[BC] iBiquity was Digital Radio Express

[Ernie Belanger]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Alexander" <dynotherm at earthlink.net>


>>
>> So if a station chooses to broadcast in Digital whenever they choose to 
>> do
>> so, it will have use the iBiquity system.
>
>. If they use chipsets made
> for the world market, IOW IBOC/DRM capable, the only addition needed is
> auto-sensing of format/protocol in a way that's transparent to the 
> listener.

While you are technically accurate the iBiquity business model is one of 
complete control and dominance.I understand that they are requiring receiver 
manufacturers to buy chip sets to make HD Radio Receivers. Its not just a 
code load. If it were they IB would have no way of collecting royalties or 
controlling the market short of auditing the manufacturer's books. Like it 
will for Radio Stations when additional data sales are possible to ensure 
they are getting their fair share of the take.
But,  I could be wrong on this
.
>>. Stations are not being forced to
>> adopt it nor are they being forced to broadcast in digital.but if and 
>> when they do it will have to be using this standard
>
> If they market is controlled in such a way as to set up a de facto 
> standard
> with no alternative, the possibility of Court action looms large.

They are ready for that I'm sure. If they had any doubt or question then it 
would not make business sense to even get someone else to push the FCC. They 
are confident at this point that enough of the lambs have been slaughtered 
that this will never happen.

Look at it from a practical perspective. A company or grand alliance would 
have to develop a standard, then get a broadcaster to start to use it and 
then  spend millions trying to get broadcasters to jump ship to the new 
standard, go to the NRSC and the FCC etc..Or they could just go to court 
with a restraint of trade suit and then have to go back and jump through all 
of the hoops.

Once broadcasters spend the $$$ it is a done deal and the industry is locked 
into a standard which soon may be proven to be obsolete but our technology 
will be frozen. It will take some other great evil monster like satellite 
radio before they are willing to do anything but cry in their beer that they 
all bought into this thing like lemmings running over the edge of the cliff.

IB's  hedge is that the odds of that happening, once they are annointed the 
standard, are greater than my becoming wealthier than Bill Gates in the next 
year. It ain't going to happen barring a Miracle.

The saddest thing is if anyone bothered to read the latest from Wall Street, 
satellite radio seems to be self destructing. Apparently investors are 
getting tired of the Millions being spent to woo talent etc. the stock 
prices are tanking and things are not looking good. Even with magic man  Mel 
jumping ship to Satellite Radio it doesn't seem to be helping.

So maybe if broadcasters would have weathered the storm they could have 
saved their billion that will be spent on conversion , and waited for a 
better or the best system to come to market. In light of satellite's 
situation  this panic rush to this standard of digital broadcasting may all 
be for naught.

> But there clearly is
(another standard)
>, and it's called DRM, which could also be the way
> around some very challenging problems in the AM band for which Ibiquity
> has yet to offer an effective solution IMHO.

I don's disagree but DRM or anyone on their behalf  did not and has not gone 
to the FCC in an attempt to get approval for testing. Then too there is the 
NRSC hoop to jump through.
>
>> #2 the industry has already accepted this as a default standard (see #1)
>
> Because the FCC would permit only the use of the IBOC spec per Ibiquity
> while the rulemaking continued.

2 reasons for that. #1 USDAR had licensed their technology from one 
competitor, freezing them out of the market and the merged with the other so 
there was no US developed standard other than iBiquities and #2 DRM never 
threw its hat into the US ring.

>
> In the end, the only thing proprietary to Ibiquity may be their codec.

But I ask the question.. How can you have a standard by default or 
otherwise, when the information about the codec is not given as part of the 
standard? Without the codec being a part of it, I contend , you can not have 
a standard.

>....., and it is > important to recall that the NRSC stated goal for IBOC 
>is that it is to
> be an OPEN system.

It doesn't look like that is what is happening.

>
> I think you may find an article about this topic in the May edition of
> Radio Guide.

I hope so, IMHO that publication is not biased and it will be refreshing to 
get a clean "just the facts" take on the situation.