Digital radio: is switchover by 2015 still viable?

[Andy Clough]

There's much debate following today's release of the latest audience figures about the viability of the Government's plan for the switchover to digital radio to be completed by 2015.

Have you made the switch yet? Do you listen to digital radio? Is DAB all it's cracked up to be? Let us know what you think.

 

[mikegtar]

I've got a PURE DAB radio in the kitchen which I listen to whilst cooking my baked beans and a Bose Wave music system with DAB in the bedroom which sends me to sleep every night.

My two hifi tuners are FM as is my micro system and the radio in my MP3 player.

The sound quality of the DAB stations on my PURE and Bose systems is fine. I tried comparing Classic FM on the Bose with FM and DAB signals and couldn't really tell them apart. On a more revealing system I guess the difference would be more striking from what I've read, so I wouldn't rush out and buy a DAB hifi tuner.

The benefit that I've found with DAB is that the Talk Sport and BBC World Service stations are clearer than on AM and also that Jazz FM isn't actually on FM anymore - it should be called Jazz Digital now I think.

I don't want to have to change my hifi tuners for inferior sounding DAB ones, so the longer FM continues to transmit the better from my point of view.

 

[chebby]

I have a Pure Evoke Flow in the kitchen and we use FM most of the time and our youngest daughter uses internet radio on it sometimes.

DAB reception is lousy in every room despite FM and TV reception being excellent. (All from the same transmitter.)

We also have a DAB/FM Pure Evoke bedroom radio tuned into FM all the time.

For the main system I would rather use FM (and Freeview & internet radio for stations I can't get on FM and iPlayer for stuff I have missed.)

I would not use DAB even if they switched off FM. Don't want it, don't need it.

I have heard DAB vs FM from a good (Denon) tuner plugged into a roof aerial and playing through a decent hifi and the DAB is gutless. On speech/drama the surrounding background 'acoustic' is flat whereas with FM there is a tanglible sense of 'space' around performers.

Let's see how many DAB radios would sell if they did not have FM (or internet radio) built in too.

 

[laserman16]

I can't see 20 million plus car drivers all changing over to Dab, and I don't know of any car manufacturers actually fitting Dab as standard yet.

I don't have a Dab at home so in all fairness I cannot compare to FM, but I am happy with FM.

Seems an arwful waste to scrap all those radios for Dab when we are supposed to be exploring ways of cutting down on the use of the Earths resources.

 

[fayeanddavid]

All,

I have two DAB radios in the house, one in the office which is always tuned to Classic FM on FM, one in the bedroom that also is tuned to FM Radio 2, with aheart warming change (sic) to Gold on DAB occassionally.

I've been an early adopter of DAB (some 4-5 years ago, very early days) don't think it has come very far, and apart from choice of channels, it is still someway off comingclose to an FM broadcast for feel.

Don't like them at all..................but feel I should somehow

 

[Diamond Joe]

Did you know there's a petition on the No.10 Science, technology and innovation website to stop the switch off? Only 115 signatures at the mo. Get signing. If you're bothered.

I can't see it happening in the next 5 years.

 

[hammill]

laserman16:

I can't see 20 million plus car drivers all changing over to Dab, and I don't know of any car manufacturers actually fitting Dab as standard yet.

I don't have a Dab at home so in all fairness I cannot compare to FM, but I am happy with FM.

Seems an arwful waste to scrap all those radios for Dab when we are supposed to be exploring ways of cutting down on the use of the Earths resources.

I am just looking at buying a new Mondeo and they seem to be fitting a Sony DAB radio as standard. The radio option for a Vauxhall Insignia is also DAB. I imagine they are not the only ones.

I use my DAB all the time, I listen to Radio 7 (DAB only) Radio 5 (much better than AM) Radio 5 Sports Extra (DAB only) and Planet Rock (DAB only) as well as Radio 4 which sounds fine. I never use FM. 2015 may be too early, but as DAB gets cheaper and it is fitted in cars as standard, the 50% is only a matter of time.

 

[Andrew Everard]

hammill:I am just looking at buying a new Mondeo and they seem to be fitting a Sony DAB radio as standard. The radio option for a Vauxhall Insignia is also DAB. I imagine they are not the only ones.

A Sony single-CD/DAB system seems to be a £300 option on Mondeo Edge, Zetec and basic ECOnetic models, but yes a six-discer with DAB is standard above that.

 

[laserman16]

My Daughter has just had a new car and AFAIK dab radio wasn't an option on it. Admittedly it was not a Mondeo but a bit further down the range.

Given that the change over is supposed to be 5 years away and the average life span of a car is about 10 years perhaps they ought to be being fitted as standard now.

 

[hammill]

laserman16:

My Daughter has just had a new car and AFAIK dab radio wasn't an option on it. Admittedly it was not a Mondeo but a bit further down the range.

Given that the change over is supposed to be 5 years away and the average life span of a car is about 10 years perhaps they ought to be being fitted as standard now.
I quite agree. Given the difference in cost and the impending change over, it seems ridiculous not to fit DAB as standard.

