Discussion
Jam Spavlin said:
I hate radio blah blah I love my mp3 collection...
Pablo68 said:
I hate radio blah blah I love my mp3 collection...
Well jolly good for you both, but that is not what we are talking about here. MP3 collections are not a replacement for broadcast radio. I have a large MP3 (&FLAC) collection, but I still like listening to live radio. We're talking about the Governments attempt to sell off the FM radio spectrum and replace it with sub-standard quality DAB, which has become virtually obsolete. Well said - I like listening to my own music but also like the radio and its often the best choice when the missus is in the car so we don't try and choose what we like best.
Its not just the music - you get the banter, the odd bit of news, the traffic updates, etc.
and finally its one of teh best mediums to hear new music that one may like...
Yeah sure a lot of us probably have MP3 collections so large you can't even listen to it all, and mayeb subscriptions to spotify etc etc but its still nice to listen to some new music and add to your music collection!
No?
Its not just the music - you get the banter, the odd bit of news, the traffic updates, etc.
and finally its one of teh best mediums to hear new music that one may like...
Yeah sure a lot of us probably have MP3 collections so large you can't even listen to it all, and mayeb subscriptions to spotify etc etc but its still nice to listen to some new music and add to your music collection!
No?
GSE said:
Well jolly good for you both, but that is not what we are talking about here. MP3 collections are not a replacement for broadcast radio. I have a large MP3 (&FLAC) collection, but I still like listening to live radio. We're talking about the Governments attempt to sell off the FM radio spectrum and replace it with sub-standard quality DAB, which has become virtually obsolete.
Rakoosh said:
Well said - I like listening to my own music but also like the radio and its often the best choice when the missus is in the car so we don't try and choose what we like best.
Its not just the music - you get the banter, the odd bit of news, the traffic updates, etc.
and finally its one of teh best mediums to hear new music that one may like...
Yeah sure a lot of us probably have MP3 collections so large you can't even listen to it all, and mayeb subscriptions to spotify etc etc but its still nice to listen to some new music and add to your music collection!
No?
The problem is that most stations, or at least the ones available locally to me, just recycle the same old dross seemingly on the hour. - The radio at work (one of my business partners keeps setting it to either Gem 106 or Smooth FM) drives me nuts, especially when they broadcast the same news reports and adverts over and over and over and over…Its not just the music - you get the banter, the odd bit of news, the traffic updates, etc.
and finally its one of teh best mediums to hear new music that one may like...
Yeah sure a lot of us probably have MP3 collections so large you can't even listen to it all, and mayeb subscriptions to spotify etc etc but its still nice to listen to some new music and add to your music collection!
No?
...I nearly drop-kicked the thing out of the front door earlier.
Thank f
k for Internet radio.In fact, the only station I've recently been remotely happy to listen to for any period of time is Planet Rock…but even then reception is an issue...and this is FM I'm talking about. Personally I really do hope a solution (investment) is found to the reception issues we have with mobile data networks. Radio isn't dead, but this is 2014 and the majority are still listening to the same crappy FM stations.
Emeye said:
It is owned by the same group that publish Metal Hammer magazine etc, and they do have the odd advert for subscriptions, so maybe the magazine marketing budget subsidises it?
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/apr/03/classic-rock-metal-hammer-digital-radioEverything you need to know about TeamRock. The guy that heads it up is an old boss of mine. He's not short of a few quid and is an out and out radio guy, although I know there are plenty in the industry who wonder how viable the station is financially. Aiui the radio station is tied into a multi platform offer along with the magazines etc.
Clivey said:
The problem is that most stations, or at least the ones available locally to me, just recycle the same old dross seemingly on the hour. - The radio at work (one of my business partners keeps setting it to either Gem 106 or Smooth FM) drives me nuts, especially when they broadcast the same news reports and adverts over and over and over and over…
...I nearly drop-kicked the thing out of the front door earlier. Thank fk for Internet radio.
In fact, the only station I've recently been remotely happy to listen to for any period of time is Planet Rock…but even then reception is an issue...and this is FM I'm talking about. Personally I really do hope a solution (investment) is found to the reception issues we have with mobile data networks. Radio isn't dead, but this is 2014 and the majority are still listening to the same crappy FM stations.
Clive,...I nearly drop-kicked the thing out of the front door earlier.
Thank fk for Internet radio.In fact, the only station I've recently been remotely happy to listen to for any period of time is Planet Rock…but even then reception is an issue...and this is FM I'm talking about. Personally I really do hope a solution (investment) is found to the reception issues we have with mobile data networks. Radio isn't dead, but this is 2014 and the majority are still listening to the same crappy FM stations.
