On 3/6/2011 1:02 AM, RHF wrote:

snip

The Economic Tipping Point Has Passed
~translation~ YOU LOSE !

Well I'm sure that the 2000+ stations broadcasting in HD, the
multi-national automobile manufacturers, and the receiver manufacturers
are operating in fear of a hysterical blog by an anonymous and clueless
individual, and a page on a web site of a personal injury law firm in
New Jersey that complains that the range of digital radio signals is
insufficient because one of the principals purchased a vehicle with an
HD Radio and didn't realize that it was not the same as satellite radio.

If that's the best that those opposed to digital radio can do, then
digital radio has a very bright future indeed.

The fact is that digital radio is all about content and a lack of
monthly fees. The lack of multipath interference is a plus, but the same
thing that sells satellite radio and Pandora is what's driving adoption
of digital radio, except that digital radio doesn't have a recurring
monthly charge.

If you look at what radio stations are doing with their HD sub-channels
it's adding more content, especially content where the audience isn't
sufficient to warrant continuing the genre on the main station. Even if
the audio quality could technically be better on analog FM, in practice,
the sound quality and lack of interference, even at a lower bit rate on
the sub-channels, still provides a superior product in most cases than
analog FM.