Do digital radio broadcasts signal the end of frequency
modulation, or FM? It is unlikely that the end will occur soon, especially
since most countries have not yet adopted the technology.
اضافة اعلان
Despite the wide
availability of countless digital channels, networks, and ways to choose and
listen to your music in high-definition sound quality, the good old,
time-honored radio broadcast still has its audience and even has a long way to
go.
Regardless of
the support it is stored on or the internet service streaming it to you, the
music you play from your own collection is music you select. Radio programs, on
the other hand, make you feel like there is someone out there talking to you
and choosing the music for you, bringing a pleasant feeling of the unexpected,
the irreplaceable element of surprise. From a psychological viewpoint, this is
priceless. This is even more accentuated if the broadcast includes not just
music but also news and commercials. Entertainment and human communication are
keywords here.
Some people
still tune in to their favorite FM radio station at home or in the office.
Still, the majority turn to the radio while driving in their car because of the
convenience, the feeling of communication, and the fact that you can leave the
radio playing on endlessly and focus on the road.
In terms of
quality of sound, that is another story altogether. In most countries, the
standard is still the FM radio, which does not quite cut it anymore, at least
compared to the various digital contents we have gotten accustomed to. Limited
audio spectrum, heavy compression, congestion, signal loss, and interferences
are technical elements that make FM a less-than-perfect medium.
This is where Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) enters.
In terms of sound quality and signal stability, DAB is clearly superior to FM.
However, currently, just one country out of approximately three globally
provides DAB and enhanced DAB (DAB+) services.
In the Arab
world, and according to worlddab.org, the site of the reference DAB
organization, only Kuwait, Qatar, and Tunisia have regular DAB broadcast
services, whereas Algeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are still in the
trial phase and are setting up their norms and regulations. As for Bahrain and
Jordan, they are said to “have an interest in the subject”. Worlddab.org adds:
“A DAB+ workshop and trial took place in Amman in August 2017 organized by
WorldDAB and Arab States Broadcasting Union, and hosted by Jordan Radio TV and the Telecommunication Regulatory
Commission (TRC).”
Radio is about relating to and listening to broadcasts from your own neighborhood, or at least your city or your country. So, an internet radio — however good it may be — because it is probably broadcasting from a remote location in the world, would not be as interesting to you, except in very special cases.
TRC confirmed,
over the phone, that there were no DAB broadcasts for the time being in the
country. Importers of audio equipment have also confirmed that no DAB-enabled
radio sets or receivers, be it for cars or homes, are imported into Jordan.
In terms of
digital radio, apart from DAB, which is mainly considered a replacement for FM,
one can always go to internet radios. Ligo.co.uk estimates that there are some
30,000 such stations in the world — an overwhelming number to choose from. This
very wide choice is by itself a major advantage, given that it lets you select
the exact type of program or music that you like, in the language that you
prefer.
The disadvantage
is the average sound quality. To preserve internet bandwidth, most often over
WiFi, most stations are set with an encoding of 128kbps, with some set at
256kbps, which is still short of the better 320kbps. Therefore, internet radio
sound quality is similar to that of the average Youtube music videos — except
that the latter comes with the obvious image element advantage.
Radio is about
relating to and listening to broadcasts from your own neighborhood, or at least
your city or your country. So, an internet radio — however good it may be —
because it is probably broadcasting from a remote location in the world, would
not be as interesting to you, except in very special cases. Plus, the unmatched
convenience of pressing just one button on your car stereo and listening to
your favorite DJ is something internet radio cannot provide.
Listening to
recorded music has continuously and repeatedly evolved over the last 50 years.
From the analog times of the mediocre-sounding audio cassette tapes and the
glorious vinyl records that were the reigning storage media until around 1985,
the digital world has since taken us to the CD and now to audio streaming.
Depending on
where we are at a given time of the day and what we are doing, we have a wide
choice of means and channels, analog and digital. While on the road, however,
nothing beats the good old radio.
The writer is a computer engineer and a classically
trained pianist and guitarist. He has been regularly writing IT articles,
reviewing music albums, and covering concerts for more than 30 years.
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