Is the telescopic antenna extended and complete with all sections?
Try moving it around to improve reception.
Phil
Transmitter Man said:
Clive,
Is the telescopic antenna extended and complete with all sections?
Try moving it around to improve reception.
Phil
Sorry, I wasn't clear in my last post. - I like to listen to Planet Rock in the car rather than in my business premises. - I don't think some of my customers would like it! Is the telescopic antenna extended and complete with all sections?
Try moving it around to improve reception.
Phil
TBH it's only recently that it's been possible to receive it locally (I live just outside Derby). - Whenever I'd tried Planet Rock (or Kerrang, which I still can't get) before the signal had been too weak…and I've tried in several cars. If I headed towards Birmingham or Leicester it'd be fine; just not here for some reason!
bennyboydurham said:
Thanks for that - I think I have decided against bothering with DAB is the car after I just read that Team rock Radio is transmitted on DAB at 80k in MONO!!! Wft?Think I will take my chances with streaming it and hope Team rock buy FM station Real XS radio which the competition commission have told its owners it has to sell.
Makes my choice of head unit easier! Sony GS600BT with app remote controlling a dash mounted Google Nexus 7 tethered to my phone for streaming radio, spotify and Navigation.
Myres said:
Myers, the executive chair of Team Rock, added: "I'm delighted to be heading up an exciting new business with great people who don't wear suits and enjoy life to the full. This will be a thrilling business to lead
A triumphant fanfare announcement, but when you read the small print you find that Teamrock will be broadcasting at 80kb/s in mono 
It's just not worth bothering if they are broadcasting at such low quality. Replacing FM with DAB is a very bad deal. I have hundreds of FM sourced live recordings (in FLAC) that, bar a little hiss and the odd click, sound way better than anything currently offered on DAB. If all we will be able to hear in the future are crappy low bit rate MP2 recordings, further bastardised by conversion to MP3 or other lossy formats, the future is bleak. Keep FM and the quality, and use the DAB network or bandwidth for something else.
What else could DAB, with it's poor error correction, be used for? Regional travel and weather audio announcements, 405 line TV?
Studio117 said:
Why people bother with radio these days does surprise me. Even a modest sized SD card gets me thousands of decent quality tracks to listen to at my leisure. Quite why people put up with some bellend talking is anyones guess.
You could try reading the thread to find the reasons very well explained.Studio117 said:
Why people bother with radio these days does surprise me. Even a modest sized SD card gets me thousands of decent quality tracks to listen to at my leisure. Quite why people put up with some bellend talking is anyones guess.
Some of us like to be indroduced and listen music we haven't heard before not to mention hear the news, comedy or current affaires shows.Radio all the time for me.
GSE said:
Am I missing something here, but why don't they start allocating some of the DAB bandwidth to DAB+ transmission, which allegedly fixes a lot of the problems with 'regular' DAB, and get more DAB+/dual standard sets in the shops?
All the sets in the shops now should be DAB+ compatible. Even the very early sets are mostly capable of it hardware wise (at least the ones I worked on were) but would need a firmware update which would require a return to base procedure making it uneconomic.anonymous said:
[redacted]
I am talking about production and distribution quality.Film industry gives us Blu ray, HDTV, Dolby Digital, DTS etc etc
Audio we get compression tech such as mp3 and mono low bitrate DAB.
Would you rather have less choice and greater quality? Or are you happy to put up with poor bitrate audio if it means there is a radio station that plays the music you like all day?
Hello.
I'm one of the "dhead DJs" and "Bellends" you speak so fondly of. This is my 15th year in the commercial radio industry as a presenter (and my 15th year as a car fan too). I work for the UK's biggest commercial radio company, but don't really write about it very often (so if my post is haphazard, apologies!)
Why do people still listen to linear radio (as opposed to Spotify/iPods etc)? There are a multitude of reasons for this, and the millions that the industry spends each year on research gives us some fairly good indications. People still crave human interaction. A song can't make people laugh/marvel/understand something - but a presenter can. An iPod isn't topical, doesn't provide you with news and information etc.
