The National Radio Systems Committee (NRSC), a U.S.
standards setting organization sponsored by the National Association
of Broadcasters and the Consumer Electronics Association, recently
adopted a standard for In-Band On-Channel broadcasting based on
iBiquity Digital Corporation’s HD Radio™ system. The standard, known
as NRSC-5, designates the technology use for digital broadcasting in
the AM and FM bands. HD Radio technology was approved by the Federal
Communications Commission in October 2002 as the U.S. system for
digital AM and FM broadcasting, but the recent NRSC action represents
formal industry specification of the details of the HD Radio system.
The FM implementation of the HD Radio system is included in
Recommendation ITU-R BS.1114 and the AM implementation is included in
Recommendation ITU-R BS. 1514.
The HD Radio system allows broadcasters to
simultaneously provide programming in analog and digital formats. The
system inserts digital carriers on either side of the existing analog
signal and uses advanced coding techniques to avoid interference
between the analog and digital signals. The result is CD-quality sound
for FM broadcasts and FM-quality on the AM band. The system also
supports a number of new features not provided with analog radio. HD
Radio technology permits “multicasting” whereby the broadcaster
transmits several program streams over a single FM frequency. This
will allow broadcasters to offer new programming and potentially new
formats without the need for additional spectrum allocations. The
system also supports program associated data such as artist and song
title information as well as new data services ranging from text based
weather alerts and stock quotes to real-time traffic reports broadcast
by local stations and visually displayed on a vehicle’s navigation
system.
This new technology is appealing particularly in
countries where there is no available spectrum for the introduction of
digital AM and FM broadcasts. The HD Radio system introduces the
digital signal in the existing AM or FM band, thereby eliminating the
need for new frequency allocations. Any disruption from the transition
to digital is minimized for both broadcasters and consumers by using
the existing infrastructure and spectrum and at the same time
preserving the existing analog service for as long as needed. This
means listeners can continue listening to local AM/FM stations on
existing analog radios as well as on new HD Radio receivers, with all
the added services and benefits that HD Radio offers
New features under development for use with HD
Radio broadcasts include surround sound, store-and-replay technology,
on-demand programming and the “buy” button. Store-and-replay features
will allow listeners to rewind a song they just heard or record an
entire program to play back at a more convenient listening time. The
system supports on-demand capabilities that will give listeners
instant access to news and information rather than requiring them to
wait for a specific program to be provided in particular time segment.
Inclusion of a “buy” button will turn the radio into an interactive
device for e-commerce, allowing for instant purchases of everything
from concert tickets to advertised products.
Currently there are almost 400 stations in the U.S.
broadcasting using HD Radio technology. It is projected that 600
stations will be offering HD Radio broadcasts by the end of 2005 and
more than 1,200 stations by the end of 2006. Several automobile
aftermarket and home receivers are commercially available and
additional receiver models, including new tabletop receivers, will be
commercially available later in 2005.
Although the HD Radio system was first tested in
the United States, recent demonstrations in Mexico and Brazil have
demonstrated the applicability of HD Radio technology for other
markets. Broadcasters in Asia and Europe also are considering HD Radio
solutions for those markets.
Further information about HD Radio technology is
available at www.hdradio.com. Details about NRSC-5 can be obtained at
www.nrscstandards.org.
Albert Shuldiner
iBiquity Digital Corporation
8865 Stanford Boulevard
Suite 202
Columbia, Maryland 21045
USA
410-872-1536
[email protected]
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