FM equipment digital

[alavahalf]

When we finaly go over to digital in 2012... will my existing FM ariel and hi-fi tuner become obsolete.

[237SJ]

I have a digital adaptor added to my micro-system tuner to make the radio digital

[4candles]

2012 is the date by which all UK *TV* transmitters will be digital - nowt to do with radio.

2015 was originally proposed as the date for the switch off of analogue radio services - providing that a significant majority of users were using DAB. This is looking unlikely, and I can't see FM being switched off for a good many years yet.

[alavahalf]

Thanks for that ... I thought that digital switchover meant both analogueTV and FM signals would become digital.

Need'nt through the old wireless out just yet .. !

[4candles]

You're welcome : )

Enjoy the FM - it's superior to DAB!

[AlBags]

DAB is great .. in a great signal area ... Not many of them exist tho. It will be improved eventually.

[4candles]

Really? I've got good FM & DAB reception, and FM sounds better.

[Buenchico]

DAB radio provides audio quality equivalent to FM broadcasts when using a 'bit rate' of around 160Kbps. (A lower bit rate provides inferior audio, a higher one provides superior audio quality).

Here are the bit rates currently in use by principal stations:
Radio 1 > 128
1Xtra > 128
Radio 2 > 128
Radio 3 > 192 (or 160 for some programming)
Radio 4 > 128 (or 80 for some programming)
Radio Five Live > 80 (Mono)
6 Music > 128
Radio 7 > 80 (Mono) or, I believe, 128 (Stereo)
World Service > 64 (Mono)
Classic FM > 160
Absolute > 160
TalkSport > 64 (Mono)

Chris

[AlBags]

The situation will be like that of Digital TV. Once the available band has been freed up considerably by analogue channels closing, there will be more room for digital multiplexes. In the space of 1 analogue channels can occupy up to 10 digital TV channels.
Won't be long before HD Audio is broadcast.

[4candles]

How will that make a difference? The analogue radio channels are on entirely separate bands to DAB.