The DRDB (Digital Radio Development Bureau) produces a monthly news bulletin designed to keep all those in the DAB digital radio chain informed and updated on the latest developments in the industry.
Product News
Since the last DRDB newsletter in June, shops in the UK have been awash with new DAB products from a variety ofnew manufacturers. Take a look below for a snapshot of what’s new on offer.
Morphy Richards launches DAB Ordio
The first of Morphy Richards’ new DAB radios is now available in UK shops.
Designed to appeal to the under 35 age group, the Ordio DAB is a 2 band, battery and mains operated DAB radio with FM RDS. With the emphasis on ease of use and clean styling, the stereo radio can be either mains or battery operated and offers 14 presets. It retails for around £119.
Later this year, Morphy Richards will launch a second Ordio DAB radio with pause, record and rewind.
Roberts DAB Revival
Roberts Radio has launched a Revival DAB portable radio.
The new DAB version of Roberts’ 1950’s retro design radio features leather cloth in a stylish burgundy colour with more colours and finishes coming along later in the year.
The Revival DAB from Roberts costs £150.
Roberts Gemini 12
Also new from Roberts Radio this month is the Gemini 12, the company’s first DAB only radio.
The Gemini 12 features 10 station presets, green display backlight for a 16 x 2 character LCD display. The Gemini 12 includes line output and headphone sockets and uses 6 x C size batteries.
It is available now in UK shops for around £99.
Goodmans Freeview/DAB box
Goodmans launches the GDB5 Digital TV Receiver with integrated DAB Digital Radio. The GDB5 represents one of the first units to combine the symbiotic technologies of Digital TV and DAB Digital Radio.
The GBD5 gives access to 25 Freeview Free-to-View Digital TV channels and 21 Freeview digital radio stations, as well as access to the DAB Digital Radio stations in your area, all available through your TV.
Panasonic’s first in-home DAB radio in store
Panasonic’s RF-D1 radio is now available in UK stores.
DAB and FM, mains or battery operated, with a large backlit LCD and blue surround, the RF-D1 also incorporates an adjustable handle. The clock and sleep timer with its on and off setting and LCD Dimmer, means the radio can be used as a clock radio in the bedroom.
The RF-D1 is complete with 4 EQ presets, including XBS, Clear, Soft and Vocal options. And the acoustics separator and built-in speakers project stereo sound to ensure high audio quality.
The Panasonic RFD1 retails at around £130.
LG joins DAB market
New from LG, the LF-BM340 micro hi-fi system plays DAB digital radio plus FM, AM and RDS with a top-loading CD and auto-reverse cassette. 2 x 30 watts speakers deliver maximum power output. This micro also plays MP3 CDs recorded from your PC and is CDR and CDRW compatible.
It’s available now for around £199.99.
New micro system from Samsung
Samsung’s MMZJ8 DABRH is a micro hi-fi system with both DAB and FM radio reception, plus a CD player and MP3 playback.
It is available in UK stores now priced around £199.99.
The Bug goes DownUnder
The world’s first digital radio which lets users pause, rewind and record live radio is on display in Sydney as part of a showcase of DAB radios.
The Bug is one of a range of new receivers on show at the Domayne store in Sydney for the next three months. The digital radio centre is an initiative of the commercial radio industry, which is keen to introduce digital broadcasting technology across Australia.
One of Australia’s best known radio presenters, John Laws, officially opened the digital radio centre saying, “Radio has changed enormously over the 50 years I’ve been broadcasting and digital technology is arguably the biggest change but also the most critical to ensuring that the industry is able to remain innovative over the next 50 years.”
The commercial radio industry and public broadcasters are conducting trials of digital radio in Sydney but the Government has yet to develop a policy framework for a national roll out.
Research conducted by Colmar Brunton Media Solutions in a survey of 1500 people in Sydney, found there was good consumer interest in digital radio across all age groups, with 68 per cent of all respondents saying they would be interested in buying a digital radio if the service was available.
Crown signals move to DAB
Crown Corporation has revealed plans to add two DAB radios to its audio range. The CDR140 will feature DAB and FM reception, is mains only in a classic wooden housing and will retail for around £69.
