NRSC Approves Digital Radio Broadcasting Standard

Press Release: The National Radio Systems Committee (NRSC), which is jointly sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), recently approved iBiquity Digital Corporation's HD Radio In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) system for the U.S. The adoption of this industry standard (NRSC-5) will hopefully pave the way for the radio industry to accelerate its transition to digital broadcasting - which is expected to offer a wide variety of new entertainment, information and data opportunities for broadcasters, receiver manufacturers, service providers and consumers. The FCC is expected to use the new standard as it crafts final rules for digital radio broadcasting for the AM and FM broadcast bands and it will also expand the possibilities for FM broadcasters - providing improved quality signals plus multicasting and enhanced datacasting opportunities. Song title and artist information along with other text and visual data will be available on new products. This is great news as it will no doubt spur new business models and innovative services....

Related:
--NRSC Unanimously Approves Technical Standard for HD Radio(TM) IBOC Digital System:  HD Radio technology promises radically improved sound quality with crystal clear reception as well as new wireless data services. It works by transmitting digital audio AND data alongside existing AM and FM analog signals - allowing listeners to enjoy CD-quality sound. The technology also provides a platform for advanced interactive features that include: multicasting (multiple channels broadcast on a single FM frequency), real-time traffic and weather services, scrolling text on the receiver display, and Surround Sound."  That all sounds great, but it will be interesting to see in the coming months how relevant it becomes with stiff competition from streaming, mobile and satellite radio...