Presented during the CCBN2008 China Digital Television Summit on March 22, 2008 in the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing, China. Lyle Sprinkle discusses new opportunities for digital, wireless content delivery technologies.
1. Broadcasting Lyle Sprinkle Director, Radio Transmission Product Line Harris Corporation Broadcast Communications Division www.broadcast.harris.com [email_address] CCBN 2008 23 March 2008 Roadmap for Digital Audio 数字音频广播的 未来之路
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5. On-the-air ( 已经播出 ) Denmark Germany Hungary Malta Netherlands Norway Singapore South Korea Sweden Switzerland UK In Trials ( 正在实验 ) Australia Brunei China Czech Republic France Ghana Indonesia Italy Kuwait Malaysia New Zealand Officially on-the-air In Trials
6. Continuous Broadcasts ( 连续播出 ) Australia China France Germany Italy Rwanda UK Periodic Broadcasts ( 周期播出 ) Belgium Croatia Ecuador Ireland Kuwait Luxemburg Netherland Antilles New Zealand Norway Portugal Russia Spain Sri Lanka USA Vatican City Continuous Broadcasts Periodic Broadcasts
8. On the air ( 正在播出 ) Brazil Indonesia Mexico Philippines Thailand USA In Trials ( 正在实验 ) Argentina Australia Chile China Czech Republic France New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Poland Sri Lanka Switzerland Ukraine Vietnam HD Radio™ and the HD Radio logo are proprietary trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corporation Officially on-the-air In Trials
12. HD Radio™ and the HD Radio logo are proprietary trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corporation Trademarks and names are property of their respective owners.
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17. Harris Corporation Broadcast Communications Division www.broadcast.harris.com Lyle Sprinkle Director, Radio Transmission Product Line [email_address]
Notas del editor
It is only by turning over that map, to view the back, do you get to see the up-close, detailed view of the area or areas you are interested in. That is where the industry is today: We understand generally where the markets and technology allows broadcasters to go, but the specific paths to digital audio implementation may still need closer inspection.
It is only by turning over that map, to view the back, do you get to see the up-close, detailed view of the area or areas you are interested in. That is where the industry is today: We understand generally where the markets and technology allows broadcasters to go, but the specific paths to digital audio implementation may still need closer inspection.
In 2008, there are three primary digital radio standards in use across the globe, with all these standards being on-the-air for five years or longer. Regular scheduled broadcasts on Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) and In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) HD Radio® began by 2003, though trials started several years before that. DAB/Eureka 147 launched in 1995. It has now become a teenager With these three standards gaining maturity, more and more content is becoming available to listeners. Live digital audio broadcasts are occurring 24 hours a day, across Europe, throughout Asia and the Americas. Even Africa is experiencing this digital audio phenomenon, with both DRM and HD Radio having broadcasts being made in ongoing and trial operations. All of this interest is spurring the consumer electronics industry to supply the markets with receivers. When we look at the side of the map with the details, the three standards all show signs of growth and future opportunity.
DAB / DAB+ / DMB This is perhaps the best technology from a consumer electronics acceptance perspective. In Korea, Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), SBS, MBC and local broadcasters are providing offerings in Eureka 147’s terrestrial DMB format. Coverage has been expanded across all of the country. And by December 2007, it was reported that more than 7 million T-DMB receivers had been sold to users, including handsets, laptops, and car navigators. The UK has had similar success with DAB adoption by the public, with an April 2007 report of 4.9 million receivers sold picking up content on three planned national multiplexes. China has adopted DAB as a standard, and there are a number of broadcasters now offering services here in Beijing, Shanghi and other cities. T he news in France is good too, T-DMB was officially adopted as a digital radio standard in December. 11 countries on-air, primarily in Europe and along the Pacific rim. Denmark Germany Hungary Malta Netherlands Norway Singapore South Korea Sweden Switzerland UK 11 countries in trials or having only recently adopted the standard Australia Brunei China Czech Republic France Ghana Indonesia Italy Kuwait Malaysia New Zealand Source: World DMB Aug-Sep 07 report
In medium- and short-wave DRM broadcasts, and its proposed follow-up technology DRM+ in the FM band, the organizations which provide content in this ITU-approved modulation scheme have generally remained those of governmental information services and religious groups. While commercial DRM broadcasters do exist, the broadcasts are usually periodic, airing only during certain times each day or on weekly schedules. In March 2007 it was reported that global DRM broadcasts provided 230 hours of content daily. Today, a year later, that number reaches up to 750 hours of daily content, a 225% increase in availability during the past year. --Continuous Broadcasts-- Australia China France Germany Italy Rwanda UK --Periodic Broadcasts-- Belgium Croatia Ecuador Ireland Kuwait Luxemburg Netherland Antilles New Zealand Norway Portugal Russia Spain Sri Lanka USA Vatican City Source: “Live Broadcasts Schedule.” 02 Mar. 2008. Digital Radio Mondiale. 05 Mar 2008 < http:// www.drm.org/livebroadcast/livebroadcast.php >.;
HD Radio®, a technology created and licensed by iBiquity Digital Corporation, and often referred to as IBOC has been officially adopted within the United States by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Brazil Indonesia Mexico Philippines Thailand USA In Europe, the Radio Sunshine and Radio Energy Zurich are testing HD Radio on three frequencies in Switzerland under a test license granted by the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) in late 2005. These groups have been joined by others in the formation of a European HD Radio Alliance. But HD Radio continues to see growth and adoptions outside of Western Europe and the U.S. as well. This includes a recent commercial deployment including multicasting services by Fatima Broadcasting International in Thailand, along with a growing number of services available in Brazil and Mexico. These bring the number of alternative multicast programming choices available on HD Radio to over 800 new digital “stations” broadcasting 24 hours a day. Argentina Australia Chile China Czech Republic France New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Poland Sri Lanka Switzerland Ukraine Vietnam Dadian, Paul. “HD Radio Broadcasting Update.” iBiquity Digital Corporation presentation. Mason, Ohio. 04 Mar. 2008.