The CDR240DAB will have a more modern finish along with easy-touch controls, offer mains or battery power and include a headphone socket for around £89.
New from RadioScape
Three new DAB modules from RadioScape announced this month include:
The RS350A™ brings the concept of customising DAB modules to cars. This new module can process three DAB channels on a multiplex simultaneously to provide any combination of audio channels and data channels of news or travel information. Service Linking enables the radio to automatically move to associated stations when the first goes out of range using linking information provided by the broadcaster. This linking can be either from one local DAB station to the another similar service or from one DAB station to the FM equivalent if the DAB coverage is no longer available due to the car moving out of range. Lastly, the module provides “phantom” power up the antenna cable to power an amplifier at the base of the antenna. This is the preferred design for many cars as it removes the necessity of having expensive coaxial cable to screen the signal cable, instead it boosts the signal from the antenna immediately for its journey to the receiver so that it stands out from any background interference.
The new RS300L Tri-Band module enables receivers to be built with Band III and L-band Eureka 147 DAB, integral FM, and RDS with the innovative features of multi-channel decode, Electronic Programme Guide on a colour display, pause and rewind of live broadcasts, and recording to removable memory. The module will be available from August 2004 enabling it to be used as the basis for DAB radios targeted for the Christmas 2004 market.
The RadioScape RS201™ comes with the additional features of CD control, Infra Red remote control, clock and alarm functions as well as DAB, FM and RDS
New from Frontier Silicon
New chip for mobile T-DMB
Frontier Silicon has presented its product development plans for T-DMB at the International forum on Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (T-DMB). This includes the introduction of T-DMB solutions, based on Frontier’s Chorus multimedia processor, for mobile TV products to be launched in Korea in 2005.
Key features of Frontier Silicon’s T-DMB solution include the ability to support decoding at the full data rate specified in the Eureka 147 specification (data at better than 1.5Mbps), plus integrated peripherals which increase utility in a T-DMB product. Low power consumption and excellent sensitivity are major characteristics that make Frontier’s solution ideal for T-DMB; sensitivity of up to -100dBm for Band III and -98dBm for L Band can be achieved.
And Finally......Honouring a DAB Pioneer
He’s just too modest to shout about it himself, but PURE Digital President, Kevin Dale was this month given the UK radio industry’s highest honour when he was awarded a Fellowship of the Radio Academy for his outstanding contribution to DAB digital radio.
Dale was surpised by BBC Director of Radio and Music, Jenny Abramsky, and Chief Executive of the Commercial Radio Companies Association, Paul Brown, at the Radio Festival, held at the ICC in Birmingham.
It’s an honour rarely given to one not directly involved in broadcasting.
Later, Dale insisted the accolade was one to be shared with all at PURE Digital, long recognised as the DAB digital radio pioneers in the UK. And he insisted that in recognising him, the radio industry was also applauding the overall progress made by digital radio in recent years.
In 2000, under Dale’s leadership, PURE - then known as VideoLogic - launched the DRX-601E hi-fi tuner, the first DAB product to come to market at under £300. For three years in a row, VideoLogic/PURE hi-fi tuners won top honours, beating analogue and DAB products alike at various industry awards.
Then, in July 2002, PURE paved the way for mass market DAB adoption with the launch of the iconoclastic EVOKE-1 DAB kitchen radio at the magic pricepoint of £99. It was a best seller the moment it hit the shops, selling out in less than an hour, and it continues to challenge all rivals to this day.
Kevin Dale’s committment and enthusiasm for DAB has been properly and deservedly rewarded. Under his guidance, PURE has lead from the front and continues to innovate with products like The Bug and the Legato.
We congratulate Kevin and all his team at PURE Digital.
ENDS
July 19, 2004
The Digital Radio Development Bureau is funded and supported by BBC, Digital One, Emap Digital Radio, CE Digital, MXR, Capital Digital and Now-Digital. The DRDB's task is to ensure digital radio's wide accessibility and swift adoption in the UK with consistent and effective marketing.
Visit the DRDB's consumer web site www.digitalradionow.com, or our Business to Business site, www.drdb.org.
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Mandy Green
Press and Publicity Manager
DRDB
The Radiocentre
77 Shaftesbury Avenue
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020 7306 2636
07973 184995