2. digital
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"Streaming Audio' vs. HDRadio

Here's an interesting question: I can now get my local FM Radio station on my computer using 'streaming audio' and I can also get the feed from a conventional tuner and also on an HDRadio receiver. So far, HDRadio receivers can be found for car stereos and just a few are available for home use. Might it be possible that so few home HDRadio receivers are available because we can get just as good a signal on our computer? I do assume the 'streaming audio' signal is digital...?
unclejeff
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
I listen to local KLSX here in LA on my computer at work and am waiting for Sirius to start streaming Howard Stern online. The problem I see with streaming on the computer is bandwith and usage.

If you have a poor internet connection or share your pipes with many people like in a corporate atmosphere or are located a long distance from your internet provider you could experience additional drop outs and reduced sound quality.

So far, I'm finding internet radio in general to sound tinny and unnatural. Same with Sirius satellite radio. I think DirecTV music channels sounds slightly better.
unclejeff OP
1,313 posts
 
You are probably right in that the streaming ausdio feed is dependant on what it must go through to get here. I am sure that DSL would help a bit. Another factor would be that a streaming audio feed is quite compressed.
pabelson
344 posts
 
HD radio is pretty much brand new. That's why there are so few receivers. Of course, it may not catch on. We'll have to see.

Streaming audio, HD radio, and satellite radio are all compressed. Their relative quality depends on how compressed they are and what codec they use. In the case of HD radio, there is also the matter of signal strength. If it's too weak, it reverts to analog (which probably won't be that great, either).
armstrod
615 posts
 
The determining factor here is definitely the bitrate of the stream. If you have dialup, it's impossible to get a high quality stream as the bandwidth just won't support it. My experience is a 64Kb stream is listenable on computer speakers at work, but on my big rig it has to be at least 128Kb to be enjoyable. If you use iTunes, all the radio stations there have the bitrate indicated - you can experiment and hear the differences at the different speeds.

If you want to hear what streaming radio could sound like in a perfect world, listen to KWVA:

http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~kwva/kwva.ram

They stream RealAudio at 320Kb! The stream is WAY better than their broadcast signal and with my cable modem Internet access I never have dropouts. Pure college radio joy.

David
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