Today there are over 1,600 AM and FM HD Radio stations on the air in the U.S. It is now possible to drive from Maine (a state which borders Canada) to the southern tip of Florida, a distance of over 3,000 kilometers, while being covered by digital audio broadcasts with minimal coverage gaps.
In terms of engineering… HD Radio (IBOC) technology is an in-band approach to digital audio broadcasting. Digital signals at a power level of 1 to 10% of the analog power carry audio and data. The system is designed to transition from hybrid (analog & digital) to all-digital if and when stations elect to do so. It employs the existing broadcast infrastructure – no new spectrum, towers, dial positions, etc.
HD Radio launches April 1 2008 with a new marketing campaign tied to a focused effort to get consumers to upgrade their listening and using habits. HD Radio: It’s Time to Upgrade! Why should consumers do this, here are just several of the features and functions users can get today or in the near future from their HD Radios… iTunes Tagging - Enables listeners using HD Radio receivers that have been equipped with a special Tag button, to “tag” songs that they hear on the FM dial for subsequent purchase via iTunes. Traffic and Navigation Based Services – Ability to transmit and receive non-audio digital content will enable new and valuable services such as the delivery of real-time traffic information to in-vehicle navigation systems and on-board system updates . Time Shifting Audio Programming – Ability to rewind broadcast programming or record blocks of programming for later playback. Audio programs would be stored in memory within the radio device for later replay. Note: HD Technology supports this functionality however it is not yet available commercially Conditional Access – Encryption scheme that will enable HD Radio FM stations to deliver protected audio and data content. Ability for stations to mix free content with subscription-based supplemental audio and data programming and the ability to offer premium programming. Note: HD Technology supports this functionality however it is not yet available commercially Electronic Program Guide – A list of station, program and program information delivered to a radio to support program identification, selection and tuning. The EPG functionality will support program reminders and in the next generation, time shifting. International Center for Accessible Radio Technology (ICART) text transcripts on the HD Radio receiver’s viewing screen, which is what a hearing impaired listener will see using the technology.
Forgive me if I go back to the opening slide, Where does the road lead? Given the successes, growth and staying power of these three standards, it is not a matter of if or when digital audio broadcasting will take off. It has and is. The genie does not fit back into the bottle, especially as both DRM and HD Radio have been field proven in multiple countries that these systems can be successfully deployed on the same FM and AM bands allocated across the globe without requiring additional spectrum for implementation. It can be DMB, DRM or HD Radio. A large majority of the world is moving into a digital standard, or two, or three, and finding that they can co-exist in some form or fashion. When I fill in all the various standards together, and you give me a little artistic license with specific borders within the clouds, you’ll see a dramatic number of people can be reached by some form of digital audio broadcasts. So let me tell you a little bit about how else Harris has been promoting digital audio broadcasts… If you forgive me, I’ll color the clouds to show you…
So, why is this in-band capability important? Since DRM and HD Radio broadcast technologies provide digital audio coexisting with traditional analog signals in the same markets, this reduces the cost of implementation to both governments and station operators. Governments do not need to find a new, quiet swath of spectrum. Operators do not need to give up their large, money-making, analog customer base. This frequency band cohabitation reduces the reticence of listeners to accept a transition from analog to digital broadcasts, as there is no forced sunset date when their traditional analog radios go completely quiet. Everybody wins. With the expansion of services and content outlets in a digital marketplace, broadcasters will need to invest in multiple parts of their business. In much the same way that governments invest in roads and infrastructure to ensure traffic goes where the planners intend, delaying infrastructure roll-outs at your station means that other broadcasters will determine where and how the “roads” are built. This would mean they would not lead to your doorstep. Broadcasters need to make these investments so that consumers have easy access to growing digital formats. While transmitters and the RF plants are often seen as the first investment for digital broadcasts, they are only the foundation for delivering the content. They are not the only equipment to be considered. With the ability to multicast, digital broadcasters need the technology to easily ingest, manage and route audio through a facility. This is necessary to ensure all the content streams from the wide and growing variety of input sources are delivered to your listeners.
So, where do we go now? Just as a cartographer might draw a line on a map representing a road or path, with no knowledge of the number of daily travelers, that is where we stand today with digital audio broadcasts. The questions in front of us as an industry are: who is listening, what kind of a radio are they listening on, why do they listen and how do we drive more profitability or time spent listening to digital audio broadcasts? Is it higher quality audio? A wider variety of multimedia content to select from? Or perhaps ultra-low cost-per-byte data-casting services? Or adding completely new listeners previously unable to use radio through new digital technologies. These are the detailed roadmaps which have just begun to be drawn.