So I’d have to buy a new receiver to listen to a station that would probably also stream as well? They would probably also be niche broadcasters as well as the established majors would be reluctant to invest in yet another platform that would not see any return on investment. You can see where I’m going with this.
They’d never recoup their costs. Again is an average consumer going to go out and buy a new device just to listen to a handful of stations? I just can’t see that being a viable business model especially if previous experience with niche DAB broadcasters shows (EON Sports Radio springs to mind).
We’re all radio enthusiasts here otherwise we wouldn’t be posting on MS. But maybe let’s look around us at family, friends, partners, workmates etc and think would any of these people go out and buy another digital radio device when DAB was a hard enough sell prior to the arrival of smart speakers, Apple CarPlay and generous mobile data allowances. I know I honestly can’t think of any that would nor would I recommend it.
Maybe it would’ve been a better idea for Australia to adopt DRM+ rather than DAB+ during the planning process a decade ago, but surely that ship has sailed now?
I just can’t see the general public (as opposed to media enthusiasts like us) buying the idea of a new Digital Radio platform especially if services via DRM+ are likely to be just as overly compressed as they are on DAB+!
I bought my mum a digital radio for her birthday one year. She listened to it for a while, usually just to stations she had already been listening to on AM. I later noticed she’d gone back to using her old AM-FM transistor radio
I think the problem here is the traditional stations as gatekeepers - something as niche as EON Sports or Kinderling is all you’re going to get past the existing owners - ARN wouldn’t sell you spectrum to then run a station that would compete with their FM stations.
I agree it’s a really tough sell - but I’d let companies take that risk. I’d expect there to be a base among current AM Narrowband stations and narrowcasters more generally, as well as it being about the only option for sub-metro community stations to go digital - and there might be some station groups that finally see it as a way to break into a big city.
The problem is that we can’t do a digital transition with just DAB in the frequencies that are assigned, and the frequencies to expand DAB are too valuable as a place for TV to shuffle down into to sell off more UHF for 5G.
So, we either decide there’s a future in terrestrial radio, and that we need a technology capable of being the path forward, or decide that we expect there to be a point where stations with analogue licenses just decide to switch off because streaming captures enough of the audience.
That could be the answer - AM just dwindles away as it becomes more unlistenable, there’s a ABC/SBS DAB multiplex in most regional areas, but in general the rest of the stations just go internet only.
Regardless of the technology, opening up access should be considered a priority for digital-only, national-only operators. Incumbents hold too much power in the current situation
ABC/SBS won’t go DAB+ regionally, it’s never gonna happen, it costs too much to get the coverage needed with DAB+, they’ve already said that, & that they want DRM/DRM+, they’ll roll DRM/DRM+ out regionally using their existing AM/FM infrastructure, but won’t waist money overbuilding with DAB+ unless CRA pay for it, & Hell will freeze over before that happens.
ABC/SBS got talked into DAB+ in the metro areas, despite never wanting it (they always wanted DRM), & got burned with it by CRA, they won’t let that happen again, that’s why they put all their digital offerings on their DTV services, they have exisiting infrastructure & coverage with that, & it didn’t cost them any extra to do, the only drawback is you need a TV to listen to it.
Unfortunately for them I think it may be cost prohibitive but. What’s a low end DRM+ transmitter go for??? And again their listeners would have to go out and buy another device to listen to them. Good example I’m a RAW FM listener outside of the range of one of their transmitters so I‘m already happy to stream them.
What’s their timeframe for this? Are regional listeners expected do go out and buy new DRM receivers just to listen to ABC and SBS radio services? What manufacturers will be selling these in Australia? And will they be affordable considering from the sounds of it only ABC/SBS will be utilising the technology?
Obviously I’m firmly on the DRM side of things here, however that part of the post was trying to imagine the future of radio without DRM as an option for digital radio - per the complaint that it’s too late to add another technology in.
The ABC/SBS as public service broadcasters need to be getting their signal out there - AM is increasingly unfit for purpose, yet in many markets, many of the ABC services are AM only - with a lack of high power frequencies to replicate the coverage on FM, without a proper restack. That means, I think pressure would increase on them to provide a digital broadcast - which would have to be DAB, even with the costs and other limitations.
I personally think they should turn off their DAB transmissions across the country tomorrow and spend the money on improving the content and restoring more local shifts on local radio.
The goal at least would be for it to be at least officially in the standards mix here, so you start getting DRM for “free” along with a receiver that does DAB. There’s a lot of overlap between the technologies - and if there’s a software radio like the ones in a lot of car headunits, DRM can be added without any hardware modification, other than perhaps more optimising of antennas.