 

[mikegtar]

Diamond Joe:
Did you know there's a petition on the No.10 Science, technology and innovation website to stop the switch off? Only 115 signatures at the mo. Get signing. If you're bothered.

I can't see it happening in the next 5 years.

Thanks for the heads up about the petition. I've now duly signed. http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/VHFvsDAB/

What a wonderful sense of empowerment!

Hope that the PM likes FM too.

 

[chebby]

There was a petition last year

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/AM-FM-Radio/

4583 'signatures' and now closed.

 

[dfa2124]

I had an Arcam Alpha 10 DAB tuner (bought way back in April 2000) and the sound quality from the BBC nationals back then was excellent (192 kb/s). After the BBC added their new stations and slashed the bitrates there was a noticeable drop in quality, and I was not best pleased. Coupled with the gradual decline in quality and then Digital One dropping stations like flies I ebayed it last year as I just didn't use it any more.

I don't think that the main nationals will switch to digital-only in 2015, 2020 seems more viable, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's later than that. The DAB system just isn't good enough as a replacement.By the time that it is, internet/wi-fi/mobile broadband will be the dominant digital platform, and DAB may die a slow and painful death.

Even when switchover does happen, the FM band will still be used by local and community stations. If these are run by people that care about quality and content then perhaps we will see some very interesting programming on these stations, who knows?

 

[Andy Clough]

Was listening to my (very good) FM radio in the kitchen earlier, which replaced a DAB one which had terrible reception - the signal would constantly drop in and out. And I only live 12 miles from central London.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Reasons for DAB:

5Live (but only on Saturdays 09.00-11.00)
BBC7

Erm, that's it...

 

[Anonymous]

I got to say that I'm hoping the government don't switch off FM, as it can sound very good indeed. DAB to me seems tinny in comparison, so fingers crossed, as per usual, they do a bad job of the change over, and keep FM going for quite a number of years

 

[mikegtar]

A couple of days ago it was announced that former Telewest and Flextech chief executive Adam Singer has agreed to join digital radio switchover body Digital Radio UK as its new chairman.

As they're still recruiting, I guess they think that there is still some mileage in this Digital radio lark.

 

[nads]

Looks like the Peers are a bit skeptical of the plans.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8591942.stm

and I still love the way that most Tourists driving over will not get any radio.

As the UK seems to be alone in Europe with this switch over idea.

 

[Woodruffe]

Found this article on another website on how figures are being massaged!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/29/analogue_radio_is_hiding/

Hope the link doesn't contravene site rules...

 

[Clare Newsome]

I wouldn't go as far as being 'massaged' - does anyone REALLY buy an iPod Nano because it offers FM radio? A radio, maybe, but not because it's analogue... No chance to listen to Radio 5 live and catch up on the sports reports, for starters!

 

[plastic penguin]

I think the whole FM switch-off is yet another swindle. There is no viable reason why analogue and DAB can't run side by side.

Little old sceptical me suspects it's another Government scam for additional taxes, penalising those who have little money and those, like me, who love the FM sound quality.

 

[basshead]

for me when FM is switched off it will prob mean the end of listening to the radio at all.

i dont care about the quality difference between FM and DAB, it's convenience. every room in my house has an fm radio in some form, both of my parents cars have it, we use cheap fm radios in work. when i go camping i take a cheap portable hifi and use the radio. there are millions of fm radios around which work fine and even new ones or 2nd hand ones are stupidly cheap.

when these millions of FM tuners dont work will they all be replaced by DAB radios? i think not.

so the government is taking away a major way of getting free music, can any1 else see a rise in illegal downloads as a result? i think so.

whatever the governments reasons for this, i bet it is just economics. our consumerists society is based on the cycle created by waste. FM radios simply work too well, there must be millions of working FM radios around from the 80's, and they'll keep going, as the technology is so simple. this simply will not do for consumerism, the government needs us to throw away millions of working elecronic devices, and then spend lots of money on inferior products which will last 5 years max.

rant over

 

[dfa2124]

The Government are in panic mode. They spent millions of pounds promoting DAB, with the original promises of CD-quality sound, much more choice and internet-like interactivity coming to nothing. They've buried their heads in the sand about DAB+, because they don't want to admit that DAB was a mistake and have wasted all that money. On top of all that, the possible closure of the Asian Network and 6 music is sending a negative message, and from a sound quality point of view, DAB is a step backwards. The powers that be know all this but one thing they seem to find almost impossible to do is to admit they were wrong, and by giving out all these confusing messages about switchover and FM switch-off, and refusing to try to catch up with the rest of the world they are ironically contributing to its demise.

 

[jc.com]

chebby:

There was a petition last year

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/AM-FM-Radio/

4583 'signatures' and now closed.

Those who signed will, I imagine, have received the same email I did, the gist of which was that it was a question of when, not if, FM is switched off.

 

[Anonymous]

I wish the government would butt out of things like this, and let the masses speak! Why would so many people in the country have radio's and tuners (non DAB), if they really wanted dab to be the mainstay of our listening!

We can get good sound from radio as it stands at the moment, and they then go screw with us and it!!

Sorry, rant over, for the while!!