Dab Radio Switchover Postponed Indefinitely

[FROSTYBALLS]

The Government announced this week, that the DAB Radio switchover has been postponed indefinitely:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/10520514/Reprieve-for-FM-as-Government-abandons-digital-radio-deadline.html

FM frequencies will not be turned off in 2015.

[vox]

Thanks FROSTYBALLS, I never heard that bit of good news, I hate DAB The weird burbling noise it makes is really annoying. FM sounds better in a home environment with a good tuner.

[Raistlin]

It all depends on where you live, DAB in Surrey is superb ;)

[vox]

I can get DAB here in Middlesex at home, but compared to FM it sounds glassy and I find it unpleasant to listen to music with it. Some days, according to the weather I guess, the signal drops out and it then makes that awful bubbling sound. I had a DAB tuner in my old Smart, but it burbled and cut out when driving around the country, the FM would automatically re-tune it's self as the transmitters changed.

If you ever get a chance to listen to a really good FM tuner with a decent aerial and sound system to go with, I think Raistlin you will understand how awful DAB really is. Then again, I prefer vinyl to CDs :)

[TezG]

i have driven on the m6 and often looose dab going through cumbria!

[Parts-King]

It all depends on where you live, DAB in Surrey is superb ;)

Surreyist!!!

[Raistlin]

It all depends on where you live, DAB in Surrey is superb ;)

Surreyist!!!

.

Is it my fault that I don't live in the third world

[Parts-King]

It is true to say you are in another world

[Red Yaris 54]

It all depends on where you live, DAB in Surrey is superb ;)

Surreyist!!!

.Is it my fault that I don't live in the third world

Well I suppose that even Surrey has its undesirables and vagabonds ;)

[Syncopator]

Thanks FROSTYBALLS, I never heard that bit of good news, I hate DAB The weird burbling noise it makes is really annoying. FM sounds better in a home environment with a good tuner.

Assuming good equipment (receiver and antenna) and a decent signal strength, then, all else being equal, it is well known that the audio reproduction achievable through the present implementation of digital radio [or "digital audio broadcasting digital radio" as it is often called ( I am merely expanding the abbreviation) ] is inferior to that through an f.m. broadcast.

Digital broadcasting could be better, but, as always, profit is more important than technical excellence.

To realise all the claimed benefits of a digital system would require additional bandwidth for each transmitter, which would mean fewer transmitters could be accommodated in the assigned band. Which, in turn, means that the accountants' arguments will always override those of the engineers.

If anyone cares to read the technical argument, there are concerned sources on the internet which explain in detail why this is true.

[Phil White]

Well my personal opinion is that DAB is a good thing and the fact that my new Aygo has this as standard is a tick in the right box so to speak.