What is high definition radio?

Question

What is high definition radio?

Answer 1

Digital radio makes FM stations sound like CDs and AM radio sound like FM.



HD Radio, with a frequency response of 20 Hz to 18 kHz on the FM band, eclipses analog FM's bandwidth ceiling of 15 kHz. Digital AM expands to 40 Hz to 15 kHz, in stereo, from the limited 60 Hz to 7.5 kHz of mono AM stations. The improved audio performance could mean the return of music on AM stations, which during the last 30 years largely converted to news and talk because the AM band couldn't match the stereo performance of its FM counterpart. Although AM stereo tried to take off in the early 1990s, it never gained a foothold among radio stations or listeners. AM in the HD age just might make waves.

Answer 2

HD Radio essentially takes advantage of some of the extra bandwidth within a radio channel to incorporate digital streaming audio. While improved fidelity IS part of it, the basic gist of HD radio is the ability to not only include comprehensive information on what is currently playing (like satellite radio), but also the ability to include multiple audio streams in a single channel. So for instance NPR can incorporate NPR music and NPR news in the same station as separate channels within that station.



However, HD receivers are still very expensive and there isn't much programming. Over time, this feature should only cost a couple dollars to add, so by 2010 or so it should become much more popular. in 2005, however, it's not really worth the extra money since there isn't a lot of HD content available on the radio.