[BC] HD2 is here in Albuquerque

[Goran Tomas]

--- At 4.2.2006 14:15, Robert Orban wrote: ---
>>Well after an exhaustive push to launch 5 HD2 broadcasts and 
>>webstreams I would like to invite everyone to check out the hard 
>>work. www.clearchannelmusic.com/hdradio has all our HD2 streams 
>>that we are broadcasting. Let me know what you think. (Technically 
>>of course since engineers don't program LOL.....right Rich)
>
>It's a nice selection of formats. But those 32 kbps streams would 
>sound a lot better in aacPlusV2 :-)

Yes, definitely. These are 32kbps phasing and flanging streams with 
11kHz response. Personally, I would make them mono to reduce some of 
the artifacts (stereo is anyway a moot point with so much artifacts). 
Is this already coded audio (HD2 taken off the air?) that is then 
again coded with WM? If it is, that doesn't help either :(

Compare that with aacPlus v2 at 32kbps or even better with 48bkps, 
and a difference is striking!

Putting quality issues aside, it's nice to be able to hear all of 
these station at one place. It's interesting how processing 
preferences differ from one market to another and from station to 
station. Unfortunately there's some level mismatch at the encoders - 
for example, all San Francisco stations are much quieter than others.

But I really don't understand the reasoning behind someone using 
analog processing for HD! The pre and de-emphasized, clipped audio is 
not a way to process for coded audio. HD upgrades for existing 
digital processors cost about $1500... Whole separate processors like 
Orban's PC-1100 on PCI card also costs $1500. There'll be hardware HD 
processors like DSP-X's miniHD available for as little as $1750. Is 
that really that much that stations can't afford it?


Regards,
Goran Tomas