Telamon wrote:

The software does not have to be in the public domain for the standard
to be open. The standard is one thing, the software is an implementation
of the standard. I can write software that complies with an open
standard and sell it without putting the source in the public domain.


The DRM standard in part uses proprietary code licensed by several
companies depend on the mode you operate in. That does not meet the open
requirement.



I think the difference in our opinion revolve around the definition of
an open standard. There is enough information on the net that someone
can develop the code to receive DRM.





There are

many ways this can be enforced.

Yes, but you would have to violate the terms of the GPL.


I don't know what you are talking about here. This software is being
sold and is not free. If there is a free DRM radio decoder I did not
know about it. I don't understand how this could be because some of the
encoding/decoding algorithms are not free. Please point to the free DRM
decoding software.


You haven't looked at http://sourceforge.net/projects/drm/

You download for free, compile and use. If you don't like something
about the code, change it, recompile and use.





You are missing about every point in the thread. The DRM Troll started
out saying that the DRM SW was imminent because consumer radios existed.
There is one that I can find no thanks to the Troll. I don't know if
this one radio is actually being sold since it is described as a
"concept radio." He kept posting links of the same radios that are not
SW radios but are AMBCB or FM. The radios that did receive SW need a
computer to operate or they were very expensive professional rack mount
units. Basically the radios that need a computer are science experiments
for early adopters. There is no analog equivalent DRM SW radio being
manufactured today as far as I can tell.

I see no DRM radios similar to a Sony 7600, yet. (If that is what you
mean.) That does not mean it can't happen.


Of course there could be a DRM SW equivalent tomorrow. Of course any
company with the resources could spend the money to produce ASIC's to do
the job. It is just that they haven't done it yet contrary to what the
DRM Troll is espousing.


The other links in the thread refer to a TI part.
http://focus.ti.com/docs/apps/catalo...dio_digrad_drm
Check this link where it is being used.
http://www.radioscape.com/downloads/...500_Doc_02.pdf
or,
http://www.radioscape.com/



A DRM radio needs to perform many functions compared to what an MP3
player needs to do. Additional functions over what an analog radio
requires so even if a well financed company decided to build a high
order of integration with several ASIC's a DRM radio would still draw
much more power than a analog radio. Standard batteries many not be able
to handle the power requirements and when DRM SW portables show up they
will probably use lithium ion rechargeable batteries.

You are missing my point about the advances in technology. What has
happened with MP3 players, PDAs, cell phones, and computers has lead to
portable devices that are battery operated. The same concepts applied to
DRM can yield similar results.

Yes, it will use more power than an analog radio. However, we are not
talking about the same performance as a radio with no digital circuitry.



There is nothing magical about DRM technology. Everything used by the
DRM scheme is used someplace else. Nothing new here and that might be
part of the problem of a technology not well matched to the SW
propagation environment.


Time will tell.

I think there is good potential.

craigm