DRM as an alternative

[Llew]

Developments allowing the transmission of digital stereo broadcasts on AM could solve the problem of indifferent reception of present broadcast systems e.g. DAB and FM radio, particularly with portable receivers.

I know it's less superior to present systems because of the restricted bandwidth available on AM, but apparently it's perfectly adequate for portable radios. Just don't expect hi-fi if running thriugh your home stereo system.

It's called DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), and is already transmitted on some short and medium wave frequencies, and can be received in the UK with a suitable receiver. Chips are available from Texas if you fancy building one yourself, or take a look at some prototype models here -

http://www.wohnort.demon.co.uk/DAB/rxdrm.html

I should think that eventually they will be available as earpiece versions a la iPod size.

More on DRM here -

http://www.radioeng.co.uk/html/digital_radio_mondiale.html

The Texas chip -
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ml/sprt354/sprt354.pdf

Llew

 

[spiney]

DRM was supposedly invented in order to allow digital reception on car radios!

(Having patent protected COFDM, the EU is now strongly "promoting" it, wherever possible).

It's available, along with Worldspace, but unlikely to become very popular in Europe, since most radio services distribution here is "local" (on a per country basis), hence better done on fm (for cars), or satellite Ku band with dishes, whereas something like DRM is more "continent wide" (esecially on shortwaves). Thus, it "works better" in Africa (except that, not too many people there can afford the receivers!).

 

[spiney]

In this October's issue of Hi Fi News magazine, media tech journalist Barry Fox thinks that DRM might now "take off". Sounds rather unlikely, but we'll see ......

 

[paulvr]

DRM was supposedly invented in order to allow digital reception on car radios!

(Having patent protected COFDM, the EU is now strongly "promoting" it, wherever possible).

It's available, along with Worldspace, but unlikely to become very popular in Europe, since most radio services distribution here is "local" (on a per country basis), hence better done on fm (for cars), or satellite Ku band with dishes, whereas something like DRM is more "continent wide" (esecially on shortwaves). Thus, it "works better" in Africa (except that, not too many people there can afford the receivers!).

I guess I must be the only person traveling through Europe wishing to listen to some news I could understand. Damn BBC World Service and others stopped being interested when they couldn't make anymore anticommunist propaganda via shortwave through Europe. So when traveling through countries like those in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia nowadays I can thrash my good Becker car radio with shortwave. Even though I see a LOT of foreign cars on the road anywhere no one seems to care that we might wish to hear some news etc while on the road. Before the Iron Curtain fell we had a huge choice of programs on shortwave. A sad, very sad state of affairs!