Now I know how these discussions work, I've watched them for 15 years. A (generally male) clever dick boffin will have a smart response to everything I have to say. "AHH - but I get Traffic news from my Sat Nav and it's better than the radio." "AHH - I get the news on my Tablet in the morning". "AHH but you don't play More Music Variety, you play the same 300 songs and I've got 21,429 on my iPod". The truth of the matter is, technology is changing the industry - but the industry isn't resisting it, it's embracing it (and actually making it better). That information that your Android device gives you for Travel news? We have it too. The information that's sent to your Sat Nav? That's actually GENERATED by an essentially 'radio' company. I don't want to take up too much of your time, but there's a fascinating article here http://www.radio-presenter.com/enter-the-dj/ about the changes that we face as an industry, and evidence that we're not just waiting to die!
As for the DAB argument, it's been nicknamed "Dead And Buried" since I can remember. It's true, the Mpeg compression that is used in the UK is old technology. The problem is (as is the way with the world) even if we moved to the new improved DAB+, there are already better technologies available. And if we went for one of them, it'd be overtaken by the time it was properly rolled out! So what's the solution? Stick with something, run with it, and improve it. We have another saying in radio: "Content is King". Why do so many people listen to Radio 4 on LW and Radio 5 on MW? Because of what it says, not how it says it.
Sorry I can't get into a long running discussion about everything radio (you're probably thanking me for that!!). But DAB is here to stay. It is widely accepted that it's not a single replacement for FM, but one tool in radio's plentiful arsenal. It's also worth remembering that FM never totally replaced AM or even LW.
I'm one of the "d
head DJs" and "Bellends" you speak so fondly of. This is my 15th year in the commercial radio industry as a presenter (and my 15th year as a car fan too). I work for the UK's biggest commercial radio company, but don't really write about it very often (so if my post is haphazard, apologies!)Why do people still listen to linear radio (as opposed to Spotify/iPods etc)? There are a multitude of reasons for this, and the millions that the industry spends each year on research gives us some fairly good indications. People still crave human interaction. A song can't make people laugh/marvel/understand something - but a presenter can. An iPod isn't topical, doesn't provide you with news and information etc.
Now I know how these discussions work, I've watched them for 15 years. A (generally male) clever dick boffin will have a smart response to everything I have to say. "AHH - but I get Traffic news from my Sat Nav and it's better than the radio." "AHH - I get the news on my Tablet in the morning". "AHH but you don't play More Music Variety, you play the same 300 songs and I've got 21,429 on my iPod". The truth of the matter is, technology is changing the industry - but the industry isn't resisting it, it's embracing it (and actually making it better). That information that your Android device gives you for Travel news? We have it too. The information that's sent to your Sat Nav? That's actually GENERATED by an essentially 'radio' company. I don't want to take up too much of your time, but there's a fascinating article here http://www.radio-presenter.com/enter-the-dj/ about the changes that we face as an industry, and evidence that we're not just waiting to die!
As for the DAB argument, it's been nicknamed "Dead And Buried" since I can remember. It's true, the Mpeg compression that is used in the UK is old technology. The problem is (as is the way with the world) even if we moved to the new improved DAB+, there are already better technologies available. And if we went for one of them, it'd be overtaken by the time it was properly rolled out! So what's the solution? Stick with something, run with it, and improve it. We have another saying in radio: "Content is King". Why do so many people listen to Radio 4 on LW and Radio 5 on MW? Because of what it says, not how it says it.
Sorry I can't get into a long running discussion about everything radio (you're probably thanking me for that!!). But DAB is here to stay. It is widely accepted that it's not a single replacement for FM, but one tool in radio's plentiful arsenal. It's also worth remembering that FM never totally replaced AM or even LW.
So Danno,
Off subject just for a minute.
What is the 'real' reason for such narrow playlists on the vast majority of 'borg' stations.
Why do the presenters have little freedom of expression.
Is it still the sales managers that dictate to the powers that be and who are afraid of trying something new and see the sales figures go down?
One gets somewhat sick of Dianna Ross's Baby Love when she had something like 30+ number one's in her singing career.
Bring back Kenny, that's what I say;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foZujHOsuuo
Phil
Off subject just for a minute.
What is the 'real' reason for such narrow playlists on the vast majority of 'borg' stations.
Why do the presenters have little freedom of expression.
Is it still the sales managers that dictate to the powers that be and who are afraid of trying something new and see the sales figures go down?
One gets somewhat sick of Dianna Ross's Baby Love when she had something like 30+ number one's in her singing career.
Bring back Kenny, that's what I say;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foZujHOsuuo
Phil
anonymous said:
[redacted]
But DAB used to be limited to the BBC stations, all of which were at high bit rate with great quality. Nobody bought DAB radios. Once the choice of stations expanded so did sales of receivers. Content is king, see also picture quality on some freeview channels / satellite channels.
Ben
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