Stimpy wrote:
DAB sounds worse than FM wrote:
Woody wrote:

The only thing is that there are people who want a small radio on
which to listen to stations that are otherwise unavailable to them
like 5 Sport, BBC7, JazzFM, etc.

For speech based progs its is more than acceptable in my opinion. I
bought one as an early birthday present for SWMBO and it is the
first in many years which she has not only accepted without
complaint but positively enjoys!!


That's great, but don't forget that there's more to radio than small
mono portable radios.


Maybe... but I, like many others, will use FM for 'serious' radio


What are you going to do when they turn FM off?

At the end of the day, 128kbps music stations on DAB sound a lot worse
than they do on FM, and the commercial broadcasters don't want to
increase bit rates (there's loads of unused capacity on multiplexes
now), and the BBC may not be able to increase bit rates if the
commercial radio groups get their way (they are obviously opposed to the
BBC getting any more capacity), and the codec used on DAB is now very
old and mature and is not going to magic up better audio quality without
increasing the bit rates.

So, what do you propose should happen when FM is turned off and you've
no longer got decent audio quality on the radio?



--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

DAB sounds worse than FM, Freeview, digital satellite, cable and
broadband internet radio

Woody wrote:

If they put it up to 256 or 320 for R3, and 192 or higher for R2 then
you would be talking. 160K on ClassicFM really shows up against the
others - think what they would sound like at 256K or higher!

R3 is better on DAB than on FM. Shame about R4 and R2 (which is /dire/ on
DAB)
--
surely you understand the fundamental questionability of Pre-Crime
methodology

"Stimpy" wrote in message
...
DAB sounds worse than FM wrote:

At the end of the day, 128kbps music stations on DAB sound a lot worse
than they do on FM, and the commercial broadcasters don't want to
increase bit rates (there's loads of unused capacity on multiplexes
now), and the BBC may not be able to increase bit rates if the
commercial radio groups get their way (they are obviously opposed to
the BBC getting any more capacity), and the codec used on DAB is now
very old and mature and is not going to magic up better audio quality
without increasing the bit rates.

Agreed... However, I only listen to Radio 4 (plus Jonathan Ross on
Saturday
mornings) in the bedroom and my current £7.99 Homer Simpson-shaped radio
is
ok for that. DAB (even at 128kbps) will do very nicely as a replacement!


So, what do you propose should happen when FM is turned off and you've
no longer got decent audio quality on the radio?

What I propose *should* happen is the BBC up the DAB rate to 320kbps on
Radio 4... Can't see it happening though :-( What do you propose should
happen after the FM switch-off?



Bluntly, for most of its output (spoken word) 320Kbps would be a waste of
time for R4. 128K for speech is quite adequate.

If they put it up to 256 or 320 for R3, and 192 or higher for R2 then you
would be talking. 160K on ClassicFM really shows up against the others -
think what they would sound like at 256K or higher!


--

Woody

In article , Woody
writes

"Stimpy" wrote in message
...
DAB sounds worse than FM wrote:

At the end of the day, 128kbps music stations on DAB sound a lot worse
than they do on FM, and the commercial broadcasters don't want to
increase bit rates (there's loads of unused capacity on multiplexes
now), and the BBC may not be able to increase bit rates if the
commercial radio groups get their way (they are obviously opposed to
the BBC getting any more capacity), and the codec used on DAB is now
very old and mature and is not going to magic up better audio quality
without increasing the bit rates.

Agreed... However, I only listen to Radio 4 (plus Jonathan Ross on
Saturday
mornings) in the bedroom and my current £7.99 Homer Simpson-shaped radio
is
ok for that. DAB (even at 128kbps) will do very nicely as a replacement!


So, what do you propose should happen when FM is turned off and you've
no longer got decent audio quality on the radio?

What I propose *should* happen is the BBC up the DAB rate to 320kbps on
Radio 4... Can't see it happening though :-( What do you propose should
happen after the FM switch-off?



Bluntly, for most of its output (spoken word) 320Kbps would be a waste of
time for R4. 128K for speech is quite adequate.

If they put it up to 256 or 320 for R3, and 192 or higher for R2 then you
would be talking. 160K on ClassicFM really shows up against the others -
think what they would sound like at 256K or higher!



About as good as 728 NICAM supplied FM
--
Tony Sayer

In article , Tim S Kemp
writes
Woody wrote:

If they put it up to 256 or 320 for R3, and 192 or higher for R2 then
you would be talking. 160K on ClassicFM really shows up against the
others - think what they would sound like at 256K or higher!

R3 is better on DAB than on FM. Shame about R4 and R2 (which is /dire/ on
DAB)

Pardon?, Better in which way?. Take it you do have a half decent FM
tuner and aerial....
--
Tony Sayer