What
is DAB Digital Radio?
DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting
and is the future of radio broadcasting.
DAB digital radio is not satellite radio;
neither is it Internet radio. DAB digital
radio is a new way of broadcasting radio
via a network of terrestrial transmitters.
It provides listeners with more choice,
better sound quality and more information.
DAB
digital radio is like analogue radio,
only much better. In the UK, the BBC was
the pioneer of digital radio beginning
transmission in September 1995. Digital
One, the national commercial radio multiplex
operator began broadcasting in November
1999.
DAB is similar to analogue radio but provides
high quality listening, many new stations
and no frequencies, making it easier to
tune to stations. There's no interference
and no retuning in the car. In addition
there are new features such as text, data
and even pictures.
Tomorrow’s DAB digital radios will
do more. 'Rewind radio', record programmes
in real time or set a timer, download
audio and data - the technology for all
these functions already exits. You can
use an EPG (electronic programme guide)
to organise your listening preferences,
save a programme for later, or dig down
for more information on news, finance
and sports stories. Each multiplex operator
can allocate 20% of their capacity for
data (see below).
If
you live in a poor signal area where the
FM signal is barely audible, then DAB
may offer you better reception. About
85% of the UK population (2005 figures)
can already receive digital radio. We
are fortunate to receive DAB in this area.
Many of the local radio stations are already
broadcasting on digital.
So what are DAB's benefits?
Quite simply... more choice! Listeners
in most major towns and cities in the
UK can receive between 30 and 50 radio
stations with digital radio, in many cases
that's more than double what's available
on analogue. And it's not just more of
the same - the content within that choice
of stations is unique and exciting, delivering
station formats that just don't exist
on analogue. The FM spectrum is so clogged
right now that there's no room for new
stations that would expand listeners'
choice with, for example, soul music,
or country music, or big band swing, or
any of the other 100+ brands that are
available uniquely to DAB. 
More Information! Digital radio receivers
have a screen on which stations can transmit
information via Dynamic Label Segments
(DLS). Some stations already transmit
the latest news, travel, and weather,
what's on now and next, Web site addresses
and phone numbers. Tomorrow's radios will
offer much more sophisticated data. The
potential for advertisers to use the DLS
facility on DAB for targeted advertising
is an exciting prospect, and in the future,
advertisers can use DAB to deliver Internet-type
commercials.
Because
digital radio uses the spectrum more efficiently
than analogue, it is possible to broadcast
more channels using the same frequency,
making room for broadcasters to expand
their station portfolios.
It
also offers less noise. DAB digital radio
delivers improved sound quality. The technology
allows the receiver to lock on to the
strongest signal it can find and ignore
everything else. This eliminates the hiss,
crackle and fade so familiar on analogue
radio.
With
DAB digital radio there are no frequencies
to remember and sets are tuned by station
name. National stations stay put, so there's
no retuning on the move.
Add
DAB to your Hi-fi for under £50!
The DAB Audio Adapter is designed for
people with an existing hi-fi setup who
don't want to buy a separate DAB tuner.
This Digital Radio Adapter plugs into
the hi-fi's Aux line input socket. It
has an LCD preview screen for the usual
digital rolling station information, comes
with its own remote control, a clock and
an alarm, as well as 10 preset channels.
With
this tiny add-on, you can add DAB digital
stations to your Hi-fi. This small adapter
plugs into spare phono inputs on your
Hi-fi. Available for under £50 from
Dixons
and Currys
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