DAB - Dead And Buried?????
Follow @mediaukdiscussY’know, there’s just no pleasing people on Planet Radio Forum.
A couple of years ago we were being told that DAB was doomed because the national commercial multiplex had so many stations (owned by the same company) closing down and were being replaced with birdsong, making the multiplex TOO EMPTY, leaving only 10 BBC channels and a few local and quasi-national branded services in some areas. We were all going to have to consign our DAB radios to the bin because there was no hope. It was game over. It was useless. It was a debacle. It had failed. Who would want to buy a DAB radio after all that?
Now, in 2013, DAB is apparently all of the above because the national commercial multiplex is TOO FULL, what with a national dance station station, a national jazz station, two rock stations, a 70’s station, an easy listening/gold station, two christian stations, a classical music station and so on. Apparently i’s still rubbish because despite all that choice, most stations are only in mono … so DAB is doomed, apparently, we’re all going to have to consign our DAB radios to the bin because there is no hope. It’s game over. It’s useless. It’s a debacle. It’s failed. Who would want to buy a DAB radio after all that?
I broadly agree with that. One of the perks of Digital Television has been increased choice, mainly from the “Free-to-air/view” side of things, and particularly the extra channels from the BBC, ITV, C4 and C5. Broadly speaking though, digital has increased picture quality. This hasn’t happened on DAB. We’ve got more stations, but we’ve gone from stereo to mono in several cases. This is continually my problem with DAB – it’s not better sound quality, whatever way you look at it. The fact a lot of channels I previously enjoyed listening to – KISS, Heat Radio and Free Radio 80s particularly – have downgraded to mono means I rarely listen to anything via DAB now.
I’m afraid I’m sliding away from being a DAB consumer to using mobile internet radio. Why would I want to listen to a mono rock or classic hits station when I can listen on my phone to those formats in stereo from around the world?
It’s not perfect yet, thanks to drop out’s between mobile base stations, which DAB doesn’t suffer from on the whole in London, yet Tune-in/Radio Player or XiiaLive is all I need. Oh and FM.
Quality doesn’t seem to be a big issue for consumers. In the case of DTT/Freeview, picture quality is terrible compared to satellite, cable and even the analogue system it replaced, with low bitrates, long GOPs and small resolutations, yet it is used the the main (or secondary) platform in 73% of UK households.
In 2008, there were only four stations on commercial national DAB. In 2013 there fourteen!
Even though the internet is available in more households than DAB, even though the internet is available on more phones than DAB, listening reach and share of radio through the internet flounders behind DAB.
DAB is the second most popular listening platform after analogue radio. It ain’t going anywhere.
“FM is still there and is as reliable as it’s always been. I really think apart from a few gadget geeks, DAB is still novelty and until it offers many things FM does not, the consumer is not going to give a damn.”
Please remind where on the FM dial in my area of central Scotland that I am offered a gold station, an easy listening station, a commercial speech station, a classic rock station, a modern rock station, a hard rock station, an album rock station, an asian station, an RnB station, BBC World Service, a 70’s station, an 80’s station, a 90’s station, an army station, a jazz/soul station, a dance station or a christian station?
It’s a bit more than a novelty for tech geeks.
“One of the perks of Digital Television has been increased choice, mainly from the “Free-to-air/view” side of things, and particularly the extra channels from the BBC, ITV, C4 and C5. Broadly speaking though, digital has increased picture quality”
Oh dear, James, you need to go to Specsavers if you think that digital has increased picture quality. The resolution on the secondary channels is dreadful, picture movement can be slow at times, colours are splashy and lip-sync is often an issue as well. Still, nobody seems to mind too much because they have considerable extra (free) choice … a bit like DAB.
So what would I prefer, more choice …. or stereo (which only works through headphones or when I’m sitting mid-way between speakers at perfect height and distance)? I think the answer to that is the same for the vast majority of people.
I also find it side-splittingly hysterical that so many radio forum-ites (who are clearly not of rational mind) think that DAB should be closed because of “poor quality” and that we should stick with crackly buzzy, fadey AM and hissy, fizzy FM, with far fewer stations.
Please remind where on the FM dial in my area of central Scotland…
I can’t since I am not in Scotland, but I was speaking from my perspective which is the only perspective I can speak of :)
Until every new car sold has a DAB receiver I’m afraid it will continue to be seen as a novelty for tech geeks.
DAB has been great for speech radio and AM classic hits stations where I wouldn’t be able to listen to those stations on AM while out without looking stupid holding a receiver to the window.
However, squashing in stations as we’ve seen on D1 may have increased choice, however at least with DTT, a decent tuner and tv set can at least make the viewing experience tolerable, even with a low bitrate and low resolution service such as Sky News. The same can’t be said for a MP2 64kbps mono music service on DAB.
I don’t think DAB is novelty. I think in the mix of platforms, it’s an important one.
I programme Smooth 70s, which is on national DAB and online. The stats show that the vast vast majority of our audience are listening on DAB, and with 7 average hours per listener per week, they can’t be too upset with the quality. We’re 80k mono, which seems to do us just fine.
Other stations seem to be doing well too; just look at the figures of Planet Rock, Absolute 80s, Jazz FM etc and you’ll see a range of stations that survive purely on digital platforms, yet expand the range of choice nicely.
Would it be preferable for all stations to be at 128k stereo? Of course, but while there isn’t the room on the multiplexes it’s a balance between choice and quality. Listeners vote with their ears (and their diaries), so it really doesn’t matter what we think, as they’ll decide for us.
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I think there is sheer confusion with DAB, outside of the radio industry. It might not be an equal situation but when terrestrial TV was switched to digital in the UK it was a done deal and the consumers had no choice in the matter. This was backed up by freeview and freesat being pushed significantly. The message was clear. Digital was the (only) way to go. With DAB, there is no siginificant push. Not even by the stations. FM is still there and is as reliable as it’s always been. I really think apart from a few gadget geeks, DAB is still novelty and until it offers many things FM does not, the consumer is not going to give a damn.