Digital Radio
What is Digital Radio?
Digital radio is the next generation of radio broadcasting. It can provide listeners with more services, clearer reception, higher sound quality and a range of other features, including tuning by station name, record and rewind capability, program guides, pictures and text on small screens on digital radio receivers.
Digital radio is now well established in the UK and various other parts of Europe and Asia.
In Australia, the Federal government passed the Broadcasting Legislation Amendment (Digital Radio) Act 2007 on 10 May. The act established the framework for digital radio in this country, based on the European Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) standard.
The government stated that the initial rollout of digital radio services will be in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Digital radio cannot come to regional areas until more broadcast spectrum becomes available following the turn-off of the analogue television network in 2013.
The government requires that digital radio services must be on air in the state capital cities excluding Hobart by July 1 2009, and all existing national, commercial and wide-area community broadcasters in each city will be able to broadcast digitally.
What Does Digital Radio Offer?
Better Sound and Reception
Digital radio delivers better sound quality than traditional AM and FM radio and the annoying interference so familiar on existing analogue AM/FM radio will also disappear. The digital radio receiver locks on to the strongest signal it can find and ignores everything else.
More Choice
As digital radio transmission is far more efficient than analogue AM/FM, more stations can be broadcast within the same amount spectrum. This means there is potential to offer new services to expand listeners' choice - specialist program formats, for example, such as sport or specialist music.
Easier Tuning
With digital radio there's no need to remember the frequencies of stations, as you can tune by station name. You won't have to search for frequencies of the ABC's national stations when you're on the move. Eventually, it’s likely that program information will be provided through an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) that will let listeners see what’s on now, what’s coming up, search for programs and set an advance record. This will enable self-scheduling, similar to the function of a TV digital video recorder.
Rewind and Record
Digital radio receivers are essentially computers that receive and decode a digital program stream into a format that you can hear (and see in the small screen). Like computers, they also have the capacity to store information. Digital radio receivers can therefore pause, re-wind for a few minutes or store audio (via a memory card) for later listening.
Other Features
Digital radio receivers also have small screens for text and simple graphical information about the programs on air. This might include song and artist details about the music you're hearing, the latest news and weather, business news and sports results, what's coming up next and website addresses and contact phone numbers, for example.
As digital radio develops, receivers will be able to present richer graphics, pictures and web pages, further enhancing your listening experience.
digital radio in Australia
Digital Radio Trials
The ABC, along with commercial and community radio, has been trailing digital radio in Sydney and Melbourne. The trial in Melbourne is now over.
The Sydney trial is being conducted by digital radio Australia, a consortium of Commercial Radio Australia, the ABC and SBS, and is broadcasting most Sydney commercial stations. The Melbourne trial was conducted by transmission provider Broadcast Australia and also involved the ABC and SBS, as well as a Sport 927 and a number of community stations.
The trials have been testing technical matters, such as coverage and interference issues, performance of transmission systems and receiver capabilities, and the delivery of text and graphical information to receivers.
Consumer panels supplied with imported digital radio receivers responded positively to the trials. The panels appreciated the better sound quality, clearer reception and tuning by station name. There was also great interest in the potential for new services, such as the ABC's dig music service.
Can I Listen to Digital Radio in Australia?
If you are in the coverage area of the digital radio trials in Sydney and if you have a DAB digital radio receiver, you will be able listen to digital radio programs. However, most DAB receivers will not be able to receive the DAB+ broadcasts that the industry will use when digital radio officially launches.
The Future for Digital Radio
By 1 July 2009 all national (ABC/SBS), commercial and wide-area community broadcasters in the state capital cities will be able to broadcast their existing analogue services in digital or broadcast new services if they wish.
Following the radio industry’s adoption in Australia of a new – and far more efficient – digital radio transmission standard, known as DAB+, the prospect exists for the introduction of an extensive range of new services. This means, however, that the current generation of digital radio receivers, for instance those currently in use in the UK, will not be compatible with the standard adopted in Australia. Few receiver manufacturers have yet produced DAB+ receivers, so early adopters seeking to purchase digital radio receivers for use in Australia should exercise caution.
The ABC's Plans for Digital Radio
The ABC has had a long-standing commitment to the development of digital radio in Australia. New digital-only radio services are being developed that will complement existing services.
By July 1 2009 – if you are in one of the state capital cities with digital radio - you can expect to hear all your favourite programs from ABC Radio networks and services around the country, with the better sound quality, clearer reception and enhanced features offered by digital radio. You can also expect ABC Radio to deliver a range of new digital radio services designed to meet your needs and target your interests in music and talk.
Industry Links
For more information on digital radio, these links will take you to Australian and overseas websites of broadcasters, regulators and industry bodies that are involved in digital radio broadcasting and development.
- Digital Radio Australia - Australian radio industry consortium running Sydney trial.
- Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy - Australian Governement
- Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on Digital Radio
- Broadcast Australia on digital radio
- The World Forum for Digital Audio Broadcasting
- Digital Radio Development Bureau
- Digital Radio UK
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