Unfortunately ARN’s ‘The 90’s’ also takes close to 30 minutes for the initial slideshow image to show as well. The 90’s has two slideshow images. The logo, plus another showing logo & song info. Unfortunately due to the EXTREMELY slow image update for the images, the embedded displayed song info on on slideshow image simply doesn’t match the audio feed. ARN really need to have a rethink about the display of song info on their ‘The 90’s’ station.
I think ‘The 80’s’ slideshow displays a little faster, maybe around 20 minutes, but not 100% certain.
CW Remix logo slideshow update rate is somewhere between 23 to 29 minutes.
I thought some of SBS’s slideshow updates were slow at 7 minutes back in 2017, not a patch on some of ARN’s in 2019!
I HATE the term “digital quality sound” when it comes to radio. Yes there’s no static or multi path distortion, but sound is dull flat and lifeless compared to FM.
It’s kind of like the CD vs vinyl argument, except here the difference is a lot more obvious.
I dunno I think it largely depends on the receiver (and of course the bandwidth allocated to the digital station). For the most part in my Sony car stereo I think DAB sounds just as good as FM, in fact possibly even better on some stations.
I notice a difference. I think if you hear SWR FM online vs the FM Stereo (think they use 64k AAC). SWRs online audio stream is acceptable I still listen to it, but I do prefer FM.
I agree it could be receiver too but using a set of ear phone (just simple Apple ones) on a Sangean pocket DAB, try to switch from FM to DAB, I think you can hear the difference. Digital audio is mostly more muddy. I would always listen to smooth / Triple M / WS FM on FM rather than dab.
I reckon a station like 2CH here in Sydney (who seems to be about the only analogue station in Australia who’s willing to heavily emphasise they’re also on DAB+) would be doing both their ratings and Digital Radio as a whole a favour if they were to give away some cheap pocket DAB+ radios around town. Even better if you could get the logo printed on them!
I would love to see a DAB-T2 version (similar to DVB-T2 with digital TV that has been proposed), being a more efficient means of transmission.
But knowing the broadcasters, they would see this as an opportunity to cram in even more stations rather than improving the bit rate of existing stations.
I think its a shame dab and the old fashion radio is not built into mobiles. There was only one, I got that phone but I find the reception not the best (compared to a standalone radio). Perhaps a second generation phone would be better with better updated software. Not to be.
It can be found in some radios, and I did have the LG Stylus DAB phone which had DAB and FM in. I also had a Sony Ericsson R306 which had FM AND AM through the use of a special headset. But it’s the big time phones in the market, like your Apples, Samsungs, Googles that don’t have it.
I’d like to see them have to enable DAB/FM radio, claim it for “emergency” purposes and see how they’d go.
Generally there’s very little or no audio processing done on DAB+ because of the way it’s multiplexed & transmitted using the AAC codec, processing it too much will only make it worse.
As we all know the AAC codec is a compressed lossy codec, no matter what bit rate you run at.
Obviously it’s not as bad as mp3, but in making the codec, you lose the top end frequencies & compress it to fit in an envelope.
When it’s reconstructed in your receiver, the top end frequencies that are put back, are all digitally created fake sounds, so compared with FM with no lossy compression codecs between the panel & the TX, DAB+ will always sound dull flat & lifeless, but dull, flat & lifeless lossy compressed audio is the norm now, on the internet streams & iPods, etc, so who’s going to notice the difference?
Just because it’s mandated in cars, doesn’t mean people will listen, we’ve just got a new car at work with DAB+, I listened for a few hours driving around, then switched back to FM. Even at 128k I’d rather listen to 2CH on AM, the DAB+ is too flat & muddy sounding, FM is crisp, & AM has a nice warmth to it.
And I work with DAB+, I look at the DAB+ transmitters every day at work, & think what a waste of TX hall space & spectrum space. If the industry isn’t interested (other than CRA who have a barrow to push), then why would the listeners care, but then I guess my last post above answers that, crap sounding lossy compressed audio is the norm for listening now.
You see it al the time when you get into taxis that have DAB+ radios. They’d rather listen to noisy and muffled AM signals than digital. I have friends with DAB+ in their cars that have gone back to listening to FM once the novelty of the extra digital stations has worn off. Even though there are DAB+ simulcasts available of those stations.
Do you get many dropouts driving around the city with DAB+
When many of us migrate into our 70’s & 80’s & beyond everything on the radio will sound muddy - LOL
Yes, but I dislike the multipath that happens in certain areas or overload around the Artarmon/Gore Hill area.
Definitely, but I dislike the noise around the traffic lights or signal drops in areas on AM, where FM does a better job at penetration. Then there’s plenty of interference sources to AM around homes these days.
None of the broadcast mediums (when on the move) tick all the boxes.
Perhaps in some home locations & with good receiver & antenna setups, MW & FM fidelity can be a lot better for the radio stations that take care with their audio & transmission system engineering.
At home:-
I prefer DAB+ in place of several of the MW stations due to noise issues.
FM over DAB+ where multipath is NOT an issue, else DAB+
Koori Radio (on FM 93.7) uses a poor FM transmitter site, it’s signal is refracted off so many higher buildings in the CBD.
If you look at the 93.7 FM frequency with an SDR or spectrum analyser for listeners to the north or west you’ll see the tell tale signs of multipath.
For this broadcaster across most of Sydney, many listeners would experience better reception tuning to DAB+.
I’m pleased to have DAB+ as a broadcast option
