Digital radio

Features

Digital radio is the biggest leap in radio technology for many years, bringing improved sound quality, more stations and new features to our radios.

Pros

• Offers clear, interference-free sound
• Uses a more efficient transmission system so that more stations can be broadcast
• Offers listeners exclusive radio stations and services
• A variety of digital radio products are on the market, from portables and tuners to in-car models. New products are also in the pipeline
• Some DAB radio stations can also be received on digital TV services
• Includes enhanced text services, with other services such as still pictures to follow
• Some DAB radios can record, pause or rewind live broadcasts and others offer VCR-like features.
• There are more than 325 DAB products on the market, enough to suit all tastes and budgets.

Cons

• Digital radios are more expensive than analogue radios although prices now start at under £30
• Not everyone can receive digital radio broadcasts, as the service is still being rolled out
• Not all analogue radio stations have migrated to digital
• Reception is susceptible to glitches such as dropouts and looping
• Portable DAB products have a shorter battery life than non-digital radios, because more processing is involved. However, DAB portables offering up to 80 hours battery life are now available
• Sound quality can suffer if broadcasters compress the DAB signal too much.

Interference-free and with a wider choice

Digital radio uses a new way to transmit radio signals. Analogue radio systems like AM and FM transmit sound as a fluctuating radio wave. This generally works well, but analogue radio broadcasts can suffer from interference, resulting in the crackle, pop, hiss and fade we sometimes encounter when listening.

But digital radio transmits sound as computer code, which is more robust, resulting in a clearer signal and crystal-clear, interference-free sound. And because transmitting radio digitally is much more efficient, many more stations can be broadcast.

The result is a wider choice of radio stations - a large city can typically receive around 40 local, regional and national digital radio stations.

Enhanced features

Digital radio offers features that are unavailable on analogue radio. This includes enhanced text information shown on a radio's display screen. The text information (which often scrolls across the screen) can include the artist's name and track title, news updates, weather reports, cast lists and much more.

Some DAB radios offer a proprietary feature called textScan [sic], which allows users to pause and control scrolling text, for example, winding back to a song title or address. Another feature, Intellitext, gives users on-demand access to text information, such as news headlines or sport results.

There have been trials of a system called Slideshow, which combines DAB audio with digital still images, such as an album cover. The first DAB products with colour screens - which will be enable DAB users to get the full benefits of technologies like Slideshow - are set to appear before the end of 2007.

A number of DAB radios have USB computer ports, which allow a DAB radio to be connected to a computer. This feature can be used for updating the features on a DAB radio and thus helping to future-proof it.

Forms of digital radio

Many analogue radios have digital displays, but these are not digital radios. In fact, there are various forms of digital radio:

• The new digital radios you can buy in the shops (and the new digital radio stations) use technology called Digital Audio Broadcasting - DAB. DAB radios have a small logo to identify them
• Digital TV services on satellite, cable and terrestrial systems offer a range of digital radio stations, which can be heard on a television or a hi-fi system connected to the TV. These are not DAB broadcasts, although some of the stations are also available on DAB services
• There are plug-in PC cards that allow you receive DAB radio on a computer
• You can also listen to many radio stations on the internet, again these are not DAB broadcasts.

Digital radio stations - BBC

Digital radio offers many existing radio stations - and a whole lot more.

The BBC's digital radio service includes all the five major national stations (BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and Five Live), BBC World Service plus more than 40 regional and local radio stations.

There are also exclusive digital radio stations such as BBC 7, BBC 6 Music, 1Xtra, BBC Asian Network and BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra.

More BBC local stations are being added to the service too - for the latest information about BBC coverage, phone BBC Information on 0870 010 0123 (national rate).

You can also receive DAB secondary services, which are part-time broadcasts on the DAB network, such as some BBC LW transmissions like Yesterday in Parliament.

Digital radio stations - commercial

Digital One is the commercial digital radio network that has eight national digital radio channels (including Classic FM, Virgin Radio and Talksport) plus almost 420 local and regional stations. Many local stations play specific genres of music like jazz, pop or rock.

By mid 2007, there were around 425 DAB services (BBC and commercial) in the UK. And more are on the way. At the end of the year, around 100 new DAB local radio stations will begin rolling out. In 2008, Channel 4 Radio will begin launching ten new national DAB services.

You can check whether you can receive DAB in your area (and if so, what services) by going to one of the websites listed at the bottom of the page.

For the most up-to-date list of digital radio stations available in your area, visit www.digitalradionow.com.

Reception of digital radio

Many areas can receive digital radio broadcasts today and the service is being rolled out across the country. Digital radio coverage was more than 85% of the population by early 2007. The BBC plans to reach 90% of the population with its DAB network.

National digital radio stations are broadcast on a single frequency, so there's no need to re-tune your radio when listening to digital radio on the move.

Opting for digital radio does not involve any additional subscriptions as the BBC's service is paid for by the TV licence fee, and commercial radio stations via advertising.

There are many types of digital radios on the market, with prices starting from around £29.99.

You can buy portable digital radios, hi-fi tuners, pocket radios (some include an MP3 player), clock radios, home audio systems, CD player radios and in-car radio receivers - many can also receive analogue broadcasts. There are also digital radios that let you pause, rewind and record live DAB broadcasts.

A new generation of DAB products has emerged, which are the radio equivalent of a home video recorder. These devices often include an electronic programme guide (EPG), which allows users to program their radio to automatically record a number of radio programmes over a week. Hours of radio can be recorded on a tiny, plug-in memory card. An adapter which converts an Apple iPod digital music player into a DAB/FM radio is set to be launched.

DAB's future

A new DAB standard, called DAB+, has been developed, which could offer even better sound quality. The BBC and National Grid Wireless are testing a radio technology called Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), which transmits digital radio on the same frequencies as medium-wave radio. However, it is unclear whether either of these systems will ever be adopted by the UK - and if they were, it would be years before services and equipment appeared. Even then, today's DAB service would continue as normal. In other words, you can buy DAB equipment today, safe in the knowledge that it will provide good service for many years to come.

With clearer sound, more choice and new services, it's little wonder that many see digital radio as the future for radio.

Radio Times radio listings

Check out our comprehensive online radio listings, including coverage of many of the new digital radio stations.

Useful digital radio websites

www.bbc.co.uk/digitalradio
www.digitalradionow.com
www.ukdigitalradio.com

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