Introducing HD Radio

Radio will never be the same. HD Radio. It's about time.

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With all the advances in electronic media during the last two decades or so, have you ever asked yourself whatever happened to radio? During the last eighty years, way back when radio became the major broadcast medium, and running right up to the present, radio has produced two innovations, AM broadcasting and FM stereo broadcasting, but not much else. You've probably heard of a little invention called television. Well, it's smack in the midst of the digital revolution, with stations all over the country upgrading capabilities to digital and High Definition TV for improved reception, video and audio quality. Now it's radio's turn. And everything is about to change.

As anyone in their twenties and thirties will tell you, it's a very, very digital world out there. You haven't had to pay too close attention to realize that, since the invention of CD your favorite music is clearer, cleaner, crisper. Unless, of course, all you've listened to are terrestrial radio stations. Now the iBiquity Corporation, developers of HD Radio™ technology, has brought Radio's sound up to date and opened the technological door to a whole host of additional services. This isn’t a dream five or ten years down the road; the technology is here now. With HD Radio™ technology, what pours forth from the new generation of car and home systems sounds much, much better than much better. Does that mean your current radio doesn’t have the technology to receive this better sound? Yes, that’s what it means. But that’s where our I-Sonic Entertainment System comes in. Suffice it to say the good old days are gone forever, finally.

Look! Down on the ground, it's HD Radio.

HD Radio is a new technology for broadcasting terrestrial radio signals that deliver near CD quality sound on the FM band and FM quality sound on the AM band. The static, hiss, pops and fades that can be heard on our analog radios will become part of radio's "good ol' days." Now let's be clear about something: HD Radio is not satellite radio. Satellite radio broadcasts a digital signal sent from a satellite locked in orbit. HD Radio originates from your local earth-based radio station. With satellite radio, some broadcasts are commercial-free, but you pay a monthly subscription fee. HD Radio is still commercial radio, but you don't pay a subscription fee. I like the way that sounds, too.

IBOC. Isn't that a rare species of antelope?

IBOC represents a big evolutionary step forward, alright. It's the technology that makes HD Radio possible. In fact, "HD Radio™" is the trade name for AM and FM IBOC digital radio systems created by the iBiquity Digital Corporation.

IBOC stands for In-Band On-Channel, and it makes it possible for you and me to receive a digital broadcast of our favorite program at the same place on the dial where we currently tune in to receive the analog version. Wxyz or Kxyz at 94.1 in HD Radio will also be the same Wxyz or Kxyz 94.1 in analog you currently listen to, except that it will sound much better. IBOC technology takes existing AM and FM bands (In-Band) and adds digital carrier signals to a radio station's analog signal. This enables broadcasters to transmit digitally on their existing channel assignments (On-Channel). When a station converts to iBiquity Digital's IBOC technology (aka HD Radio), they transmit a simultaneous analog and digital signal. But that's only the beginning of the revolution, because better sound, with no clicks, pops, etc., only begins to tell the story. The new radio's that are HD Radio capable will also give you metadata, like the artist, song title, station call letters. The station will also be able to send special messages about events, traffic, and weather. And another little feature, called Multicasting, will bring new programming, plus possibilities for all kinds of new services and information.

The advantages of IBOC: You currently receive 94.1 in analog. With IBOC, you will now receive 94.1 in HD (High Definition). When a station adds supplemental channels, called Multicasting, you will receive the main program, whose channel will then read 94.1-1, plus additional programs, whose channels will read 94.1-2, 94.1-3, and so on.

Welcome to Multicasting

Multicasting is a feature of HD Radio™ technology that enables stations to broadcast multiple streams of data on separate supplemental or sub-channels of their main frequency, such as other music formats, local traffic, weather and sports. These supplemental stations, the ones that are multicast, are found "between" the stations already on the frequency band (see the IBOC diagram) and are accessed in the same manner as you would any station frequency using tuning or seeking functions.

Analog Dial	94.1	The analog channel you currently receive
HD Dial 94.1	94.1 HD	The same channel broadcast in High Definition
HD Dial w/Supplemental Channels	94.1-1, 94.1-2, 94.1-3	The same channel broadcast in HD but also offering supplemental channels; the -1 is the tip off that your main channel also offer supplementals.

Multicasting enables radio stations to broadcast more than one channel of programming at the same time. Say your favorite radio station is a jazz station broadcasting at 94.1. The station could offer a secondary channel, 94.1-2, that broadcasts classical music, maybe even offer a third channel, 94.1-3, which would broadcast an entirely different kind of programming. There is, however, a practical limit to the number of supplemental stations that can be broadcast on a given frequency, because bandwidth is limited. Our guess is that music broadcasters will offer two or three supplemental stations, while talk and information specialty stations can afford to add more. Text Services.

HD Radio™ technology allows for new wireless data services from AM and FM radio stations. Station information, artist and song identification, traffic, weather, news and sports scores, can all be scrolled across your HD radio receiver’s display while you’re listening to your favorite radio station. The technology can potentially allow digital music and data download capabilities, as well as multi-channel broadcasting. The sky could be the limit.

More good news about radio's future

iBiquity's IBOC technology enables radios with HD Radio technology to be "backward and forward" compatible, meaning they will still receive traditional analog broadcasts from stations that have yet to convert and digital broadcasts from stations that already have made the jump to the 21st century. Keep in mind that current analog radios can receive the analog portion of the broadcast, but they can’t receive the HD Radio signal, nor can they receive any of the multicast stations. Your old radio won’t be obsolete; it just won't deliver all the exciting, new features the digital world makes possible. The real advantage of this "backward and forward" compatibility is that both broadcaster and audience alike can make a smooth transition to an all-digital world.

HD Radio™ technology is filling the airwaves now. There are currently over 500 stations broadcasting in HD, with another 2000 expected to be on the air in the next two years. About 90% of the U.S. will have HD Radio in the next year. And at some point in the not-to-distant future, radio stations will make the switch from analog broadcasts to "all-digital mode." As a result of the additional data capacity made possible by an all-digital broadcast, increased data services, surround sound or other multi-casting solutions will quickly become reality.

Better now than never

Maybe it's a little ironic that the medium which ushered in the wireless age, and broke new ground in the mass communications field, is the last to make the jump to digital. But make the jump it has, and HD Radio is putting radio squarely at the center of our modern digital era. None of this, of course, has been lost on the folks here at Polk. Our new I-Sonic Entertainment System is the only three self-contained entertainment systems with HD Radio™ technology, and a testament to our belief in radio's future. So tune in. I know you'll be glad you did.

IBOC Technology Manufactured Under License From iBiquity Digital Corporation. iBiquity Digital and the HD Radio and HD Symbols are trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corporation. U.S. and Foreign Patents. XM and XM Ready are registered trademark of XM Satellite Radio Inc.