Digital radio stations have thousands more options to offer the listener than regular old AM and FM analog radio stations. To begin with, there is the quality issue. Gone are the days in which the radio quality would fluctuate based on whether or not you were driving under an overpass or passing by power lines. Through digital, there is relatively no disturbance from any outside sources which could disrupt your listening experience. Furthermore, there is no need for the guessing game when you hear a track you like and the disk jockey simply neglects to mention the name of it. With digital radio stations and an invention called radiotext, listeners will be able to read the name of the artist and title of the track right on their radio receiver as the song is playing. Radio stations will also be able to transmit information about the news, weather and traffic directly into text form on your radio receiver. This is but one great feature of digital radio. While all of this seems like an amazing invention, the fact of the matter is that terrestrial digital radio stations do not yet exist. Any station that currently says it is totally digital is lying. They are simply a hybrid of analog and digital where the radio receiver first picks up the analog signal and then homes in on the digital signal for a better quality broadcast. The possibilities do not end there though, as it may even be possible for digital stations to broadcast pictures and videos directly to your car or home stereo through the magic of digital broadcasting. Wouldn't it be neet to have MTV on your on digital radio so that you could watch the video while the song is playing? Although terrestrial digital radio stations are at least ten years off, there is a way to experience some of the benefits of digital radio stations today. Satellite radio, brought to you in America by XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio offer the closest thing to full digital radio. They provide the listener with high quality sound and radiotext to let people see what they are listening too. Unfortunately, they are costly services and require the listener to not only purchase a receiver but pay a monthly subscription fee. These monthly subscription fees can add up to alot of money spent. Some say it is worth it and others do not believe so. |
