Originally Posted by cleeds
The history of HD radio in the US is one of repeated missteps that overshadow whatever potential the technology might have had.
Things started to go wrong from the moment iBiquity branded its in-band, on-channel digital scheme. The assumption, of course, is that "HD" stands for high-definition. But, as licensor iBiquity (and its successor, DTS) explain, HD radio stands for ... nothing at all. And it certainly never stood for High Definition, the company says. Someone should have told them that launching an entirely new product based on a deceptive trade name just isn't smart.
HD promoters touted the technology as CD quality on FM, and FM quality on AM. Neither claim was quite true, of course, even under ideal conditions. And given that one of radio's greatest benefits is its portability, that's quite a handicap, because when you're mobile, reception conditions are constantly changing.
The technology arrived just as the US broadcasting industry began entering a free fall, a consequence of consolidators such as Clear Channel overpaying for stations, and then struggling to cut costs in an effort to stave off bankruptcy. That meant there wasn't much money to invest in HD programming, further limiting HD appeal. At the same time, cost cutting on the FM and AM sides cheapened those products, too. Data shows that while people still listen - radio reaches about 93 percent of US adults every week, Nielson says - the time spent listening is down. Some of that is almost certainly because listeners have more choices today, and that only creates a vicious circle of declining quality.
And it gets worse.
The additional noise HD helped spew into the AM band limited the coverage area of many stations. And HD contributes noise on FM, too, which of course is the topic of this thread. Just as there were cuts in radio programming budgets, there have been cuts in engineering budgets. So maintaining tricky things such as keeping the timing of the analog and digital signals synchronized (which is no small feat, and which is needed because a radio will switch back and forth as the HD signal fades) are likely to go unattended. Any HD signal problem - including things as simple as a computer lock-up that interrupts the programming - can go on and on and on for days. The engineer and programmers are too busy to listen. Or maybe they don't care. I've seen this happen even at major stations.
Many stations have turned off their HD encoders. Of course, many still use HD because it has marketing appeal to have "HD" attached to the end of a station's call letters.
But remember, even when it works: HD isn't high definition.
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