There’s so much chicken and egg here, the best time to do all this was 10 years ago, we knew the problem, just the commerical radio lobby won out - and won a technology they knew was unsuitable for a widespread rollout, because it was suitable for blocking competition.
You can sure see why Dab+ is not going anywhere and may not expand much out of its existing footprint. @RFBurns from your industry knowledge where else is it likely to expand to outside of the major capitals? Obviously with the lack of interest by the ABC / SBS outside of metro areas is going to limit rollout of dab+ regionally.
I’d support that, sure it’d cause a disruption but it’d remove AM and free up that spectrum, and create a more even playing field for AM licensees.
You might need to see some stations close especially narrowcasters and the like but maybe you could kill AM and DAB and expand the FM spectrum like detailed above and fit more in. I think that would make a hell of a lot more sense than AM and trying to push DAB which I really don’t ever see being mainstream. It’d be FM vs streaming for foreseeable future, better to help stations get on FM and an equal footing.
Perhaps keep some ABC simulcasts on AM for emergency broadcasting only.
Is the 0.4 spacing unworkable? It seems to work quite fine in LA last I was there. Majors were still 0.8 away from each other but the smaller Class B and community stations were all up the 88-92 end and spaced at 0.4
What the ABC needs is to use SFN -single frequency networks - like putting the RN outlets all on 576khz synchonised. That would help free up a lot of AM/FM frequencies.
Having a mix of analogue & digital broadcasts on the same band (like AM) won’t work. The eg is IBOC on AM in America hasn’t worked out too well.
Plus as others have said, the public is indifferent to all this & won’t be bothered.
No timeframe for ABC/SBS to roll out a DRM network regionally, it has to be agreed officially with ACMA & everyone involved that DRM will be used regionally first, & the fight about DAB+ regionally is still ongoing.
If DRM is rolled out regionally, receivers used in other DRM markets will come here & will probably start off slow like they did with DAB+ startup, but then all the big manufacturers will get on board & make dual format radios that’ll switch easily between DAB+ for metro & DRM regionally, just like AM/FM receivers, (AM/FM, DAB+/DRM, no difference).
If DRM is agreed to be rolled out regionally, no it won’t only be the ABC & SBS, all the commercials will use DRM & so will the local community stations.
This isn’t any insider knowledge, just my personal thoughts, DAB+ may roll out regionally on the Gold Coast (after they get their fight with Brisbane sorted), it may roll out in Wollongong, it’ll possibly roll out in areas where Grants own stations, ACE & Resonate network station areas (slim) maybe, unlikely on the Sunshine Coast (EON probably can’t afford it do it), anywhere SCA own stations (they don’t have the money, (regionally it’d cost SCA multi-millions to cover everywhere), BOG/SRN areas, Billy boy won’t pay for that (as much as he might like to have digital radio).
With the COVID-19 situation & the debt the Government has gone into, there’ll be no grants, subsidies or full payment from Government like CRA would be hoping there would be for DAB+ regionally.
Possibly not, just because you could put the existing DVB-T channels onto 1 or 2 DVB-T2 channels, doesn’t mean the TV networks will give up the spectrum they have now without a massive fight, they’ll use the space they’ve already got to add more channels, possibly even a mix with encrypted pay channels?
You reckon? For a market the size of regional Australia as metropolitan area listeners will just stick with their existing DAB+ receivers if they haven’t already switched to streaming.
So existing cash strapped regional local and community stations will have to fork out for new DRM compatible transmitters?
Outside of the broadcast industry echo chamber this DRM push makes no economic sense whatsoever and wouldn’t pass the pub test.
While many would consider that DAB hasn’t been the raging success that the CRA press releases would say it is why introduce another digital radio standard for regional Australia even if it can operate alongside DAB?
Like others have said here it’s 10-15 years to late.
I think given the choice those in regional Australia would prefer improved mobile coverage!
That’s a very flawed argument, HD Radio & DRM are vey close in their operations (the way they work), almost every AM/FM transmitter made in the last 5 years is HD ready, DRM capable (if not also DRM ready).
Many regional commercial & community stations (& ABC/SBS) over the past 2-3 years have replaced or are going to replace (within the next 2-3 years) their transmitters.
In most cases, using DRM regionally would be minimal or no cost to the broadcasters, as they already have the capability to do it, or can easily get that capability at minimal cost, that’s why the push to use DRM regionally from the ABC/SBS & regional commercial & community broadcasters.
But you’d have them spend literally millions to roll out DAB+, which would need new transmitters (doubling up because AM/FM transmitters can’t be used for DAB+, it’s in different bands & can’t do hybrid Analogue /Digital), new antennas, possibly new towers (if there’s no available space left on existing), & that’s just for the main site, then they’d need to build numerous in-fill/repeater DAB+ sites in each market area because of DAB+ coverage issues?
