Dab Not A Good Christmas Present

[telecat]

Just a quick warning about DAB. OFCOM who oversee DAB are in the process of changing the Way that the signal is compressed, or to those more technically minded MP2 is being dropped and replaced by the new AAC+ codec. The reasons are two-fold, the current codec mp2 is part of the original MPEG-1 specification and the audio quality is basically rubbish. Secondly nobody in Europe is prepared to continue DAB in it's current form because of reason one. The French and Irish out the fatal blow in by refusing to use the current DAB system while having a sly dig at OFCOM's persistence in promoting the current system.

Basically using MP2 the minimum broadcast transmission rate to achieve good quality sound is 192kbps. Because more stations are being licensed in order to get them in, rates have been dropping on music stations to 128kbps and on speech to as low as 64kpbs. Hence FM still sounds superior.

Using AAC+ 64kpbs achieves the same (or better) result as 192kbps due to the music compression algorithm being much more efficient.

The rub is that becuase the MP2 signal will be switched off in the nearish future(2012 is been mooted), most DAB radios will have to be upgraded to the new algorithm or scrapped. So if you do buy one make sure it has a USB input for upgrade. Or wait until Spring when New chips will be installed in DAB radios.

[barrybaines]

Top man cheers for that I was looking into buying one for the kitchen but shall wait a while now

[telecat]

It WILL be worthwhile when the new Chips and Transmission method start. Even more stations at quality around that of FM.