.
Roberts Radio and Frontier Silicon are working together to
bring the first ever DAB/FM plug-in radio for iPods to the
market. The device will be available before Christmas. In
DAB mode, a small screen on the device displays the name of
the radio station. Details here.
Australia
to showcase digital content innovations
One of the radio industry’s key jobs this year will
be to define the functionality and content applications
that will be offered to Australian consumers when digital
radio launches in 2009, and broadcasters are currently developing
a showcase demo of new digital radio content for display at
WorldDMB and Radio Asia events in June 2007. This includes
traffic cams, weather maps, electronic program guides and
other new content to engage listeners. Click here
to view a Joan Warner speech from a recent Conference on the
topic.
New
iRiver picture radio
iRiver, a leading provider of innovative
portable audio products, is set to introduce a digital
portable radio later this year capable of supporting
high quality, colour images. The groundbreaking product is
being trialled by Commercial Radio Australia in Sydney, testing
the new product with broadcasts of station logos, artist pictures
and other information. The advance follows Australia’s
development of the world’s first prototype picture radio
in 2005. UK radio stations such as
Capital Radio, Heart, Magic and Virgin Xtreme are
also trialling the new receiver. Commercial Radio Australia.
More
here.
Australia
to chair Asian digital radio taskforce
The Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union has set
up a new taskforce to promote DAB+ in the region and encourage
the development of a large number of low cost DAB+ receivers.
The taskforce will be chaired by Commercial Radio
Australia chief executive Joan Warner. It aims to
encourage countries in the region to adopt DAB+ and will work
with key receiver manufacturers and chipset makers.
Latest
report on DAB and DAB+ in Europe
A new report
on the status of DAB and DAB+ implementation
in Europe has recently been released by the WorldDMB
Forum, the international body that promotes DAB digital
radio services. The report shows 11 countries are
interested in an introduction of DAB+, including Italy, Malta,
France and Switzerland. More here.
Press
and media coverage
Articles about the advantages of digital radio technology
have been published recently. Click here to read The Australian’s
story, “Wireless
tunes to digital” or the Brisbane Courier Mail feature
“Radio’s
not dead – but it’s planning a rebirth”.
20%
of UK adults live in a DAB household
Latest figures from the UK, which has one of the most established
digital radio markets, show big rises in digital listening
across all platforms. Figures from industry measuring body
RAJAR show the Digitally Enabled
Universe - defined as those people who have access to a DAB
receiver or have ever listened to the radio via digital television
or the Internet – has increased by
5% from 55% in the fourth quarter
of 2006 to 58% in the first quarter of 2007.
The report showed that 19.5% of the UK population
now live in homes that have a digital radio, up a substantial
43% when compared to the first quarter of
2006 (13.6%).
AFTRS
digital radio roadshow in Adelaide
AFTRS is travelling around Australia with
informative and inspirational speakers discussing how digital
radio will work in Australia. You can be a part of it. The
Digital Radio Roadshow hits Adelaide
on Friday 15th June at the The Adelaide
Art Gallery Auditorium, Art Gallery of South Australia
from 12 - 5pm.
To register for this Adelaide Event, please click here.
The
cost is just $40 per person. Make sure you
register and pay as soon as possible to guarantee a place
at the session. All payments must be finalised by
Wednesday 6 June.
No matter who you are or what job you do, if you work in radio
you need to know about the new opportunities and challenges
that digital radio brings to our industry.
Digital
radio Frequently Asked Questions
What can listeners expect from digital radio? How does it
work? What will happen to AM and FM services? These questions
and more are answered in the Digital Radio Frequently
Asked Questions fact sheet. More
here.
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