[HCDX] AIR To Make Waves With Digital Audio Broadcasting

["Alokesh Gupta" <alokeshgupta@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

AIR To Make Waves With Digital Audio Broadcasting 
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NIVEDITA MOOKERJI 
 
NEW DELHI:  A technology, that has been experimented with in many parts of the world, is about to reach India. We are talking of digital radio transmission in terrestrial mode. All India Radio (AIR) is planning to announce a tender for buying a digital audio broadcasting (DAB) transmitter within a month, according to officials. 
This transmitter would be capable of carrying six digital channels on the platform. Interestingly, AIR’s DAB project would have more to with video than plain-vanilla audio. You need a separate digital radio receiver to access the DAB service. 
The content of the channels has not been finalised yet, but may be targeted at people on the move. As of now, AIR officials are happy calling it just a “technology demonstration”. Popularity of the system would depend on the price of the receiver sets to a large extent, they said. 
It would begin as a pilot project in Delhi. The feasibility of carrying the system to other metros is under study. The pilot project, valued at Rs 2.5 crore, is expected to take off sometime in 2004. 
According to AIR officials, three to four foreign firms, including R&S (Germany) and Harris (US), are expected to bid. DAB receivers have to be imported, and the starting range would be around $150. For additional features, the price would go up further. And that may pose a problem for consumers in India. In the UK too, digital radio hasn’t caught on so much even after seven years of its introduction, with its price being the main barrier. 
Besides price, another tricky issue is that of clash of channels/stations on the frequency band of a digital radio. AIR is planning to launch its digital service on the VHF band, but there are TV channels and FM stations also on the same band. A shift may be required to another band, once the number of radio stations increases on the platform. According to an industry expert, some TV channels in Europe were shifted from VHF to UHF band, and in Canada, digital radio stations were moved to L band from VHF. 
Meanwhile, various digital systems are being tried out in different parts of the world. If Europe is working on Eureka 147 terrestrial digital audio broadcasting system, the US is focused on the IBOC (in-band on-channel) system. Digital Radio Mondale (DRM) is yet another technology that Europe is experimenting with. Shortwave radio, it is understood, would become powerful with DRM. 
While terrestrial digital transmission would be a new concept for India, satellite digital is already available here, through WorldSpace, a US-headquartered satellite radio service.
(Financial Express)

Regds,
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi, India.


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