I read with interest your comments on FM v Online or even DAB radio. As a general observer of radio developments in the UK and Ireland and former editor of the ukRadio.com website (now closed) I was an advocate for the development of DAB in the UK. Dab trials by the BBC started in the mid 90s and has taken some 15 years to get to a 40% penetration. The benefits of DAB by the industry in the early days was that Dab would provide better quality audio and more choice. The truth being is that most of the genre specific station struggled in the early years because of the lack of audience. Secondly multiplex owners struggled and choice to reduce bit rates to try to squeeze in as many channels as possible. However they still struggle and stations still come and go and a second national commercial multiplex failed to launch.

The point being with DAB in the UK and their economies of scale they are still finding it difficult to survive. On the other hand FM is continuing to grow with hundreds of Community licences and RSL being licenced over the last few years.

Even though Ireland was once the pioneers of great radio with stations such as Nova / Sunshine / Q102 / Kiss etc etc during the non licenced years – it seems to have been throttled since. I still don’t get eh speech content requirement in modern day and also the reluctance to expand the FM band to the extent the UK has. I also get the idea that broadcasters will still take years to embrace digital audio – I think that at that stage even DAB+ will be obsolete. However I believe the internet and IP Radio is able to evolve at a quicker pace.

Broadband and wireless connectivity will improve in years to come and even though a slow starter in Ireland – some areas have better bandwidth than our UK cousins. I am looking to launch community radio services – which will take advantage of this medium. My current biggest hurdle is to get bet rates for playing music with PPI. I do not believe they are treating internet radio stations fairly and possibly creating an FM monopoly – hopefully this will change as Wi-Fi / IP radio becomes the medium for the future.

As for DAB/DAB+ I hope that this technology progresses here in Ireland – however waiting for another 10 years for this to happen maybe too late. Who know how / where / what people will be listening too then? like who predicted in the early 80s that we would have CDs, MP3, satellite TV or mobile phones and computers that could do about everything 20 years on.

Liam

I certainly think DAB is the future, and it seems to me that most european countries agrees!

What I find very interesting is the complete LACK of backlash against analogue switch off on the TV side of digital broadcasting. The UK should have completely switched to digital by 2012 and barely a word has been said about people having to upgrade their telly’s or get special Freeview boxes. Often these purchases would be the same or greater than replacing a radio!

I think the difference is the government has said – right we’re doing this digital telly thing – and gone about it in an organised way. The lack of this kind of decisive decision and the resulting ambiguity for DAB is what’s getting it such bad press.

The fact DAB has gained a 25% share of all listening in an organic manner is amazing. I think once that hits the required 50% in two or three years and the government do the same for radio as they’ve done for digital telly, the grumbling and backlash will stop, and we can move on to provide and more comprehensive radio platform for all.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1292531/Motorists-face-300-digital-radio-ministers-press-ahead-FM-switch-off.html

Short answer to your post is, yes!

There appears to be agreement all round from RTE, existing commercial operators and new independents like ourselves, that when digital fully launches here, it will be DAB+.

Cheers
Dusty

I just got DAB in the car recently (JVC KD-DB101) and, though I was expecting it to be good, it actually blew me away with the quality of sound on DAB and robustness of reception.

That said I really don’t think most people will notice or care.

The real draws of DAB(+) will be more choice, especially for listeners outside Dublin, and data delivery such as DLS, EPG, Slideshow and on-demand programming. Those are the areas we’ll be concentrating most on.

With regard to cars, even if manufacturers were to start fitting DAB radios in 2014, it would take until at least 2020 to get to a point where 50% of the cars on the road were DAB equipped. Will the other 50% really be exterminated?

That article is based on a blog by Grant Goddard who is a well known detractor of DAB.

To be fair, I believe Grant has nothing against DAB itself, but rather the way it’s been set up in the UK. If you read his blog you’ll notice pretty much all his posts are negative.

On the plus side, I think it’s important to have people like Grant who’ll counter-balance arguements made by proponents such as ourselves.

It’s also a very interesting guide to mistakes made in the UK that we will not repeat when we establish DAB here in Ireland.

Cheers
Dusty

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/apr/12/dab-radio-problems