This defies total logic:

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-559.htm

Today, it appears almost ALL of the DAB licenses (except CBC, which gave theirs back) have been renewed until April 30th of 2012.

Many of these never got to air, and none in Atlantic Canada were included in the renewal.

Truly bizarre....

Cameron

The on-off-on-off-on nature of the L4 ensemble from Toronto continues.

It's back up.

CFRB - No audio now
Mix 99.9 - Audio OK
The Fan - No Audio
EZ Rock - No Audio
Jazz FM - Audio OK.

Cameron

As a fan of FM-HD (as far as I've heard much) and from what little I've read about DAB implementation in Canada, any comment I might make would seem discourteous.... if that comment isn't discourteous enough.

Since Mr. Harper is such a fan of continental integration, maybe his ministers should look into HD?

Ben

Hey Ben,

Discourteous maybe, but unfortunately true.

The technological missteps that have been going on in the broadcasting field in the last 30 years here is very frustrating to say the least.

AM Stereo
DAB
HD Radio (no traction yet)

Most engineering staff aren't the problem, in fact most are simply terrific.

We have no real incentive coming from IC, or the Government to set standards (look at the mess with ATSC digital TV).

Broadcasters aren't interested either.

The "digital divide" will only get wider with various forces wanting a "paid for information" system in place spanning all technologies.

At least that's the direction some sure want us to go in....

Cameron

I enjoyed DAB in the UK and Europe, I used DAB at home and in my vehicles.
The quality and coverage were good, and the equipment was not that expensive.
The destruction of DAB in Canada is a real shame.

Is Canada only interested in "paid for" services?

It appears as if that's what the "big boys" want...

How far it actually gets depends on how the public deal with it.

Now would be a good time to start rolling out DAB+ receivers in the U.K. so that as consumers start replacing older units and or buy new ones, the consumer will eventually be ready and the broadcasters can slowly start implementing DAB+, which uses better sounding and more robust CODEC's, allowing for more stations per multiplex. It's a win-win.

Denying receiver manufacturers the addition of DAB+ will only exasperate a U.K. migration to the DAB+ standard. Besides, since the radios would receive the current DAB standard, no current broadcasting would be missed.

The infamous "Let the industry decide" mantra is a nice idea, but when titans with very deep pockets bring out their armies of patent and trademark lawyers the whole concept quickly goes down the drain.

Cameron

This is truly a waste of time. As HD Radio gets more units into Cars, DAB will have to be turned off at one point. Most Canadians live close to the US border. Radio signals flow over the border. I'm sure the people in the Windsor area have a wonderful selection of Detroit stations that have HD Radio sub-channels in operation.

The UK is already starting DAB+, or something like it. I remember last year or early this, they required you to get a new radio to get some new channels, or something like that. I might be totally wrong though.

I may have said this before, that European DAB uses 240 Mhz (or so), while Canadian DAB uses L-band (1.4 Ghz or so). If Canada were allowed to go to 240 Mhz, it would work much better.

I visited Chatham earlier this year and had a field day with the Insignia pocket HD Radio.

When engineered correctly, the HD streams sound great.

Manufactures aren't allowed by Ofcom to include DAB+ at the present, if I'm not mistaken, for units specifically for England.

The problem with band III used over there is it encompasses a chunk of DTV channel 12 + 13, the 220MHz amateur band, and some other communication services.

With knowing what some of that stuff is, it *ain't" gonna move!

Cameron

This is truly a waste of time. As HD Radio gets more units into Cars, DAB will have to be turned off at one point. Most Canadians live close to the US border. Radio signals flow over the border. I'm sure the people in the Windsor area have a wonderful selection of Detroit stations that have HD Radio sub-channels in operation.

Are there any coverage maps of the border areas?

Is anyone still receiving DAB signals near Ottawa?

There are no coverage HD Radio maps that I know of. But, if you go to
hdradio.com and check out the markets (cities) that have HD Radio.

Upstate New York near Ottawa is very thin for HD Radio stations.

As far as I know, DAB has vanished from the Ottawa area.

In Toronto, only 1 ensemble remains on-air, and in a sad state too I might add.

It's pretty sad when 2 stations have audio and the other 3 are silent, but still show on the display.

And the license renewals issued yesterday just make no sense at all.

Why renew licenses for services that went off-air years ago?

Cameron

Thanks for the replies - it looks like I have to find different sources for HQ audio :(

I've been told that DAB in Canada is not dead yet, at the moment the newer version of DAB, DAB+, is being tested. DAB+ is not backwards compatible with DAB so there wasn't any point on keeping DAB transmitters on. The major reason for the slow uptake in Canada is because DAB/DAB+ transmissions must happen on the L-Band because of our close proximity to the U.S we can't use the Band III (UHF) that the rest of the world uses for DAB/DAB+ so there isn't allot of manufacturers making DAB/DAB+ radios on L-Band.


As for HD (Hybrid Digital) Radio, the CRTC has been looking into the technology; however I doubt it will be approved. HD Radio is just a multiplex digital signal on the FM Analog Band, something that doesn't solve the problem of the current availability of FM frequencies in major markets like Toronto.

Bureaucrats are capable of doing things of incredible stupidity and narrow-view.

The government pumped millions of dollars into a prototype internet called Telidon in 1980s. Anybody have a real good memory? My company did the wrap-up evaluation. Very political. Very stupid management.

As a user, I couldn't be more pleased than to use (a little) and look forward (a lot) to ibiquity HD FM in Toronto. It is having a fairly slow slog in the big US market. God forbid the CRTC mandates a made-in-Canada solution that will never show up in my music system.... ever.

Ben

As a user, I couldn't be more pleased than to use (a little) and look forward (a lot) to ibiquity HD FM in Toronto. It is having a fairly slow slog in the big US market. God forbid the CRTC mandates a made-in-Canada solution that will never show up in my music system.... ever.



Costs associated with the ibiquilty system is a major factor in why the slow uptake in the U.S. We would have had DAB/DAB+ radio by now if it wasn't for all the border stations hogging up the UHF space.

Many other wonderful systems are possible to people on isolated islands. I take the world-as-it-is as a given and build from there.
Ben

Many other wonderful systems are possible to people on isolated islands. I take the world-as-it-is as a given and build from there.
Ben

I understand the benefits of HD Radio, its just it doesn't solve the problem of the lack of FM frequency in major markets and HD Radio doesn't work on L-Band. That's why the CRTC is still looking to DAB+

HD radio actually *can* solve that problem, especially with some effective regulation. What if every commercial broadcaster could be allowed to do whatever they want with their HD2 signal, so long as they give up the us of, and finance, community and non/low profit operations on their HD3 channels?

Either way, content HAS to precede delivery. You're not going to sell anything on sound quality. (which will be cancelled out with overuse of sub-channels anyway.)

I understand the benefits of HD Radio, its just it doesn't solve the problem of the lack of FM frequency in major markets and HD Radio doesn't work on L-Band. That's why the CRTC is still looking to DAB+
Sounds like the CRTC is trying hard to solve a problem that I, as a listener, taxpayer, sensible person, etc. simply do not experience.

There is vast unregulated garbage on the airwaves in Toronto and stations ought to be obliged to demonstrate their "redeeming social value" to keep their bandwidth. There is no "right" to own bandwidth. Tough.

On the other had, there is precious little quality music presented on quality stations. Who is "minding the store"?

Ben