On Mar 6, 4:29�pm, "David Eduardo" wrote:
"JimC" wrote in message

t...

What's the development status of HD programming? (Are they being broadcast
in most metropolitan areas now?) *Also, is the audio fidelity as good as
FM, and if not, what are the advantages of getting HD-AM?

Something over 500 HD equipped FMs are originating HD-2 programming separate
from the HD-1 duplication of the analog service. Another 500 to 600 stations
have just HD-1 duplication in digital of the analog programming.

In my experience with a number of HD stations, the HD-1 sounds better than
the analog signal, in part due to the lack of the 75 ms preemphasis applied
to analog FM and in part due to digital processing which results in a less
clipped and compressed audio if properly set up.

HD AM sounds much better than analog AM, although there is no "additional
channel" service available. HD AM sounds as good as a typical iPod or MP3
recording; it is also vastly less susceptible to man made and ambient noise.

No one cares:

"In-Stat: Digital Radio Set to Take Off"

"In 2006, 73 percent of respondents to an In-Stat U.S. consumer survey
were aware of HD Radio on some level."

http://beradio.com/eyeoniboc/instat-digital-radio-set/

"Sirius, XM, and HD: Consumer interest reality check" (Alexaholic)

"While interest in satellite radio is diminishing, interest in HD
shows no signs of a pulse."

http://www.hear2.com/2007/02/sirius_....html#comments

This just confirms, the lack of interest for HD Radio, on Google
Trends:

http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22hd... =all&date=all

"Rethinking AM's Future"

"Only 175 or so AM stations have even licensed AM-HD. For a number of
reasons, quite a few have tried it and taken it off the air, or so the
anecdotal evidence suggests. Ibiquity no longer reports in its public
summaries whether a station is on the air. Making AM-HD work well as a
long-term investment is seen as an expensive and risky challenge for
most stations and their owners. With the bulk of successful AMs airing
news, talk and sports, the improved fidelity advantage of HD and
stereo seem only marginally attractive. There is the significant
downside of potential new interference to some of their own AM analog
listeners as well as listeners of adjacent-channel stations. And of
course we still have no nighttime authority for AM-HD."

http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0044/t.557.html

Existing RDS has the same texting functions, as HD/IBOC. For now, HD
Radio/IBOC is dead.