May 1, 2000

Digital radio

When you think about it, the sound quality of AM/FM radio stinks, and reception is no bargain either. Ultimately, digital satellite radio may be the answer, but two active efforts aim to improve quality and reception using earthbound digital broadcast. Lucent Digital Radio (LDR), a joint venture of Lucent Technologies and Pequot Capital Management, demonstrated its IBOC (in-band on-channel) digital audio broadcasting (DAB) technology with the help of Las Vegas radio station KNPR-FM. Vans equipped with prototype receivers roamed around demonstrating CD-quality sound. Harman Kardon and Recoton have signed on with LDR to develop IBOC radios.

Meanwhile, a competing scheme championed by USA Digital Radio appears to have more backing. A private company owned by a group of the largest broadcasters, USA Digital Radio trails in the race to demonstrate digital radio, but has agreements with major players in each stage of the radio transmission path, from the encoding in the studio to the receiver.

The two groups might be better off combining their efforts to establish a beachhead before satellite radio, um, launches. The digital radio proponents may also need to establish compatibility with the international Digital Radio Mondaile (DRM) effort.