[BC] From NAB Newsletter

[WFIFeng@aol.com]

In a message dated 07/17/2006 2:05:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
SBailey at nespower.com writes:

>    I think I'm may be holding my breath too long if I have to wait for
>  the $99.00 HD Receiver at Best Buy.  

I still don't see it happening. When you can, quite literally, buy an AM/FM 
radio (with "digital" tuning and memory presets) for about $9.95, why are 
people going to spend 10x that much for pretty much the very same thing? It's gotta 
be looked at through the eyes of the consumers: "What's in it for me?"

> There is only one station in the
>  market that is HD, that I know of, WVNS-FM (Venus 102.5).
>     I will pay the 99.00 for the HD receiver because I like the format if
>  WVNS, all 80's Top 40, the stuff I played on the radio when I was in
>  college.

The "IBUZ Revolution" (TM Rich W) isn't even going to be a blip on John & 
Jane Q. Public's radar until they can get radios in the sub $20 range that will 
play for days on a pair of AA's, like they do now. How long will the batteries 
last in that $99 special? What kind of batteries will it need? Laptop style? 
How big will the whole thing be? What cost/benefit ratio are they going to see? 
"Streaming" music quality of 64Kbps? (If the station alocates 32 for an HD2 
channel.) Again, they ask, "What's in it for me?"

Basically, the way this seems to be shaping up, the only somewhat viable 
purpose I see for FM IBUZ is as a pretty decent replacement for analog SCAs. I 
still think the DRE system could do that a whole lot better, tho. (A *whole lot* 
cheaper & easier, too!) People looking for special, dedicated formats (Reading 
for the Blind, etc.) will either get Gov't subsidized receivers, or people 
will get the receiver when they "subscribe" to the specialty programming by 
purchasing it from the station or network. I can't see 'em plunking down $99 for 
just "another radio", tho. Again, they'll ask, "WHAT'S in it for me??"

The AM system is already showing us how bad it can get, and it's not even 
running 24 hours, yet. To think... I was actually positive about this technology 
a couple years ago... until I saw what this "emporer" was(n't) wearing. <:P

Willie...